Baseball is a lot more than the sport that captures the nation's attention when it plays the World Series every October. It is a sport that is America's national pastime and it is a game that children start playing at a very young age. Teaching young players to hit, field, throw and run the bases can be complicated, but you can teach the game in incremental steps to make it easier for younger players.
Step 1
Use a batting tee to teach youngsters the proper way to swing a bat. Many players--including professionals--use the batting tee to hone their swing. For beginners, it will teach youngsters to swing the bat evenly. A level swing will help players cover more of the hitting zone with their bat and help them make contact more readily.
Step 2
Make sure youngsters get in front of the ball when trying to field a grounder. More often than not, young fielders will reach to the side for a groundball and watch it go by them. If they are in front of the ball, they can block it even if they don't catch it. This means a young person needs to show courage when fielding the groundball.
Step 3
Have the young players raise their arm high over their head when they learn to throw the ball. The overhand throw is desirable in baseball because it will help the young player throw more accurately and with more power. Teach the young players this phrase when teaching how to throw: "Thumb to thigh, reach for the sky." This means you should make a small circle with your arm before throwing the ball and end up with your hand over your head.
Step 4
Hold your glove with the fingers pointing up on any ball that comes in above your waist. Hold your glove with the fingers pointing down on any ball that is waist level or below. Use your throwing hand to cover the ball in the glove every time you catch a flyball or a line drive.
Step 5
Hit the inside corner of every base when you are running. Teach players to take the fastest route possible when running the bases. If they hit the middle or the outside part of the base, it will force the runner to take a much wider route and it will take longer to get around the bases.
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