Long labeled as America's pastime, baseball boasts players and fans spanning the spectrum from Little League to the big leagues. If you're unfamiliar with the sport, you might wonder what the hype's all about — it's a relatively slow-moving game that can last as long as three or four hours. But though the sport moves slowly, it actually provides a number of benefits to players of all ages.
Improved Coordination
Baseball helps improve both general and hand-eye coordination. When a player hits a ball into the air, all the fielders have to react and respond accordingly. You learn to get your body moving in the right direction, to the right location, and if you're in position, you have to catch or field the ball. When you're younger, just playing catch with a friend can help you develop the coordination to throw and catch accurately. While these skills are necessary in baseball, they pay off in other sports as well, helping you become a more well-rounded athlete.
Improved Power
Baseball may seem like a slow sport, but when action takes place, it takes place fast. Baseball helps improve a player's power in a variety of muscle groups so he can react quickly whenever necessary. For instance, when a pitcher delivers a pitch, the batter must respond quickly, with a short burst of power, to make contact with the ball. After the ball is hit, the appropriate fielder has to sprint to the ball, then throw it with a powerful force to his waiting teammate. Simultaneously, the batter is sprinting around the bases as fast as possible, an action that requires powerful leg force. Baseball players develop this important aspect of functional fitness.
Increased Upper-Body Strength
It takes a strong arm to throw a pitch at 80 or 90 miles per hour or to make a throw from center field to home plate. Similarly, it takes a lot of core, back and arm strength to swing a bat down and around your body in a way that could knock a ball out of the park. Regularly performing these skills in baseball can help improve upper-body strength.
Community
When children or adults play baseball, they immediately become part of a team and part of a larger community of fans. They learn how to work together as a group to accomplish a larger goal, and begin developing skills like leadership, cooperation and tenacity. With the greater community of players and fans, many baseball players develop strong friendships that last well beyond the baseball season.
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