Every two months, Hayama Chōji, who is the secretary of the Da Nang Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an event company, and a promoter of baseball, will deliver reports on events held in Da Nang.
FB: shoji.arima
This year is the first event in Vietnam!
Hello! How are you spending your time in Danang during the dry season? Well, for those of us in the Danang Japanese community, every July marks the annual Danang Japanese Festival.
Until last year we held professional wrestling events for about three years, but this year we plan to offer something a little different.
This year, we plan to hold a baseball event called Baseball 5 (hereinafter "B5") inside the venue.
B5 is a new baseball initiative developed by the WBSC (World Baseball Softball Association), which aims to expand the scope of the sport, similar to basketball’s “3by3” and football’s “futsal.” In simple terms for people in their 40s and older, it’s “hand-cranked baseball.” It’s a game that focuses on catching, throwing, and running elements of baseball. It’s now also included in events such as the Southeast Asian Championships and the Asian Games.
Since this competition is still just starting, I think it’s the first “B5” event in Vietnam. It’s my first “first” in Vietnam.
Another characteristic of this competition is that it is played in a mixed gender format, and this time we plan to invite as a guest guest Ryoko Rokkaku, a female Japanese national team player. She is originally a former Japanese women’s baseball team player and is also an officially certified instructor of the WBSC’s “B5” standard.
This time, we will introduce the competition and have a demonstration, and at the end we will have the audience try to reach first base. Please look forward to it!
The Vietnam National Championship is approaching again this year!
The Vietnam Baseball Federation has announced that this year’s national tournament will be held. (Some games are scheduled for the 22nd; however, it seems that the tournament will be held from July 23 to 26.) It is scheduled to be held in Hanoi this year. Each year, about 10 clubs from across the country participate and hold the tournament.
At the time of writing this article (late May), there are only two months left, and I believe each team is working hard on preparing for the tournament through regular practice, practice matches, and other games. I hope everyone will do their best.
Well, recently on May 17, the “2nd Speed Measurement Meeting in Danang” was held, organized by the “Japan-Vietnam Baseball Association” (JVBA), which is mainly run by Japanese people in Ho Chi Minh City.
The goal is to improve Vietnamese baseball by teaching the players to throw the ball in a short time and with great speed. The idea is that this lecture and learning about my own pitching will contribute to improving Vietnamese baseball.
A Japanese member from Ho Chi Minh City participated, giving a lecture on the points of slow pitching, and then conducting a speed measurement.
The fastest time was 117 km, which is an astonishing speed for someone who knows the history of the event so far. It really shows the progress that has been made. In total, 3 athletes ran over 110 km, and 7 others ran over 100 km. By regularly holding these events and measuring the results, it should be possible to track the growth curve.
While ball speed is just one of the indicators and control is the most important thing, it does contribute to the enjoyment and motivation of playing. I hope you will work hard towards the tournament with this motivation.
