The summer baseball programs will be starting very soon and if you have a child just starting out playing baseball he or she needs to know how to catch a ball.

Monday, May 14, 2001

The summer baseball programs will be starting very soon and if you have a child just starting out playing baseball he or she needs to know how to catch a ball. You can’t rely on the coaches to teach your child how to throw and catch a ball. Mike Raso, a coach for youth and Legion baseball, says training begins at home.

"Lots of parents nowadays don’t know the game of baseball. Parents have to get a glove to play catch with their kids. Don’t worry if you don’t know how to play baseball. I tell parents: Your kids will teach you," Raso said.

Raso has an advantage teaching his kids as he has played baseball all his life and has been coaching for 23 years. His oldest son, Matt, pitches for Riverland. This year Mike will be coaching his 6-year-old Joey in youth baseball.

"I went and bought Joey a glove when he was five. It is good to start out throwing a wiffle ball or a tennis ball. I hit him in the face a couple times with the ball so he can actually feel the ball; just don’t hit your kid in the nose. When they actually feel the ball it makes your kid concentrate harder," explained Raso.

Raso instructs baseball players in catching by teaching them step one on your right foot, (if the child is right handed) step two, back on the left foot. Do the opposite if your child is left-handed. When catching a ball, he instructs the child to use both hands. A child learns to hit a ball when he can catch and throw a ball.

"Hitting a ball is the third thing you should teach a child. Hitting is easy. It doesn’t take too much time to teach a kid to catch and hit a ball. Some parents think they can drop their kids off and I will teach them to catch and throw. I can’t do it alone. If a kid has never picked up a ball before and never worn a glove, I will have a hard time coaching that kid," said Raso.

Raso advises parents and family members to play catch with a young child for at least 10 minutes to an hour at a time, if possible every day. Baseball is an art that is best learned at a young age and played at a young age. Have your child wear a hat when playing, as that is part of the game.

Jim McDermott has followed Raso’s advise with his two boys, 12-year-old Jimmy and 9-year-old Dennis.

"I got Jimmy his first glove at ShopKo when he was 5. Jimmy is left-handed and I bought him a left-handed glove. Jimmy will never be real big, so I got him a right-handed glove too, and now he is an infielder. He is a good second baseman," McDermott said.

Raso purchased the gloves for his children at South Central Athlete on Main Street. Bob Wilson, the owner, will guide parents that don’t have a clue about purchasing a glove for their child.

"Look for a small glove. Get a glove that is pre-broke. It is okay to pass gloves down through brother and sister as long as the glove isn’t too big. A glove that is too big for the child is too hard to have any control with. A beginner glove costs anywhere from $20 to $30 and will last roughly two years. Gloves get more expensive as the child grows," said Raso.

Teach the child to care for his glove and not leave it out on the lawn overnight where it will get wet. Kids don’t need to learn how to oil their gloves until they are 11 or 12.

If your child doesn’t have others to practice throwing and catching with Raso says it is good idea to throw the ball at a brick building or cement steps. He calls it playing imaginary baseball. He says don’t worry about teaching your child to catch and throw with both hands as kids will learn their dominate hand.

"Hitting-wise it is a good thing to learn to hit the ball with both hands. Direct kids toward the arm they feel the most comfortable with. Ninety percent of the kids will be right-handed. Don’t force anything on your child. If you want your child to learn baseball and be good at baseball, you as the parent have to learn the game too. Your kids will teach you," said Raso.

Call Sheila Donnelly at 434-2214 or e-mail her at sports@austindailyherald.com.