Baseball/Softball Dads UNITE!!

The_Departed

So in just a handful of weeks our kids seasons begin, cant wait! What I'm really looking forward to though, is playing catch and running drills with my son. It's great taking part in his development, getting some fun excercise in, and employing some of the zany stuff we did as kids, like hitting bottle caps(plastic golf balls these days) or fielding with vintage gloves. I still break out and play with my 40's - 50's gloves sometimes. I think this year I'll try to duct tape bricks to his shoes and make him round the bases, lol. That said, let's share some ideas we have that could potentially help other dads on the boards.

perkdog

The lil guy has a mighty swing! 👍👍

doubledragon

Make sure the kids stay hydrated and that they have fun playing the game.

lbcoach20

Whiffle ball is the way to go! It shows them curve balls before they see the real deal. We played in college to pass the time. My roommate and I dominated the big football players on campus all the time! Drove them nuts!😜

The_Departed

Whiffle balls, yeah. My son's in 10U though and it's our first year in travel, but do these wee ones even throw breaking balls? That would be amazing.

lbcoach20

Ah, yes they do! They shouldn’t, but it is all about that trophy. I was at our state tournament for 12u and a pitcher blew out his arm. The team drove in a new kid from 5-6 hours away that very night. Baseball is pretty serious stuff for some people. And winning is all it’s about for them.

The_Departed

@lbcoach20 said:
Ah, yes they do! They shouldn’t, but it is all about that trophy.

Yeah, I here ya. The baseball franchise my kid plays for touts, "Fun first, winning second" which sounds nice, but we'll see when the season starts. I had talked to my brother and sister in law about my nephew's(14) exploits in travel ball and they'd told me about kids that play or played with him, pitchers, that had to have extensive therapy or surgery(Tommy John?) on their arm due to the strain. That kinda puts me off, since to me, that seems a bit extreme for a kid to go through. When you're being paid millions, I can understand the tremendous amount of pressure, but for a kid? I'll have to find some whiffles as soon as the flea markets open again, that should be fun training! Thanks for the tip lbcoach20.

The_Departed

Batting eye training with my son. One small bucket of plastic golf balls and a whiffle bat. A simple low cost way to reinforce the phrase, "Keep your eyes on the ball!" If your kid connects well, that practice golf ball will carry a good distance. My boy was putting some of these golf balls on my neighbors deck about 30-40 yards from where he's seen standing in these pics. It's a really fun activity and great morale builder. There's also a different version of these practice golf balls that have what appears to be characteristics of a whiffle ball. Don't know if it'll react like one, but the idea of something this small that can break like a whiffle? Now that sounds challenging!

doubledragon

Seeing you pitch to your son reminds me of when my father used to pitch to me in the backyard. I can tell you're a great dad! He'll look back on these times with great fondness someday. He looks like a natural hitter! He has a great swing!

lbcoach20

Yes! The golf balls. My son’s 14u team used those as well. If they hit those then baseballs look like watermelons. I guess it all comes down to having a good coach. I coached Little League coach who is a friend of mine who also coached high school ball. I did too and he and I were about learning to love the game. A player doesn’t have to be the most athletic and can be fundamentally sound and help his or her team be successful. Winning is fun, but playing hard and maybe not winning is just as rewarding, too! Keep things simple and grow their games. If they like it and stick with it they will have an awesome experience. And just adding that my 9 year old daughter has decided to try it. She’s excited and so am I for her! Here’s to a great summer for all our kiddos!

fiveniner

Man , I sure miss those days.I managed several boys leagues up to the late 90s. In between coaching I was an Umpire.I loved watching the boys grow up each year. If not for recent surgeries I would still be Umpiring even at my age.
My son was a stud pitcher with lots of talent that batters usually fear to face him. He threw smoke and was effectively wild.
I lost him in 1994 due to an anyrysem .

The_Departed

The side effects of COVID-19 has now crept into baseball facilities, including ours here in MA. Shut down until further notice. Opening day ceremonies on April 4th and the start of the season suspended ufn. Well, it sucks, but we dad's and mom's too, can still get out there with our kids and keep them warmed up!! Baseball's delayed but not over. That said, I unleashed our Louisville Slugger pitching machine for the first time this year and my boy and his friends had a heck of a good time! Let's not allow this thing to discourage us, but especially not our kids. Play Ball!!