4 year old T-ball

[justamom]

Our son is 4 years old. My husband used to be very much into sports but became physically disabled (in a wheelchair) and cannot play with our son.
So we signed up our lil one for T-ball. Today was their first practice. He was so happy to go. Here is my problem he was the youngest and the only one who had no idea how to play. He participated fine. Threw the ball when he was told, ran, hit. But the coaches didn't hide their disappointment very well. If you are a coach for this age group, aren't you supposed to teach the kids about the game? After the first 20min they stopped paying attention to him whatsoever. My question I guess is how can I help my son in between practice so he can become better and more confident. No, I am not going to stop my son from going. He wants to do it and I paid for it. I am far from wanting or expecting him to be an allstar player (unlike some of the parents, who were there), but I do believe he deserve a chance to at least learn to play.

[Publius]

Wow, are you in the wrong place!

You are looking for a coach, and any coach that shows up at this site is executed.

[justamom]

Lol I was just looking for advice so I googled it and this site popped up I figured ill ask. Btw just so I put it out there my son doesn't totally suck. He is not an overweight couch potato and when they were running the laps he ran the fastest lol

[jicecone]

Play catch with him often. Get a wiffa ball tee and bat and let him practice with that. Take him for an ice cream after every game as a reward for doing a good job, whether he does, or not.

Just let him have fun and enjoy the game, its W A Y too early to get serious.

Sorry about your husband but definitely try and include him in the practice just because its cool to have his Dad there too.

Even if he never becomes a MLB Ball player, Kudos to you for wanting to spend the time with him. Believe me, I still miss those days dearly.

[RPatrino]

Couple of observations here, coming from a long time former coach and current long time umpire. And no, we don't shoot coaches, and for sure we don't shoot moms. Well, we don't shoot moms.

My son started throwing, hitting and catching a ball when he was 2 or 3. He didn't actually start 'organized' ball until he was 6. It might be a little early to start at 4, particularly if the coaches are looking for the most talented kids to play, in T Ball no less.

As was mentioned, get a wiffle ball, tennis ball, and a bat and just have him play catch and hit. Using a Tee will help, although sometimes hitting off a Tee is a challenge at first. I'm not much on running laps at this early age, the time running would actually be more well spent on fundamentals and learning the game.

I would want to find a way for your husband to participate as much as he is physically able, given his restrictions. How about if he put the ball on the tee for the kids? At a minimum, he can support and provide encouragement to your son and the other children.

Best of luck to you, don't let a few bad apple coaches ruin the fun of this wonderful game. Let us know how it is going through out the season.

[justamom]

Thanks guys, those were very good ideas. And yeah I know he is young. I honestly didn't think that they will have such great expectation from a 4 year old. I was actually approached from one of the coaches as I was bringing my son to school and he asked me to sign him up, saying how much fun he will have. So that's what I was looking for some fun, exercise and quality time.
Once again thank you.

[Steven Tyler]

Originally Posted by justamom

Lol I was just looking for advice so I googled it and this site popped up I figured ill ask. Btw just so I put it out there my son doesn't totally suck. He is not an overweight couch potato and when they were running the laps he ran the fastest lol

T-ball is an unorganized fire drill. Take something to sit on, and be prepared to laugh. Give him a hug, and juice box after game.........there that wasn't so hard was it.

[DG]

Thanks to some for showing some sensitivity that some others obviously lack.

Good suggestions too.

[RPatrino]

When one of us jumps on someone who is genuinely asking legitimate questions, regardless of who they are, it reflects badly on all of us. Above all else, we need to treat everyone with respect.

[bluehair]

About the coaches...every dad dreams of their son going further in the game then he did. Some are more realistic than other. But they did volunteer to coach so cut them some slack for the time/effort. And expect that their son will get more playing time than he probably deserves. Hopefully there are participation rules that will give your kid a chance to get in the game. but its not supposed to be competitive. Have fun with it.

As an umpire I see awesome coaches and some that I wouldn't let walk my dog. I am amazed sometimes that parents put up with some jerk verbally abusing their kids. Avoid the latter.

Have fun. Enjoy this time. Take pictures.

[jTheUmp]

Originally Posted by jicecone

Take him for an ice cream after every game as a reward for doing a good job, whether he does, or not.

The importance of this advice absolutely cannot be overstated.

[Welpe]

justamom, I just wanted to welcome you to our forum. While the type of advice you're looking for is rather unusual for this place, you have gotten some good responses none the less. Feel free to stick around and learn about the umpiring avocation.

[Rufus]

In answer to your original question, here's a website that may have additional information for you. The advice you got here is all very good, but this site is geared specifically to coaching baseball. Good luck!

Baseball 101, Coaching & Fundamentals

[JRutledge]

On so many levels, SMDH!!!!

Peace

[JFlores]

Just remember to have fun, I have coached several young men who have gone to play at the college level, coaching is meant to be fun and a learning experience. My son is playing t-ball at 3, second time around. First time he wanted nothing to do with it and was always a struggle, it was hard for me since I played HS & College, Coached HS and lower college level, as well as umpired. Baseball is and always will be first love.

I just want him to have fun, this past weekend was his second go around and he was much more involved for about 45 mins. Problem with my boy is he gets bored quickly, so in between plays in the outfield i would roll the ball to him. He likes to hit soft toss.

Good advice from others, just get a tee and have him hit a few. You can roll the ball to him and let him field. I have not toss the ball to him as catching is probably the last thing that comes.

Like I said just have lots of fun and enjoy your time. Don't mind the coaches as hard as that may be to follow.