Japan’s No. 1 “Taga Youth Baseball Club” in 18 and 19 can be knocked into all positions
At the youth baseball team “Taga Youth Baseball Club” in Taga Town, Shiga, players are not fixed in a specific defensive position, but experience all positions. I started with the purpose of not getting tired of practicing, but Director Masato Tsuji realized an unexpected effect. It is one of the characteristic exercises that will be taken over by the regular teams of the national tournament, such as winning consecutive championships in 2018 and 2019.
It is said that baseball practice time is longer than other sports. The reason is that it takes time for the whole team to practice improving accuracy such as sign play and cooperation, but it is not easy for elementary school children to continue without getting tired.
At the Taga Youth Baseball Club, where the whole practice is held on weekends and holidays, elementary school students who have learned the basics sweat from 9 am to 3 pm, and the top team sweats from 5 pm. Director Tsuji devises various practices so that players can move independently with curiosity and aspirations. Knocking is one of them, and all players are allowed to keep all positions.
“The first purpose was to keep you from getting bored. But there was another effect. I wonder why third basemen and catchers are giving advice to second basemen.”
One day, Tsuji noticed that the players were advising their peers in different positions. From the experience of being in a defensive position in knocks and practice games, each player understood the feelings of teammates defending different positions and exchanged opinions. Director Tsuji explains, “Because I have protected it, I understand the difficulty of all positions and the hardships of my friends. If I fix the player to one position, I can’t get any advice from my friends.”
The method of not getting the players bored has improved the defensive strength of the whole team as a result. Now, the main purpose is to understand the feelings of other positions.
