The Canyon View High School baseball team hosted its first annual Christmas baseball camp during the final week of the holiday break last Friday and Saturday.

The two-day camp ran from 10 a.m. to noon each day and including both pitching and catching instruction, as well as a Canyon View baseball T-shirt. The current coaching staff, as well as current and former players, helped coach the upcoming players, ranging from third to eighth graders.

“This was the first time we’ve done a Christmas camp,” Falcon coach Jason Jacobsen said. “We’ve been running a spring camp and fall camp for the last couple years. The purpose is to get the kids to improve their baseball skills and get them excited to play high school baseball.”

There was a nice turnout of 32 participants, which took up almost all the available indoor space. Players were mainly from Canyon View boundaries, although several Cedar kids were there to hone their skills.

“It’s great to have both Canyon View and Cedar kids,” Jacobsen said. “That’s what we want, because the whole purpose of this camp is to get players better and get them ready to play high school baseball.”

The first day of the camp started with each of the players throwing a short bullpen, which was filmed by the coaching staff. They then proceeded to four different stations to work on different pitching fundamentals such as the setup, balance, and stride. Jacobsen was impressed with the progress of the players.

“Since we’ve been doing these camps the last couple of years, it’s most of the same kids that have been coming,” he said. “It’s rewarding for us to watch them at a camp, then come back a few months later and see them improve. Hopefully that’s one of the benefits of the camps.”

The second day was focused mainly on technique. The coaching staff did an excellent job providing both collegiate and professional pictures and film to demonstrate proper mechanics to the youngsters. After they saw how players from higher levels performed, each participant was shown their own film, which was broken down. They also received a form giving them advice in areas to work on.

The camp participants also received expert instruction from local physical therapist Brady Englestead, owner of Southern Utah Physical Therapy. They were taught proper arm care, as well as preventative and strengthening exercises.

“We tried to incorporate as much information as we possibly could in the two-hour block each day,” Jacobsen said. “We don’t want to overload the kids. We just want them to focus on a few things that will help them out.”

Many of the participants’ parents were present, listening and watching as the different drills and coaching tips took place. Players and parents alike seemed to enjoy the camp and took home good information and training ideas.

“The more the parents are involved, the better,” Jacobsen added. “Hopefully the kids come away with one thing, one or two things they can remember. Something they do can at home, while they’re playing catch with their dad or their friends. Something that will help them get ready for the upcoming season.”