Baseball For Kids: Benefits And Requirements
Baseball is a collective sport par excellence. To practice it, children need to coordinate strategies and develop several senses simultaneously. Next we will expose the advantages of playing baseball for children, as well as the necessary equipment and safety tips that must be taken into account.
A typical elementary school sport that we see in many Hollywood movies and television series, baseball is an efficient way for children to playfully display their motor skills. In addition, being a team sport, it requires the constitution of maneuvers and the designation of functions that will add to their ability to make decisions.
Benefits of playing baseball for kids
Although many may think that baseball only consists of hitting a ball with a bat that another throws, it is much more than that. First, because each player has a very specific role that they must fulfill for the success of their team.
Second, because the way of counting the score, the progress of a game and the chances of scoring of each team are quite complicated and require some specialization in the subject.
Taking into account the above, we can cite the following benefits that baseball for children brings:
- Suitable for boys and girls, it can be run mixed smoothly.
- Develops motor skills and muscle strength.
- Promotes concentration and reflexes.
- It is practiced outdoors, so it is used to combat sedentary lifestyle.
- Promotes the ability to solve problems and make decisions.
- It brings mental strength to know how to wait and endure the pressure.
- It requires coordination of roles, functions, and strategies with teammates.
- It requires organization to count the statistics of the game.
- Ideal to be practiced between parents and children, so it strengthens their relationship.
What does it take to play?
When it comes to equipment, children’s baseball is one of the most practical sports. A bat, a glove and a ball will be enough to play, although other protective elements (depending on the position) and complementary accessories, such as special shoes or mouth guards, can also be added.
The bat is made of wood, has a cylindrical shape and does not exceed 7 centimeters in diameter at its widest part. While there are some lighter ones for beginners, they are usually heavy. Therefore, it is important that an instructor teach the child how to handle it correctly.
The glove is made of leather and of different sizes. In addition to the size of the child’s hand, his position on the field (pitcher, catcher or first base) will determine the type of glove he will need.
Lastly, the ball. It is made of rubber covered with rubber and fired with thread. It usually weighs between 142 and 156 grams (heavier than a tennis ball) and travels really fast. In one second, he can travel the nearly twenty meters from the pitcher’s mound to the batter’s mound. To prepare those reflections!
The teams, meanwhile, are made up of 9 players per side on the field. Of course, there may be more on the bench. Obviously, you can play with fewer people in non-competitive circumstances.
Is baseball for children a risky sport?
In the first place, it is necessary to emphasize that no sports practice guarantees 100% safety. There is always the possibility of suffering a muscle injury or any type of accident typical of a physical exercise.
However, baseball for children, being a sport with little physical contact, does not present too many dangers. There are almost no clashes between players, except for one that can occur on the bases, and the possibility of hitting another with the bat is practically nil.
The only risk, then, is the impact of the ball on any part of the body. Beyond being very painful, it is difficult for this to generate further complications.
It is for this reason that helmets are used for baseball practice, as well as other protectors (mouth, intimates and full body for pitchers). Outfield players, however, usually do not use these protections, since they must travel long distances at the highest possible speed and without affecting their level of vision.
