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Monday, February 9, 2009

Wiffle Ball Baseball teaches pitching and hitting skills and builds confidence

by: Mike Schim

The game of wiffle ball is lots of fun, and teaches many skills that are valuable in baseball and softball. Kids play it because it’s fun and can be played anywhere. You can play in your backyard, in the street, in a field, on a baseball diamond, and even the beach. The wiffle ball itself is lightweight and won’t break any windows, and won’t hurt children if a pitch hits them. The wiffle ball bat is lightweight and can be handled by children of nearly any age.

Children that play wiffle ball are actually building their self-confidence. As a pitcher, the wiffle ball will spin, curve, and wiggle in almost any direction. As a hitter, a child gains confidence in swinging the wiffle ball bat and hearing the crack of the bat hitting the ball. All of these confidence-building skills will help when the child plays baseball or softball. You can find books and videos to learn baseball and softball by visiting http://www.2PlayBall.com and you can also learn by doing: so play ball and enjoy the game as you learn more and become better.

Wiffle-ball baseball pitching mechanics and technique:

A pitcher in the game of wiffle ball can throw the ball with spins and curves, depending on the type of pitching grip. Holding the ball differently will cause the ball to be a curveball, slider, sinker, floater, fastball, or any other kind of pitch. Thanks to the lightweight nature of the wiffle ball, a young player can try different stances and pitching mechanics and techniques. A pitcher can throw side-arm or overhead. The pitcher can even switch and use their non-preferred throwing arm. A right-handed pitcher could try pitching left-handed, and a left-handed pitcher could choose to try being a right-handed pitcher. The simple grip of the ball and the lightweight wiffle ball can allow this experimentation.

Wiffle-ball baseball hitting mechanics and technique freedom:

A child who is up at bat with a wiffle ball bat can swing the bat much faster that he/she could with a much heavier bat. This new-found baseball swing freedom can increase a child’s confidence and boost batting mechanics and technique.

A right-handed baseball hitter could tryout a left-handed baseball hitting stance. Or, a left-handed baseball hitter could tryout a right-handed baseball hitting stance. A child could become a switch hitter!

Baseball fielding mechanics and technique:

The wiffle ball is not only a tricky ball to hit, it is also very tricky to field. When the wiffle ball is hit in the air, it can spin off the bat and thus fly in a surprising fashion. Once the wiffle ball hits the ground, it will react to any tiny tree branch or pebble on the ground. These quick bounces and direction changes are excellent for practicing fielding techniques for youth baseball players. The child is required to keep their eye on the ball at all times, and they must quickly react to any sudden change in direction. The quick bounce of a wiffle ball hit on the ground will keep a child light on their feet and give them lighting-fast hand reflexes for fielding techniques.
Backyard baseball fun anytime:

A game of wiffle ball builds many skills and coordination for baseball players of all ages. It’s easy, it’s fun, and it can be played anywhere!

About The Author
Mike Schim has been a baseball fan for nearly 30 years. As a child he enjoyed playing catch with very old, well worn baseball gloves. He now plays ball with friends and teaches his family and kids how to play ball. You can read more of his articles at http://www.2PlayBall.com and he also writes for http://www.TeachMeSports.com. Mike hopes that his passion for writing about baseball will help everyone more thoroughly enjoy the game. Top of Form 1

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Hello Baseball Friend,
I welcome any comments or suggestions. If you have a question or a topic that you would like to read about, please leave a comment and I will try to address that topic as soon as I can. Good luck in the coming season!
Have a great day, Nick