A lovely synergy takes place when you watch an inspiring story unfold… you suddenly get inspired yourself to achieve great things! No doubt, there will be plenty of inspired young baseball enthusiasts after viewing Disney’s MILLION DOLLAR ARM (on Blu-ray and DVD October 7.)
Based on a true story, sports agent JB Bernstein (Jon Hamm) finds that business has changed and in a last-ditch effort to save his livelihood, he concocts a scheme to find baseball’s next great pitching ace. Hoping to find a young cricket pitcher he can turn into a Major League Baseball star, JB travels to India to produce a reality show competition called “The Million Dollar Arm.” As a result, the lives of two young men from a remote rural area are dramatically changed when they suddenly find themselves in America, training for the big leagues.
A family-friendly film, MILLION DOLLAR ARM has a great deal of heart and some valuable lessons about team work, belief in yourself, recognizing the important moments in life and what it means to be a great mentor and friend. We all invested ourselves emotionally in this film when watching it, rising and falling with the characters as they completed their journeys of self-discovery. As we’ve come to expect from Disney, this is a movie with a lot of heart and an extra dose of inspiration!
As expected, too, my sons were very chatty about sports after the film and expressed how they would love to be great team players.
Perhaps you, too have a child who is enthusiastic about baseball after the film, have an undiscovered talent waiting to bloom in your own home, or maybe you just have a child who already has a simple, pure love of the game. There are many ways you can help foster their desire to advance their skills and encourage the enthusiasm bubbling forth after watching MILLION DOLLAR ARM. Try the following ideas or use them to inspire your own. After all, you best know what will motivate your little slugger towards future stardom!
Introduce your child to teamwork. As the players in “Million Dollar Arm” will find out, teamwork is essential to success. Everyone wants their child to be the superstar and we’re certainly proud of their fierce skills on the field, but hogging the limelight doesn’t contribute to the success of the team and can ultimately cause the team to fail. Let your child know how important teamwork is to you and comment when you see them exhibiting good teamwork behavior on the ball field and at home.
Set them up to succeed. If your child has never played baseball before and is now inspired to be the next great pitcher, help them to map out goals to develop their skills. Scout yard sales for gloves and pitcher’s nets and set up a tracking sheet for them to record their achievements. Sign them up to play on a community baseball team. See if a coach in the area or experienced player from the local high school team is available to help out in exchange for a small fee or for the sheer enjoyment of encouraging a new player while working on developing their own skills further (everyone benefits from having a practice buddy!)
Encourage healthy eating habits. Fruits, veggies, and such are always great foods to encourage, but also be certain your little athlete gets enough protein and carbs from quality sources to fuel their activities.
Provide protective equipment for sports. This is and area often overlooked. mouth guards, protective helmets, cleats, masks, knee pads and other protective gear all ensure the safety of your child when participating in sports. Having the right equipment helps prevent common injuries like chipped teeth, concussions and broken bones.
Maintain manageable goals. Discuss the realities of the time commitment and practice it takes to improve and develop baseball skills. Set up a chart of reasonable daily practice times and short term goals for your child that you both can check daily and use to keep your child focused and engaged with their aspirations.
Support individual needs. Each child will differ in capabilities, tolerance and talents. Ultimately, work with your child to set the best path for their happiness and success with the sport of baseball. Not everyone will be a superstar, but they can certainly improve and live up to their individual potential in a favorite sport, and that is true measurement of success!
There’s very little drawback in encouraging a child to become active in sports. Whether your child has a “Million Dollar Arm” or not, participating in sports is a healthy activity for the heart, body and mind.
Based on an Inspirational True Story On Disney Blu-ray™, Digital HD, Disney Movies Anywhere, DVD & On-Demand Oct. 7, 2014!
Bonus Features Include: Alternate Ending, Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, Making-Of Featurettes, and More!
