With Little League and T-Ball seasons getting underway, your probably have Junior in the back yard trying to teach him the science of hitting. But are you frustrated that your budding slugger can’t hit the ball, no matter how slow you throw it? It might be your fault. According to an article in the New York Times, scientists have figured out that kids have a hard time judging things that are moving at slow speeds.
“Children are about three times worse than adults” at judging objects moving at very slow speeds, said Terri Lewis, one of the researchers. Worse, she said, parents often try pitching even more slowly, befuddling the child’s motor neurons still further.
Unfortunately, you can’t go Roger Clemens on your kid and try to put a little hurry up on the ball because too fast is no good either. Dr. Lewis says to try speeding up the pitch gradually to find the right velocity. And no chin music either.
