The Raleigh Reds Team

Archive for March, 2008

Mari Milian asked:




Baseball is a bat and ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. In baseball, a pitch is the act of throwing a baseball towards home plate to start a play. Pitchers generally throw a variety of pitches, each of which has a slightly different velocity, trajectory, movement, hand position, wrist position and arm angle. Baseball is popular in certain countries like North America, Central America, parts of South America, Caribbean, and parts of East Asia and Southeast Asia. There are four basic tools of baseball – bat, ball, mitt and field. the different pitching grips are four seam fastball, two seam fastball, three finger changeup, circle changeup, palm ball, beginners curveball, straight curveball, knuckle curveball, slider and split finger fastball. The four seam fastball is held with a basic grip and thrown naturally. It is the easiest pitch to control because of its end-over-end spin. So use its speed and its pinpoint location to freeze hitters.

Some pitchers grip it across the narrow part of the seams (called a two seam football), which produces more of a sinking fastball. A split finger fastball is also called as splitter. A split finger fastball is named after the technique of putting the index and middle finger on different sides of the ball, or “splitting” them. Credit for the invention of the curveball is generally given to William Arthur “candy” Cummings. Cummings claimed that he invented the curveball after studying the movement that sea shells made when thrown. To throw a curveball, grip the ball by placing your middle finger on the inside half of the seam and apply pressure to the ball. A knuckleball is a type of pitch thrown by a pitcher where the ball does not rotate as it moves towards home plate.

Knuckleballs are difficult to throw, catch and hit. To throw a knuckleball, the pitcher will grip the seams with the index finger and forefinger with a claw-like grip, making sure he digs his nails into the seams. Knuckleball does not emphasize velocity. Rather, the emphasis is on lack of rotation. A knuckle baller will always find a place on a professional roaster. The key to an effective changeup is deception. A change up might look like a fastball, but come in slower and lower in the strike zone. Certain tips will throwing a circle changeup is to practice the pitch before sing it in a game. Do not try to force the pitch; the grip will slow it down. To throw the circle changeup you must exert a lot of power.

Ola Martinsson asked:




Sports and games, it has been indicated, have two separate meanings. This holds true even more for the action sports enthusiasts who believe that an activity in which they stand a chance of getting killed is a sport and the remaining are just games. Beginning with bull fighting, mountaineering, ice skating, surf boarding, rock climbing, ice climbing, water skiing, snow skiing, bungee jumping an hand gliding, are all classified under action sports. Action sports news was popularized by ESPN who made it a point to cover such extreme activities and helped pave the way for newer and more dangerous sports activities.

As time has progressed, action sports evolved too including sky diving, mountain biking, storm chasing have also been included in the list of extreme sports. As time evolves, this list also continues to grow with people experimenting to discover newer ways of getting the adrenalin rushing.

It has been a little difficult to classify what type of sport falls into this category. There have been instances when games such as Demolition derby and rugby have tried to masquerade as action or extreme sports. However, as adrenalin inducing and dangerous as these games may be, they would not fall into this category as they have a pretty traditional image. They also do not have the other pre-requisites that are mandatory to fall into the category of extreme sports which include, the desire and style to perform stunts as well as the high degree of speed that is required.

It should also be noted that action sports are more popular amongst the youth. Steering away from the conforms of authority, extreme sports are most popular amongst youngsters who look for an opportunity to steer clear of the norms presented by regular sports and head out to do something different.

Over the years there has been a paradigm shift in the definition of action sports as well. In the 1980’s this style of sport was becoming extremely popular and was marketed primarily as an adult sport. Slowly it became more popular amongst the youth and evolved into a youth sport. Along with this, extreme sports also brought along with itself an aura becoming a fashion trend of sorts, making the “outdoorsy Look” very popular.

Made commercial by X Games, action sports are most popular when they were televised. Competitions started becoming extremely popular and soon action sports were attracting advertisers and the media like bees to honey.

The potential of such sports has been aptly recognized by ESPN. As a pro active sports channel it has its finger of the pulse of the demographics associated with this sport. They cover all action sports news and create awareness about the new and fast becoming popular sports as well. From hurricane catching to extreme snowboarding, they come up with new and more interesting types of sports everyday.

Though action sports are able to give one an adrenalin rush and a high like nothing else, there is a very high level of danger associated with it as well. As these activities involve a very high degree of speed, dexterity, physical exertion, heights and sometimes specialized gears as well as incredulous stunts, massive injury and sometimes death can also be a part of this package.

Wiley Channell asked:




Teaching baseball to very young players can be difficult because small children can have a real fear of getting hurt by the ball. This is especially the case when it comes to playing in the infield. Coaches and parents need to address this and create a real desire to play the game without fear in order to succeed.

Early baseball teaching can give young players the right techniques and habits so they can have fun without any fear. Getting the desire to win can start at an early age, and will stay with a player for life.

Just because players are young, that doesn’t mean the basic rules of the game should be overlooked.

Baseball Fundamentals

In order to get past the initial fear of the game, a coach should take it slow. And to keep it extra safe, start learning the rules of the game with softer balls. You can use a tennis ball, a Nerf or any other kind of soft rubber ball. Have the players learn the rules while slowly getting used to the ball. Coaches or parents should make it clear that if a child is ever hit with the ball, any pain or injury will be short-lived.

Kids should start just throwing and catching the ball, before dealing with the bat. Eventually, work up to hitting and fielding the ball. Regular running will also build up stamina and the muscles needed for base running later on. Endurance is important, but also the ability to sprint quickly. Along with running, more advanced students need to learn how (and when) to safely slide into base.

Between the physical practice, players need to learn the rules of the game, how baseball is scored and some basic strategy when playing. It may seem like a lot at first for a youngster, but he or she will soon be comfortable with the game.

Above all, keep the game fun and help them develop a keen interest in the game. A good competitive spirit and a drive to win is what a young player need to carry him far in the sport.