I’ve found one of the toughest things to teach is the baseball bat grip. This is understandable for young hitters whose hands are still small, but most older hitters resist wanting to put the bat in the upper palms and fingers. A good way to demonstrate the grip is to have hitters hold their cell phones [...]
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Parents often get ask whether I think their son should take some pitching lessons. I have always answered the same, “For sure. Whether he ends up a pitcher or not, the fundamental work and throwing can only help him for any position.” Of course, there is often an expense involved which has to be [...]
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There are many hitting aides on the market but I believe the batting tee is still the best batting aide to assist hitters in their swing development. Unfortunately, most players, coaches and parents do not know how to use the batting tee correctly. Because of that, the tee does not do them much [...]
photo credit: kthypryn I am sure I have written about this in the past but it is something youth coaches need to know.
Use two hands, use two hands – This is a common phrase that baseball coaches use when teaching baseball to young baseball players. Unfortunately, this common coaching philosophy is sometimes incorrect and [...]
photo credit: kthypryn
Parents of baseball players should look into this device that I read about at Lisa Winston’s blog. She has a great blog that I am sure you will enjoy also: http://gotmilb.mlblogs.com/archives/2010/01/gamechanger_where_were_you_whe.html
I have talked many times of the value of having hitters hit on a self-made balance beam. I realize many people are not going to make one,
so here is a possible solution to helping hitters with balance and overstriding issues. Look around the house for a small table or bench that is as wide or [...]
I really like what Robin Green is doing for his teams – he provides instructional tips on a continaulal basis. More teams, leagues and organizations should be doing this to mainly help their coaches. Anyway, his post at http://www.petersburgjrgenerals.com/2010/01/contrast-swings-to-develop-bat-speed.html is an idea of the good information he suggests.
This post talks about an overload-underload system for [...]
Good article at http://baseballcoachesdigest.blogspot.com/2009/12/minimizing-head-movement-and-rotational.html on the importance of the head (which controls the eyes of course). A few baseball hitting drills that will help hitters with this idea are the following:
1. Place hitter on their back knee for some tee work or soft toss flips.
2. Have hitters stand straight with their feet together and don’t have [...]
Offering tips for every level of player, this guide not only shows players how to hit but also shows parents and coaches how to teach hitting. This manual provides an in-depth description of the drills, habits and lessons critical to a successful future. Angels manager Mike Scioscia writes the foreword to the book.
