I am all about getting kids to join teams and learn to live an active lifestyle. As such, this spring I have been coaching my seven-year-old daughter and her Little League team.
Baseball is a great sport because kids can learn a lot of really important, albeit clichéd life lessons. (Think child-appropriate proverbs from Crash Davis.) The importance of effort and fair play: “The calls don’t always go your way.” Perseverance: “Keep your eye on the ball.” And of course, this one for work effort: “You’ll miss 100 per cent of the balls you don’t swing at.”
In baseball, kids have to pay attention to an intricate sport and be ready to jump into action at a moment’s notice. They learn teamwork, decision-making, sportsmanship and the value of hard work. That’s all good stuff! And, as if all that paying attention and being a good sport isn’t exhausting enough for seven- and eight-year-olds, I have noticed that a game of baseball develops others physical skills and movement patterns you may not have thought of.
Besides base running, throwing and catching, here are other active movements that take place when rookies take to the baseball diamond.
Climbing
Yes. Climbing. You might think that while the kids are waiting to take their turn at bat, they sit still on the bench. They don’t. What they usually do is climb the fence in the dugout. Repeatedly, no matter how many times you ask them to stop.
Jumping
When and if they do stop climbing the fence, players will move on to the bench, but not sitting of course. They will jump on and off the bench.
Wrestling
This happens in the dugout while they’re waiting for their turn to bat, and it can happen when they’re in the field. The wrestling usually occurs with one’s own teammates and it usually occurs when a ball is hit close to two or more players. (But it could actually happen at any time.) Also, the wrestling is not always limited to players of the same team. For example, if the first baseman is a classmate of the batter who has just singled, then wrestling may occur.
Rolling
When players are assigned to any position that is not on the infield, the player will, at some point, hit the grass and roll around until a coach notices and pleads with the player to stand up.
Modern Dance
Again, occurs mostly in the outfield, but players at second base and short stop can also get in a few good dance moves during the defensive half of the inning. This involves jumping, twisting, turning and sometimes scissor kicks.
Sprinting
This is not what you might think. This sprinting occurs only when a player has to go to the bathroom or when the game is over and “team snack” is about to be served.
And now you know why kids — as well as coaches — are exhausted at the end of a baseball game.
Darnelle Moore is the co-founder of Eastside Fitness. She believes fitness is for every body. Reach her at [email protected]
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Take play outside
Over 10 years, children have increasingly singed up to play more sports. In 2005, about half of children and teens played organized sports, a dismal number that garnered a C+ from Participation in its annual physical activity report card. One year later, that grade dropped to a C- and for the next eight years, held steady at a C.
In 2015, according to the report card released June 9, more than two thirds of children and teens are on sports teams. The increase garnered a B.
Three out of every four able-bodied people aged five to 19 in Canada participate in organized physical activities and sports, according to research cited by Participation.
The largest barriers to participation are cost. Sixty-one per cent of those aged three to 17 cite enrollment fees and 52 per cent point to paying for equipment as reasons they don’t play, according to 2014 KidSport research. In Vancouver, organization like More Sports help bridge these gaps.
Despite a spike in the number of kids playing sports, the feedback isn’t all good.
For the first time, Participation assessed unorganized outdoor activity and play. There is no grade (research is too thin), but the message is clear. Adults need to get out of the way and let kids play, get dirty and take reasonable risks.
“It means giving children the freedom to decide how high to climb, to explore the woods, get dirty, play hide ’n seek, wander in their neighbourhoods, balance, tumble and rough-house, especially outdoors, so they can be active, build confidence, autonomy and resilience, develop skills, solve problems and learn their own limits,” reads the report.
-- Megan Stewart
