Posted by: Major Dan (markj89@charter.net) on Tue Dec 18 06:39:46 2001

I would like to get some opinions please. Should we let our kids get up to bat on whichever side they choose or should we guide them. I'm talking here about when they are still pretty young.
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> > This is where I am coming from. My eight-year old is left-handed but bats right-handed. He throws, eats, writes and shoots a basketball lefty. But he kicks, bats and plays golf from the right side. He even plays tennis from the right side. The first time he ever held a real bat I put him on the left side. After that I let him get up the way he wanted too. He has batted righty ever since.
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> > His little brother is four. He is righty in everything except that ever since he was old enough to pick up a plastic bat or golf club he has hit from the left side.
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> > I have just been wondering if the side they choose is their natural side or if I should be directing them to the other side. Thanks in advance.
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> In that the only reason for youngsters to be playing baseball is to have fun, let them go whichever way they prefer. Maybe when they're older they'll be good candidates to switch hit?
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> That kind of thing is always interesting. My father does anything that requires two hands (hit a ball, play golf) left handed and things requiring one hand (writing, eating, etc.) right handed. One of my brothers is the exact opposite. One of my sons does everything right handed except two things: throw a ball and shoot a basketball. Very strange.

The vast majority of people are significantly better from one side or the other. They pick the side that 'works' for them. If in doubt, and your kids are among the non-typical ones, work on both for a few months and treat them equally. Make 'contests' where the righty competes against the lefty - most hits out of 10 pitches, most line drives in a row, etc. fun stuff, but behind the scenes you can evaluate and your sons will figure out which way they are better. The worst that happens is they become great switch hitters.
Let them figure it out by giving each side lots of chances. They'll pick correctly.