Okay, so, I wanted to get my kid into baseball. He’s at that age where they start playing, and I figured, “Hey, I played a little in high school, I can teach him.” Turns out, teaching a little kid to catch a baseball is WAY harder than it looks. Here’s how I’m doing it, more or less.
Gearing Up
First thing I did was get the right gear. Forget about those tiny, hard little league balls. We’re talking soft, oversized training baseballs. These things are like the pillows of the baseball world. Then got a small, lightweight glove that’s easy for him to open and close. Nothing fancy, just something to get him started.
The Basics: Ready Position
Next up, I am showing him the “ready position.” This is HUGE. I had him stand with his feet a bit wider than his shoulders, knees bent, like he’s about to sit down a little. Glove hand out in front, throwing hand up near his ear. I kept saying, “Glove up, ready to catch!” We even practiced it without a ball, just getting the stance down.
Tracking the Ball: “Eyes on the Prize”
This part was tricky. Little kids, their eyes are EVERYWHERE. So, I started by just tossing the ball up in the air myself, and having him just watch it. “Eyes on the ball!” I’d say, over and over. It sounds simple, but it takes practice. Slowly, he started to get the hang of following the ball with his eyes, from my hand all the way up and back down.
Soft Hands: “Give with the Ball”
This is where that soft ball really came in handy. I started with super-easy, underhand tosses from just a few feet away. The key, I told him, was to “give” with the ball. Don’t try to snatch it like a trap. Instead, let the ball come into the glove, and then close the glove around it. We spent a lot of time on this, just feeling the ball come into the glove and closing it gently.
Lots of Repetition and Praise
- We did a lot of repetitions. Just toss, catch, repeat. Toss, catch, repeat.
- Every time he caught it, even if it was a bit clumsy, I made a big deal out of it. “Great catch!” “You got it!” Lots of high-fives. Positive reinforcement is key, especially at this age.
- We took breaks when he started to get frustrated. No point in pushing it too hard.
Underhand Tosses: Building Confidence
Once he had the basics, I slowly increased the distance of my underhand tosses. It is not about speed, it is about him getting comfortable with the ball coming at him at differnt distance. I let him fail, but alway encourage him and give him some advise.
Overhand Tosses: Gradual Progression
After a while, when I can tell he has the confidence, I started mixing in some very gentle overhand tosses. Again, starting close and gradually increasing the distance. The focus was still on tracking the ball and using soft hands. And now he can catch most of it. Of course there’s still a lot of work to do, but it’s a start!
It’s been a learning experience for both of us. I’m definitely no baseball coach, but seeing him smile when he makes a good catch? That’s totally worth it. It’s all about patience, repetition, and making it fun. That’s my experience, anyway.
