Students stepping up to plate at MLB's development clinics

More youngsters in China are starting to swing bats and run bases thanks to Major League Baseball grassroots programs like 2020 MLB First Pitch Clinic.

The program started its first experience training session for some 30 students at Fengying Primary School in the eastern city of Wuxi on Sept 28.

"We are introducing them to baseball and to the idea of running the bases," said coach Kevin Johnson from MLB Wuxi Development Center, which opened in 2009 and has sent several graduates to MLB. "We want them to try to hit the ball, often in this case as a team. They're using the bat to get a little bit of practice before they go to a game.

"This is very similar to what we do anywhere else in the world," he said. "It's getting the kids moving and active, as well as working on coordination skills like catching, throwing and batting, while also staying in a team environment. Basically we will have some fun and keep them moving."

The start of the MLB First Pitch Clinic program coincides with the country's push to improve physical education in schools to balance students' development in cultural and sporting activities.

The training sessions are designed to promote baseball's popularity, get more youngsters involved, and increase China's total baseball population, which by October 2019 had reached 41 million, according to the Chinese Baseball Population White Paper, published by market-consultancy company iResearch.

Hang Yongxue, vice-principal of Fengying Primary School, said that baseball can increase students' physical fitness, as well as teach them the importance of using strategy and working as a team.

"Baseball can effectively train children the ability to stay focused and compete against pressure," said Stanley Zhang, head coach of the MLB Wuxi Development Center. "It is a sport about adversity. You need to face up, adjust quickly and develop a big heart."

Over the past 13 years, MLB has been facilitating youth training for around 1.3 million Chinese students, while baseball associations have been set up in more than 80 universities.

Starting from Fengying Primary School, MLB China will expand new youth programs to primary schools and kindergartens across the country.

Participating schools will have access to high-quality textbooks, coaching resources, professional equipment, training sessions for teachers and a tournament for budding baseball talents.