Quality Sport Programs : Baseball

FUNdamentals: Rally Cap

Learn to Train: Grand Slam

Baseball is a team sport requiring the skills and involvement of a number of players contributing in significant and differing ways. It can be played anywhere – parks, playgrounds, back alleys or fields – and by males and females of any age. Through Baseball Canada’s focus on “Throwing, Catching and Hitting”, young athletes in Canada will develop these fundamental skills.

Along with teamwork, baseball teaches participants fundamental movement skills, fundamental sport skills and the ABCs – agility, balance, coordination and speed – of physical literacy.

Baseball’s Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model consists of nine stages.

• Active Start (M, F Under-6) – Encourages fundamental movement skills through play.
• FUNdamental (M, F U9) – Teaches kids fundamental movement skills while maintaining an emphasis on FUN.
• Learn to Train (M U15, F U11) – Teaches fundamental sport skills.
• Train to Train (M U15, F U16) – Begins developing specific skills and position play during the identification years.
• Learn to Compete (M, F U18) – Consolidates specific skills and position play as players actualize their goals.
• Train to Compete (M, F U23) – Combines specific skills, position play and training for high-performance athletes.
• Learn to Win (M, F U18) – Fine tunes skills and position play at the semi-professional level.
• Train to Win (M 21+) – Perfects skills and position play at the highest levels.
• Active for Life (M, F all ages) – Encourages players to remain in the game, either competitively or recreationally, for life.

Baseball Canada: LTAD
This framework will integrate and align athlete development, coaching development and all elements of our baseball system so that our athletes can reach optimal performance at all stages of development.

Rally Cap, Baseball Canada’s Official Initiation Program, teaches young baseball players the FUNdamentals, while aiming to increase overall interest in baseball.

The Grand Slam Program targets the FUNdamental and Learn to Train stages. It is a follow up to Rally Cap and will focus on players aged 9 through 11. This program is expected to start in the coming year.

Pitch Count covers the Learn to Train and Train to Train stages, and considers the development and safety of young pitchers.

Reaching Baseball Ideals (RBI) covers each developmental stage. Its purpose is to ensure that all baseball associations apply the same criteria and proper practices. RBI also empowers parents to become informed about their children’s involvement in baseball.

Baseball Canada – baseball.ca