Hinata, who is 6 years old and plays for the Iwaoka Sunnies, an after-school softball baseball team in Hyogo.
As the number of baseball players decreases, he is working to expand the circle of youth baseball through SNS. On Instagram “hinata_06_baseball”, a former baseball player and “baseball dad” records the growth of his 6-year-old son, Hinata. He travels around the country to solve the problems of his generation and hopes for the development of the baseball world.
During his high school days, Hinata’s father was the captain of the Hyogo Ikuei softball club and was a talented player who had won the national polity championship. At Kansai Gakuin University, he belonged to the semi-hardball baseball club, and then, thinking, “I also suffered from shoulder and elbow injuries.I want to eliminate the need for such children,” he entered the “Seki Medi Baseball Academy’s trainer department,” where he studied from the basics to the specialty. learned knowledge.
Although he retired as a full-fledged player, he continued to play baseball as a hobby. After starting a family and having Hinata-kun, we went to the field together on the weekends and enjoyed playing baseball together. However, in November 2022, his son told him, “I want dad to quit baseball.”
“I was confused because he suddenly said that (lol).But when I asked him why, he said, “I want to play baseball. I decided to play a support role.My son was 4 years old at the time, and I started looking for a team that would accept him.
Established “2018 Dogstars” community for “2018 generation” on Instagram
When I was looking for a team that I could play from home, Iwaoka Sunnies, an after-school softball baseball team based in Hyogo and Kobe, happily accepted me. It is possible to chase white balls among elementary school students and participate in practice games. However, due to league rules, children up to their first year of elementary school (in Hinata’s case, starting in 2025) cannot participate in official games.
Still, he does his best in team practice, and on weekdays he spends his days at home filled with baseball, including agility training. As a father, he continues to support Hinata as much as time allows, saying, “I’ll go along with whatever I want,” as Hinata takes the initiative and says, “I want to get better at baseball,” rather than being led by his parents.
He has a never-ending desire to explore things such as baseball techniques, how to use his body, and food. As I continue to play baseball, I start to wonder, “How are kids and parents of my age doing?” When I look at social media such as Instagram, I find out that there are “generations born in 2018” who have similar worries. It is said that
Therefore, he created a community called “2018 Dog Stars” on Instagram to encourage baseball kids of the same generation. They shared their individual practice methods, and a joint practice was held in Okayama in October of this year. They are also planning to hold networking events across the country next year. A baseball dad who took action on his own through SNS will continue to liven up the world of youth baseball, albeit in a small way.
(Kengo Hashimoto)
I want to increase the speed of the ball, I want to hit the ball farther… “First-Pitch,” a sibling site of “Full-Count,” tells baseball boys and girls, coaches, and guardians about the coaching methods they want to know about, as well as the “current situation” in the field of baseball training. We will provide useful information every day as a gateway to learning the fun of baseball and as a clue to solving your questions.
