Are you a heavy hitter?
Hitting is the spice of life in baseball
There are many theories on how to hit a baseball. Let’s start with some real live events. Home plate is 17 inches wide. Batting box is 4 feet. wide and 6 feet long. The receiver box is 8 feet. from the edge of home plate. So, as you can see, he has room to either get closer to the shooter or move away from the shooter.
When there is a pitcher who has an overwhelming fastball, hitters should move to the back of the batter’s box. When faced with a pitcher who is throwing slower than normal, we may want to step up in the batter’s box.
In youth baseball, especially at younger ages, a common mistake is being too far from home plate. The younger players’ bats are too short to cover the entire plate unless they are close to home plate. Stacking the plate will help the player get to the outside corner of the plate. It will also help teach the player to react quickly inside pitches and throw them away.
Young players should use bats that are light enough to generate good bat speed. Make sure your players use the correct length bat as well. A bat that is too long will also slow down the bat. A good way to check if the weight of the bat is right for the player is to extend the weaker arm at shoulder height while holding the bat near the knob. If you can’t hold the bat without struggling, then the bat is too heavy for the player.
The length of the bat should not be more than three to 8 inches. longer than the number of ounces it weighs. 8-year-old players must use bats that weigh between 15 and 21 ounces. Players ages 9 to 12 will hit bats that weigh around 21 to 25 ounces.
Every player should know how to get out of the way of a pitch. That should be one of the first things you teach a young player to do. We recommend a full drop to the ground, simply by dropping the bat, while lying on the ground. We will have video links to this technique.
Players should hold the bat loosely, so they don’t restrict wrist movement during the swing. The player’s middle knuckles on both hands should be in line with the bat. That’s where they’ll end up after the swing anyway, so you might as well put them there to start with.
We think you should have your players keep their hands up while in position. This will help them avoid having their hands too close to their body. Having the hands too close to the body restricts the ability to throw the baseball with the bottom hand quickly.
Your players or their parents should clean their bats from time to time and look for any damage to the bat. Bats need to be cleaned from time to time, including the grip. Just use some cleaning spray on the handle to regain a nice sticky grip. Also clean the barrel and check that it is not damaged.
These bats sometimes cost as much as $300 or more, so let’s take care of them. When using a batting stick with a trainer, use an old bat to avoid damaging your playing bat. When hitting the batting cages, don’t use your play bat, because the cage balls can damage your bat. When the temperature is below 50 degrees, do not use your game bat unless an actual game is being played.
Put your name or some identifying mark on your bat somewhere it won’t come off, like just above the grip. Barrel covers are available to use during batting practice to help protect your playing bat.
Hitting is probably the favorite part of baseball for most players, although it is arguably the most difficult. There’s nothing like hitting solid lines or bombing a pitch over the heads of outfielders. Even little kids in T-ball games love to hit the baseball.
There are many types of approaches to hitting. We hear of linear, rotational, or a combination of both. Or you can just attack the baseball. Good consistent hitters share some similar traits. They will not be able to show up or reach these points at the same time on their swings. Our course does not endorse or oppose any of these approaches. We will emphasize good simple methods that you can use to help develop good hitters.
In our course, we’ll share what we think are some solid hitting tips. Hitting is hitting. Some old sayings are true, watch the ball hit the ball, drive the ball, hit the middle of the ball, fall behind on the ball, are just a few of them. Good hitters have a plan, such as trying to hit only strikes, looking for a certain pitch early in the count, or trying to get into a batter count.
Most good hitters have good balance. They stay in check during your swing. You won’t see them lose control during a swing. They typically hold the bat fairly loosely, not in a death grip, with their middle knuckles squared. They often swing only on good pitches.
Each player will have their own style in their posture. This course will cover some of the basics of hitting. You will not attempt to change the stance or swing of any player. That is the job of the youth baseball coach, or of the parents after reviewing our course. Professional instruction is always a solid option.
Our hitting drills will help you develop the basic fundamentals of hitting. The main goal is to make it fun to learn. That is why we encourage a positive mindset when performing these exercises. There are many other hitting exercises that you can use. We present you the ones that have been successful in the past. By purchasing this course, you will have access to further instruction in all areas of youth baseball as part of our website.[http://www.youthbaseballonline.com]. If you wish, we will provide you with updates and how-to information as part of our newsletter which we hope you enjoy.
CAUTION: Always wear helmets when hitting any type of shot. Train your hitters to always keep an eye out for hit or pitched balls while on deck waiting to hit..