Therapeutic use of sports

Activity Title: The Basics of Baseball: Play ball!

Source: McConnel, D. (n.d.). How Baseball Works A Guide to Major League Baseball.
Retrieved September 14, 2016, from http://www.howbaseballworks.com/TheBasics.htm
Equipment:

Baseball

Baseball glove (used to catch fly balls or ground balls in the infield and outfield)
Baseball bats (used to hit the ball during batting)
A helmet is needed when the individual goes up to bat. This helps protect the ball from
causing injury to the head.

Activity Description: The purpose of this activity is to help the individual with their motor
skills, thinking skills, and cognitive skills. This activity also helps the individual with their eye
coordination and their muscle strength. Baseball is a game that is played between two teams.
Each team plays nine innings in which they try to score runs. The visiting team are always the
first to bat at the top of the inning and the home team bats at the end of the inning. When both
teams have had their chance to bat, then thats the end of the inning. Each team has up to twentyfive players but only nine players are allowed on the field at any time. The rest of the players are
considered substitute. A substitute may be brought into the game at any time (whether because
of injury, fatigue, or tactical reasons), but once a player is replaced by a substitute then he is not
allowed to return to the game, (McConnel). The game of baseball is played on an open field.
You have the infield and outfield. Infield, also known as the diamond, has first, second, third,
and home base at each corner. Each base is placed 90 feet from the other base. The pitcher
mound is in the middle of the diamond. Beyond the infield, you have the outfield which is
around 400 feet from home plate. There are also two foul lines which extend to the wall from
the first base and third base lines, and at the end of each foul line where it meets the outside wall,
theres a huge foul pole to show which long hits are fair and which are foul, (McConnel). The
zone between first and third base lines, and the outfield wall is known as fair territory (meaning
that the ball is live and the runners could run). If your team is in the field there are different
position everyone plays. You have the catcher, he or she is the one who catches the pitchers balls
and protects home base from runners. The pitcher stands at the pitcher mount and throws the ball
towards the catcher with the batter trying to hit the ball. In the diamond you have a 1st base, 2nd
base, short stop and 3rd base players. An individual who is playing short stop stands in between
3rd base and 2nd base. Looking from home plate to the outfield, you have a player in the right
field, center, and left field. The purpose is to score more runs than the opposing team.
To play baseball is pretty easy for an individual to follow. When it is your turn to bat, you need
to put on a helmet and grab a bat. The individual needs to stand in the box by the catcher with the
umpire standing behind them. The strike zone is located from the individuals shoulders to their
knees. If you get three strikes you are out (this is known as a strikeout). In order to get a strike
you either must have missed hitting a ball in the strike zone or hitting a foul ball. You have three
chances before you get a strikeout. If the pitcher throws a ball either way to high or way to low,
then it is called a ball. If you get four balls then you could automatically get on 1st base. If you hit
a ball and it is fair, you run towards 1st base and tag the base. Your goal is to go all the way
around the bases until you reach home plate. If you make it to home plate without being touched
then you have scored a point. Each player that tags home plate is worth one point. If you are the
fielding teams, you need to get three outs. There are many different ways you could get someone
out. Firstly, if you catch a ball in the air, without touching the ground, is an out. If you tag a
person with the ball that has not touched base or is not touching the base is an out. Lastly, if you
get the ball and throw the ball to your teammate that is on the base that the opposing team player

is running to that is considered an out. The only time a player that is running is safe is when they
are on base.
Leadership Consideration: CTRS could function as a coach or an umpire during the game.
They are in close proximity to the individuals and are the judges on if the player is safe or out
and if the ball is fair or not. Some safety precautions that all players need is to always wear a
helmet when it is their turn to go up to bat. Also if the dugout of the team does not have a safety
net or fence in front of them then they need to always pay attention to the game and watch out
for foul balls. Another safety to consider is to make sure that each player is taught by a coach on
how to properly slide into a base and how to tag a person who is sliding into the base. If they
slide with their fingers extended. They could break a bone on their hand or wrist. If they slide
into a base with their leg, they need to be careful sliding in when there is an opposing team
player is there to tag them.
Adaptations for individuals who are visually impaired: With todays technology and
awareness for individuals with disabilities, we are providing new ways to help create adaptations
for them to join these sports. According to an article written on Fox6, they mentioned that
students from Milwaukee school of engineering help created adaptations for children who are
visually impaired so they could play baseball. They called this adaptive sport, beeper baseball.
The bases and the balls have beeping devices, electronic devices so that the players will know
where to follow the ball, where to field it, where to hit it, and where to run to the bases, (Cruz,
2015). All of the children who are playing have to wear blindfolds. The umpire does not wear the
blindfolds because they are the ones who operates the base and who calls the shots in the game.
One team is batting while the other team is fielding. When the individual hits the ball, they hear
the beep that is coming from the base and they need to run to base and touch it. If the person is
fielding, they need to hear the ball and try to find it. When they have the ball, they need to lift it
over their head. If they lift the ball over their head before the runner finds the base, then they
runner is out. If the runner tag the base before the fielder could raise the ball over their head, then
the runner is safe. This game lasts until six innings and only has six players at a time on the field.
A CTRS could function as a pitcher or catcher. Their main goal is to pitch the ball where the
individual normally swings the bat at. The NBBA, known as the National Beep Baseball
Association, hostess a World Series competition every year. This year the upcoming event will be
hosted in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Adaptations for limb loss/ amputations: Individuals with amputations are able to play baseball
with just a few adaptations. Baseball is very difficult for an individual with an amputation to play
the sport. To help them, researchers and engineers have created prosthetics to help individuals to
play. Due to the different upper limb movements that are specific to each action upper limb
amputees may require two different prosthetic adaptations to play baseball, one for batting and
one for catching, (Bragaru, Dekker, Geertzen, 2012). Below elbow prostheses has restrictions
on the flexion-extension or lateral motions that are used for batting. This drawback could be
changed by mounting a ball and socket joint between the prosthetic socket and the prosthetic
hand. For lower limb amputations, they could function with the use of a prosthetic leg.
Adaptation Reference:

About the Game of Beep Baseball. (n.d.). Retrieved September 15, 2016, from
http://www.nbba.org/about_game.htm
Bragaru, M., Dekker, R., & Geertzen, J. H. (2012, August 22). Sport prostheses and prosthetic
adaptations for the upper and lower limb amputees: An overview of peer reviewed literature.
Retrieved September 15, 2016, from
http://www.academia.edu/2290505/Sport_prostheses_and_prosthetic_adaptations_for_the_upper
_and_lower_limb_amputees_an_overview_of_peer_reviewed_literature
Cruz, B. (2015, December 27). "Beeper baseball:" Vision forward, MSOE baseball players adapt
the game for kids who are visually impaired. Retrieved September 14, 2016, from
http://fox6now.com/2015/12/27/beeper-baseball-vision-forward-msoe-baseball-players-adaptthe-game-for-kids-who-are-visually-impaired/