How to Prepare Your Child for Playing Their First Baseball Game

By Staff Report
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Updated: March 3, 2020

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Baseball is the most popular sport across the United States and some parts of Europe. In fact, the sport is played by people of all ages including kids and adults who are in their fifties. Children in particular are introduced to the game at an early stage so that they can learn to like it as they grow up. As a matter of fact, introducing your kid to baseball is a wise decision. This is because they will get used to playing the game in a field. This will in return help them shed tons of calories that have accumulated as a result of playing video games. And since every game has some rules that have to be followed, your child will eventually get accustomed to sticking to discipline even in other areas of life. On the other hand, preparing a child for their first baseball game takes time and sacrifice. You can’t wake up one day and take your kid to the field and expect the best performance. Here is a list of things that you should do in preparing your child for his first debut in baseball.

Get the Right Gear

The worst mistake you can make as a parent or guardian is to compromise the safety of your child during the game. If you are not careful, it could be their first and last game. You have probably heard tales of players that lost their lives after being hit by a stray ball. You can avoid such sad experiences by making sure your child wears the right gear before entering the field. According to Bat Sleeves, every child must wear a protective helmet regardless of whether they will be catching or hitting the ball.

It’s also necessary for every player that will be in a catching position to wear some sleeves. The sleeves are designed to absorb the impact of the ball so protect the hands of the catcher. Your child must also wear shoes that have spiked soles, popularly known as baseball cleats. And to sum it all, the child should have a bat. When shopping for a bat, you should pick the one that’s neither too small or too big so that they can be able to swing it swiftly without straining.

Practice Ahead of the Game

After buying all the gear that’s needed in the game, it’s important you schedule for practice sessions. The advantage of practicing a few weeks before the game is that it enables your child to gain confidence. This is because practice enables the child to work on his weaknesses. In fact, you should let him play just like an amateur so that you can coach him on countering his weaknesses by capitalizing on his strengths. Besides that, you should also train him to play in different positions. Since you will be his partner during the practice sessions, you can alternate between hitting and catching. Practicing should be complemented with watching some pre-recorded games together on TV. This can help in borrowing some tricks from seasoned players.

Make Sure the Child is in Good Health

It’s important you monitor the health of your kid on a daily basis. Even if he doesn’t have any visible injury, it’s still recommended you have him go for a medical check up to confirm that he is fit to engage in a vigorous activity. If your child has a special condition, you should consult your family doctor so that he can advise you accordingly. In case he shows any symptoms of illness on the day of the game, you should inform the team’s coach so that they can put him on bench until he is fit to play again.