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The Ripken Way – Review & Baseball Package Giveaway!

***CONGRATULATIONS TO DANA BOWMAN! You are the winner or the Ripken Baseball Package! Thanks to everyone who entered!***

Today’s post is sponsored by Ripken Baseball through the Bloggy Moms Network.

ripken-way-headerI’ve always loved baseball. It’s pretty much in my blood. The smell of outfield grass and hot dogs, the chalk dust, the chatter, the familiar tunes, the sounds of ball-hitting-glove and bat-hitting-ball, and every single baseball movie ever made!

My preteen/teenage Saturdays were spent at the ballpark watching my little brother, along with other boys I knew and liked. In high school, I was the manager of the JV baseball team (which meant I could keep a pretty mean scorebook and make sure stats were correct). 🙂 Then there was softball, which I played until I started having babies… and throughout all of this time, a deep love for the game of baseball and the Atlanta Braves.

So now, our oldest son loves baseball just like his mama. It’s fun to watch him as he learns the fundamentals and grows into a stronger player. There are so many lessons that our kids can learn from playing the game of baseball…

‘If we do all the little things right, then we’ll never have a big thing to worry about.’ – Cal Ripken, Sr.

Enter The Ripken Way. If you know anything about baseball, you’ve heard of the Ripkens.

ripken-history1

Cal Ripken, Sr. was with the Orioles for 37 years as a player, coach and manager. Although his career was successful, Cal Sr.’s legacy is his love of the game and the wisdom that he instilled in players… and the wisdom that has continued to be passed down through others. He spent thousands of hours working with players, teaching them the fundamentals, about hard work, and about the other pieces of character building that would become known as The Ripken Way. His sons, Cal Jr. and Bill now continue the legacy through Ripken Baseball, which offers a virtual learning academy, youth camps, and travel team tournaments that teach kids their unique method.

My favorite topic of The Ripken Way is that baseball is a game of fundamentals. This is so true in life, isn’t it? Here’s an excerpt that explains the importance of fundamentals:

You’ll find an emphasis on the basic fundamentals of baseball at the foundation of every big leaguer’s career. But in today’s highly competitive youth baseball environment, players can miss out on the focused training that’s needed to truly rise to the next level. That’s why a camp experience is so important for young ballplayers.

Every chance we get to make an impression on a young ballplayer, Ripken Baseball stresses the importance of mastering the game’s fundamental building blocks. The players who advance from recreational leagues and travel teams to high school and college or beyond are those who master the fundamentals to the point that they become second nature. They don’t go out and practice fielding bad-hop ground balls, making diving catches or backhanding balls deep in the hole. Instead they field routine groundball after routine groundball, fine tuning the proper mechanics necessary to catch the ball and throw it accurately after the catch. Derek Jeter catches a groundball and throws it to first base the exact same way that your 10-year-old should. Be sure that your son or daughter’s coach is taking the time to teach the fundamentals during practice.

It’s so important to know the basics… and not just to know them, but to practice them so much that they become second nature. This is a good lesson for us all! Check out the opportunities that are offered for youth baseball players to attend a summer camp with Ripken Baseball: 2015 Youth Baseball Camps.

Team Mom Tips:

Are you a new sports mom? My biggest advice to you would be to:

  1. Stay positive. Encourage from the sidelines, don’t coach. Save that for after the game when you’re working on skills at home.
  2. Get to know the other moms! As an introvert, this isn’t the easiest thing for me. I tend to stay in my little chair and watch. So what did I do this year? I became Team Mom! If you’re an introvert also, consider jumping in! I loved getting to know other moms this year because I got out of my comfort zone a little.

Giveaway of Ripken Baseball Instructional Package!

Ripken Baseball has agreed to give away The Ripken Way Instructional Bundle, with 3 DVDs of hitting, pitching, and defense for one lucky reader! This retails for $59. Would you like to use this awesome teaching tool with your son/daughter? Leave me a comment on this post. I’ll keep the giveaway open until Thursday, July 16th at midnight. Winner will be announced here and you will receive an email from me! Make sure to leave your email address in the comment. 🙂

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