by Richard Harris

Created on: May 21, 2009   Last Updated: May 31, 2009

Living in an area in which basketball and football reign supreme has taught me to be creative in teaching the sport of baseball to kids. Many of these kids view baseball as a boring game; however it can be extremely fun. In order to effectively teach the sport of baseball to kids consider the following:

Care about the kid. The saying kids do not care how much you know until they know how much you care is still true. Before anyone can effectively teach kids, they must care about the kid as an individual. When kids see that you genuinely care about them, they become more willing to try new concepts, listen, and learn. Baseball is a game; you play a game to have fun. Too often when it comes to sports, adults are win-oriented and fail to make the sport fun. Adults must make a conscious effort to keep the game fun. Too often adults relive their childhood through the kids they coach, set expectations too high, and do not tolerate mistakes. Instead consider creating an atmosphere that stresses fun and success and watch how the kids respond. Build a foundation for the kid by teaching the technical skills. First allow the kid to show you what they can do (no matter how new they are to the sport). Then take the time to teach the kids the proper way to throw, how to catch with two hands, how to hold and swing a bat based upon their current capabilities. Teach the rules of the game. Nothing is worse than participating in an activity or sport and not know the rules. When kids understand what they are to do, they will be better able to do it. Practice. Practice. Practice. Baseball is a game of repetition. The more reps received, the better they will become. During practice provide competition whether it is competing against others or themselves. Keep track of progress. Teaching and helping kids track their progress creates pride in their work. They can see where they started and how they are progressing. The more progress they can see, the better they will want to become. Accept failure. Encourage success. Many people look at baseball as a game of failure. However I view it as a game of minor victories. Teaching kids to work through "perceived failures" and focus on their victories allows them to better focus their energies on getting better. Teach the game through video games. Although many adults feel that kids play too many video games, this idea actually allows one to meet the kids where they are. If an adult can utilize video games to enhance kids' knowledge of the game of baseball and see what they should be doing via virtual concept, they have enhanced their teaching repertoire.

All of these concepts have been tested and used by me with elementary, middle, and high school aged students. Most recently, I have used them on the high school level to compile a 32-14 record at the varsity level with a majority of 1st year players.

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