End Of The T-Ball Season
Jul 15th, 2008 by alyoung
Last month my son Marcus finished his first season of T-Ball and I finished my first year being an assistant coach. It was a good experience for both of us. For Marcus it was his first season of organized baseball and he did very well as one the top players on the team. The team consisted of 4-5 year olds but there is a big difference between barely 4 and in preschool and 5 and a half and in kindergarten. Its only 1 year but the difference in attention span, maturity, and skills is huge. Marcus went through his first year still enjoying baseball and is now ready for the next level. Some observations from my first season:
- Coaching: Coaching T-ball is not really about teaching the fundamentals of baseball although we tried. I think I spent most of my time trying to get the kids to pay attention and to look in the right direction while on defense. Many times they would be wrestling with one another or making “dirt angels” on the infield.
- Outfield: There is really no need for outfielders in T-ball. I think only a few balls went into the outfield all season. We just played a deep infield and still the ball sometimes went through because no one was paying attention
- Kids: At the T-ball level none of the kids really like baseball. They like being with their friends and maybe like wearing the uniforms but they don’t really understand or enjoy the game itself. Baseball is still too boring form them. Unlike soccer where there is constant motion baseball has a lot of down time just waiting for a ball to come to you or to bat. The kids get distracted easily and its a chore to get them to focus. Hopefully they will develop more of an interest in the game itself next year as they mature. The exception to this is Marcus who actually enjoys the game. Part of it is that he is a little older than the other kids and can pay attention longer. Also Marcus has been going to spring training and baseball games since he was 3. He even likes watching it on TV and listening on the radio. He also checks the score of the A’s game on the Internet first thing in the morning because the games end after his bed time. He may be the only kid on the team who actually enjoys the game.
I think it was a positive experience for everyone and I enjoyed working with the other coaches. Now its onto soccer. Here are some pictures of the season. For some kids raking the infield dirt was a highlight of the season.
