Top university, high school, and softball coaches hold baseball classes at Saitama’s Koshigaya Municipal Stadium
Top-notch coaches who hope to grow baseball’s population are united, transcending the boundaries of their organizations. On the 7th, coaches from university baseball, high school baseball, and women’s softball held baseball classes for local elementary school students at Saitama’s Koshigaya Municipal Stadium. Amateur coaches worried about transitioning from baseball are coming together and taking a step towards the future of the baseball world.
8:30 in the morning. More than 140 elementary school students gathered on the field and chased a white ball. During the warm-up, a professional coach began giving a thorough instruction by reviewing how to run, saying, “Anyone can get faster if they learn proper form!” In addition, for first and second grade elementary school students who are just starting to play baseball, we use tennis balls and sponge bats to introduce them to the fun of baseball, giving them a variety of other instructions for in each grade.
The organizer of this event is Yoshia Hirahara, who is a coach at Kamimu University and also the GM of the Fukaya team. Ten years ago, a “coaches association” was formed that brought together university, high school, and softball coaches, and the “baseball discussion” progressed, but over the years, the topic turned to “kids. to bring the future.” It changed to
“At first, it was a place to exchange information, but on this 10th anniversary, I thought there was something I could do to give something back to the world of baseball. As the population of baseball decreases , the most necessary is to expand the base. . The WBC championships and the Shohei Otani professional baseball have become popular because of the success of the players, but unless the children choose baseball, we cannot stop the decline in numbers. on baseball players.
Mr. Hirahara’s “enthusiasm” and the “association of coaches” became a reality in “Yakumachi”, the executive committee of “Baseball Town Koshigaya”, which focused on increasing the number of players. They hold various activities to spread the appeal of baseball to children, and the talks are smooth.
Masumi Mishina, who won a gold medal in softball at the Beijing Olympics, also participated.
A total of 15 leaders gathered in the field from Asia University, Kokugakuin University, Chuo University, Rissho University, Oberlin University, Kyoei University, etc. By interacting with elementary school students who truly enjoy playing baseball, he learned to be a coach.
Among them, the one who received the loudest cheer was Masumi Mishina, who won a gold medal in softball at the Beijing Olympics. Participating beyond the boundaries of sport, he said, “I really learned a lot. I want people to continue to love baseball even after this. I do my best because I want people to not only have fun, but also get a feel for the technical aspect.”, he was satisfied with his face.
Mishina also had experience playing baseball as a child, participating in baseball classes taught by Yutaka Enatsu (formerly of Hanshin), a pitcher with 206 wins. It is said that he was impressed by the top players after they saw it for themselves. “Again, there is unlimited room for children to grow. If there is an opportunity for them, they will be interested. It is the role of adults to give them knowledge. them.” ”.
The event, where adults put their collective wisdom and effort into action, ended with great success. Mr. Hirahara said, “I think this is the true form of the baseball entrance. It’s important to keep the technique and winning, but first of all, it should be something everyone can enjoy. the declining population of baseball with a sense of crisis, I have to do it,” he said with emphasis. It was a day that reminded me of the true nature of baseball as I watched elementary school students chase the ball with smiles on their faces.
(Kengo Hashimoto)
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