Bunting a Ball

Bunting a baseball is not as easy as it looks and is practiced too little. Additionally, bunting is often not taught correctly. This lack of bunting proficiency occurs at the major league baseball level as well as in youth baseball. Following are the most common mistakes hitters make when bunting:
1. Failure to square the hips and shoulders to the pitcher at all or soon enough. This inhibits the batter from placing the bat out front.
2. Not putting enough bend in knees when squaring around, leaving the hitter to have to cover too much ground.
3. When placing the bat out front – bunters do not cover much of home plate, causing them to have to reach for outside pitches.
4. Either not starting the bat at the top of the strike zone or not setting the bat barrel slightly above the hands.
5. Not adjusting to differnet level pitches by bending the knees but instead by dropping the barrel to the ball height.

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5 Most Common Bunting Mistakes – Baseball Hitting Advice

Baseball Stance

 When a batter’s initial setup is incorrect, it is very difficult for hitters to compensate in order to be consistent hitters. I am amazed at how many young hitters walk up to home plate and fail to look at the plate and/or adjust their distance from home plate. It is important that hitting coaches teach young hitters to look at home and adjust their distance from home before taking batting practice and during at-bats in games. They should also be taught to check their distance from home after each pitch or at least after every few pitches. It is common to have this distance altered after a swing and without rechecking, hitters often are not lined up correctly resulting in possible bad hitting mechanics or bad pitch selection. Pictured is the most common method for hitters to align themselves and this should be taught and recommended to hitters until it becomes part of their every at-bat routine.

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Hitting Preparation is Crucial – The Batting Stance

Jack Perconte Drills

One of my favorite defensive baseball drills for teams is the players teaching players groundball drill. It goes like this: Divide players into two lines one behind the other and about forty to fifty feet apart. One ball is used and the drill gets started by one of the players at the beginning of the line. He rolls the ball to the player at the beginning of the opposite line and then runs to the back of the line where he rolled the ball to – however when he releases the ball he is expected to yell out a fielding instruction, beginning with Stay Down . Easy enough – after everyone has gone through a few times with each player yelling stay down as he releases the ball, the coach then instructs players to yell Stay Down, Line It Up the nest round. After a few rounds the coach adds a new instruction for kids to yell to their teammate as they release the ball – Stay Down, Line It Up, Two Hands – is the next instruction. The next would be Stay Down, Line It Up, Two Hands, Look It In.  The last one for kids to yell would be Stay Down, Line It Up, Two Hands, Look It In, Get Rid of It.
By the end, as you would guess, kids are all tongue tied, confused, laughing as they attempt to say all those things as they are rolling the ball to their teammate. Of course, the point of the drill is that kids are learning the correct fundamentals as well as teaching them.
Remember, players take off running to the back of the opposite line after rolling and while yelling out instructions.

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Baseball Fielding Drill – Players Teaching Players

photo credit: ttarasiuk

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Developing Intelligent Hitters

You don’t have to be a hitting expert to sound like one – just use this word when giving advice and you can help young hitters and sound like an expert. What’s the word? Stay – that’s it. Put this word with the following words – ready, back, inside,  behind,  focused and you will sound like a knowledgeable hitting coach.
 Good hitters:
1.  Stay ready to hit and expect the next pitch to be their pitch.
2.  Stay back, keeping their weight and hands back with their stride until the last second before swinging.
3.  Stay inside, not reaching for the ball and attempting to hit the inside back of the ball.
4.  Stay behind, throwing their hands through the ball with their head remaining  behind their swing.
5.  Stay focused, making every at-bat count and having quality at-bats

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A Good Baseball Hitting Term to Know

Baseball Bat Grip

 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 before gripping the bat and then have them  hold the bat the same way. Like many hitting tips, players have to be continually reminded of the correct grip. The correct grip allows the correct swing extension, great bat whip and prevents an early roll of the wrists.

Grip in Upper Pallms and Fingers

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Developing the Correct Grip on a Baseball Bat

Throwing Mechanics

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 put into the equation, but I highly recommend pitching classes for all young ballplayers from age 7 to 10. Small group sessions can be less costly and worthwhile also. The reason was just mentioned, for the correct fundamentals of throwing. A good pitching coach will recognize the flaws in a ball player’s regular throwing mechanics and should be able to correct those. Additionally, good pitching coaches will not move on to pitching without addressing the player’s basic throwing habits first and this is the key to taking the pitching lessons. Lessons provide the constant repetition that is often needed to correct throwing fundamentals that are obviously important for every position on the field. Pitching classes provide the amount of repetiton needed to correct incorrect habits and, of course, the amount of throwing with lessons can build arm strength and the much needed accuracy that is important in baseball. 

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The Value of Pitching Lessons

Battting Practice Tee Work

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 good and often it just sits in the basement and does not get much use. In my book The Making of a Hitter, I detail how to use a baseball batting tee correctly and why, when used correctly it will give the hitter instant feedback as to whether the swing is correct. If used correctly the tee can be used to develop the perfect swing, to groove that swing, to understand contact points, to develop a compact swing and more. All of that for just a minor investment. Of course, because people don’t know how to use it correctly, it turns into a waste of money for most.

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Value of a Batting Tee

photo credit: kthypryn

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Common Youth Baseball Coaching Mistake That Hurts Players Development

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Game Changer

Getting Stride under control

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,

Controlling stride and balance drill

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 slightly wider than the hitters shoulder width. Have hitters practice their swing on top of the table. After awhile, hitters will begin to develop a more controlled stride and much greater balance.
Words of caution: Of course, hitters should not take regular batting practice on the bench, make sure the bench or table  is secure enough to withstand the hitters weight and that it is on a surface where it will not slide around. 

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Controlling Stride & Balance Drill

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Developing Bat Speed

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 them stride or bend knees at all when swinging.
3. Put hitter up against a net (with net close behind where catcher is) and have them swing and hit net on swing follow through.
4. Have hitter hit on a balance beam – head is key to balance and if it gets out of place on beam they will fall off in that direction. Additionally, young hitters move their head because they are not balanced to begin with  – the beam will help this situation, too. See my previous post at for more insight on this drill.

Baseball Advice from Jack Perconte

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Hitting Drills to Control the Head (Eyes)

Jack Perconte Hitting Tips

I have worked with thousands of baseball hitters over the years and most of them become upset when they hit foul balls, especially in batting practice. I try to get hitters to feel good about fouling balls off so they keep a confident, positive mind-set for the upcoming pitches. Once negativity enters their mind with the disappointment of a foul ball, they may mentally be unprepared to hit. “Wait a minute,” I say, “That was a good thing.” First, it is obviously better than a swing and a miss – Hitting is not that easy so “just making contact is a positive thing” I tell them and “Hey, you are still alive for another pitch,” when there were two strikes on them. Secondly, fouling a ball off on a tough pitch is a total victory because “Even if you put it in play, it would have probably been for an easy out” and “The chances of the pitcher throwing the next pitch in the same tough spot are very slim.”  
Of course, fouling a pitch off that was very hittable (right down the middle) can be demoralizing but I never want my hitters to feel negatively at home plate and I never want them to give the pitcher the impression that they are upset, which may give the pitcher the edge.

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Teaching a Positive Mind-Set when Hitting

Baseball Coaching

 Just finished up a baseball camp. If I said it once I said it a million times, “Practice the way you play and that starts with a simple game of catch.” Warm-ups are such an important time for young baseball players to work on good mechanics – those initial throws, catches and swings are important because they set the stage for the habits that kids are forming. When players warm up in a lackadasical manner, they are often developing bad habits that will be hard to overcome and they set the stage for incorrect game fundamentals. There is not a better time for coaches to coach then in their teams warm up time. So often, coaches tell kids to warm-up their arms and swings and allow players to do the fundamntals incorrectly by not paying attention to them at this time. Coaches then get upset when players cannot make plays in games. Allowing players to warm-up incorrectly is a sign of a poor coach. Once again, bad habits that are allowed in warm-ups will show up in players game fundamentals.
  Coaches have the responsibility to concentrate on players warm-up time as much or even more than their regular practice habits. A good coach will not allow players to warm-up in a lax manner where players can get away with doing things incorrect or even halfway correct.

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It’s the Little Things in Baseball – Baseball Coaching

 photo credit: kthypryn

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Indoor Ground Ball Practice Tips – How to Play Baseball with Jack Perconte

Hitting Tips for The New Year

Bad habits are often formed at the beginning of the season and hitters may not ever recover. Here are 5 baseball hitting tips that will help prevent bad habits  from forming.
1. Do not head out to the batting cages as the way to begin preseason- practice. Trying to gain timing before the swing is refined often leads to bad habits.
2. Begin with batting tee work and short flip work with the goal of building hand strength and developing good balance. Concentrate on hitting each ball in the correct direction based on where the ball is pitched.
3. When hitter feels comfortable with their swing, begin batting practice with slow speeds and gradually work up in speed each week.
4. Film the swing as early in the season as possible and have it reviewed by a knowledgebale coach.
5. Remember, doing something correct and doing something almost correct is the difference between success and failure. Performing good baseball hitting drills early in the season will pay off all season.

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Hitting Tips for First Two Weeks of Practice

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Baseball Throwing Schedule

photo credit: jontunn

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Off Season Baseball Training – Mind & Body

   With baseball season right around the corner it is time to see if players should add anything to their desired list for a Holiday gift. Of course, the basic need of  a glove and bat are the first thing to check out. If one is needed, players or parents should do a little research to find the best quality bat or glove within the families financial means. It is good to keep in mind that good quality is needed to hold up throughout the season, but that the child may outgrow the bat or glove quickly, so buying top dollar items is not always a good idea. Other things that good ball players may  need in time will be batting gloves, batting tee and net (tarp), a few balls to practice with and a small, lighter bat to do some hitting drills.

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photo credit: gfpeck   

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Baseball Gear for the Holiday List

1. Of course, my books: The Making of a Hitter to learn how to hit and how to teach hitting
& Raising an Athlete – for positive parenting advice and a fun read.
2. Book – A Glove of their Own – A very sentimental look at baseball, as when I grew up, with great illustrations - great for a coffee table book that all will enjoy.
2. Baseball stats tracker – For teams and ball players who would like to just log in their daily baseball stats and have them calculated for them.
3. Insider bat – A very good hitting aid that will help young hitters develop the correct hand position at contact.
4. Book – He Touched em All – If you would like to have a good “cry” and read a great story check this out.
All items can be found by typing there name in and googling them.

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Jack Perconte Recommends

Positive Parenting in Sports

Check out this podcast, when time, at Baseballisms – Had a real fun time doing interview with Joe Magennis – cool guy.
http://baseballisms.com/podcast-author-jack-perconte.html

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Nothing Better than Talking Sports

Following is a short book excerpt from the making of a hitter. 

Getting a hitter out of a slump is never easy. The only way I know to do it is to get back to the basics and put in the work. Many slumps seem to occur right after a very hot streak. Sometimes it’s just the law of averages catching up with them. Other times the hitter becomes too confident and forgets about performing the little things that go into a good fundamental swing. It was very common to have a hitter come back for lessons about three weeks into the season to say “I started out great but have struggled the last few games”. It is common before the season to be working on batting tees and drills that adhere to the basic fundamentals. However, when games begin the hitter tends to get away from these drills and the fundamentals can start to deteriorate. The next thing you know the hitter is not getting enough positive swings and a slump occurs.

     It can be very difficult for even the best hitting coaches to figure out what a hitter may be doing wrong in a game situation. The distance the coach is away from the hitter and the limited swings they may get from at bat to at bat makes this a difficult task. In batting practice there is the repetition of swing after swing so it is easier to analyze the hitter’s mechanics. In a game though, the coach doesn’t have this luxury of constant repetition. In the major leagues every at bat is filmed and can be immediately analyzed. This is not a usual convenience for the lower levels. The coach should film the hitters once in a while in a game situation and have a qualified coach analyze the film. Often, the swing that a player produces in a game is totally different from his practice swing for whatever reason. Because of this difference, it is important to film their game swing and review it. The saying “the video won’t lie” is true. Thus, filming can be a great teaching tool for the players (and anyone looking to learn more about hitting for that matter).

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The Making of a Hitter

It is a beautiful sight to see a hitter who appears to not even swing hard and see the ball jump off their bat. That is the groove Chase Utley of the Phillies was in. Obviously, he is swinging hard but because of his compact swing and overall balance, there appears to be so little effort exerted. This takes years and years of practice and a lot of talent but all hitters can improve in these areas with the use of a balance beam. Very inexpensive and easy to make, it should be a “must use” hitting aide for all young hitters.
How to use the balamce beam for hitting:
    A. Start slow with getting adjusted to simply standing on the beam in hitting position without a bat. Play around with feet position in batting stance for best balance. This should put batters on the balls of feet, when they should take some steps and pivots with the goal of staying on the beam.
   B. Once comfortable with the above, hitters can take some easy swings with a baseball bat to a full finish with the goal of staying on the beam.
   C. Hitters should now be ready to swing all out and see how many swings at 100% they can take without falling off the balance beam.
   D. Hitters who do not have good fundamental swings will have a hard time remaining on the beam as well as hitters who do not hace compact swings 
   E. Over time, hitters will notice that their balance and bat speed have improved while their effort level has lessened.

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Chase Utley Swing Analysis – Compact & Balance (Beam)

Excerpt of Jack’s Ezine Article – There are very few coaches of young baseball players who can look at a baseball swing and know it is a good fundamental swing. Even many high school coaches are not experienced enough to do this. There are some fine technical ingredients that are hard to notice by an untrained eye. The good news is that anyone can help a player with their swing with one drill.

One common saying that I tell hitters is, “It takes perfect fundamentals to hit an outside pitch solidly to the opposite field.” For example, a right handed batter would be able to solidly hit a pitch on the outer half of the plate into right field. Hitters’ hands and bat barrel position, as well as their timing must be perfect to continually drive this ball the other way. Many hitters hit pitches to the opposite field because of swinging late or because of incorrect fundamentals. However, in order to consistently hit a pitch “the other way” on a ball that is on the outside half of the plate, it takes a perfect fundamental swing. This is very important because the odds of hitting the outer half pitch solidly when it is pulled are not good. Pulling a ball is hitting a ball to the same side of the field as the side a hitter stands in the batter’s box. Believe it or not, a ball that is fouled off to the opposite side of the field or straight back is often a better sign of a good fundamental swing than when this pitch is put in play to the pull side of the field. A foul ball is a positive on a tough pitch.

Coaches can get an indication of a good fundamental swing by noticing which direction players hit balls depending on the location of pitches. Players should work on the correct baseball swing by working on driving outside pitches to the opposite field with the following drill.

Drill

Very simply, set a batting tee on the outer half of home plate making sure the batter stands in their normal position at the plate, as in a game. Have hitters work on hitting line drives the opposite way until they can do it repeatedly and until it becomes very natural. A continuation of this drill would be to do the same thing with balls flipped by a coach to this part of the plate and following that with batting practice on outer half pitches.

As mentioned, it takes great fundamentals to consistently do this on this pitch. Hitters will find that as they become more consistent with this pitch, their swing will be correct on all pitch locations.

This drill is also another way of analyzing a player’s swing to see if it is a good fundamental swing, especially for people who don’t have a trained hitting instructors “eye.” Players, who cannot consistently drive this pitch to the opposite field (8 or 9 out of 10 times), need improved baseball swing fundamentals. Additionally, because of the use of aluminum bats and their fear of hitting batters, pitchers throw more pitches “away” from hitters so becoming better at hitting outside pitches can only help hitters’ batting averages.

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Drill that Guarantees the Correct Swing

All of this sounds easy but in essence is very hard to perfect for a couple of reasons. First, it is difficult to transfer weight without letting the head drift forward. Secondly, it is difficult to turn hips extremely fast without pulling the head away from contact area. Furthermore, the inclination for hitters is to roll the wrists at contact for more bat speed.

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Checkpoints For Swing at Contact – How to Play Baseball

photo credit: pastorbuhro    First Base - Most people think playing first base is easy but playing it correctly is not as easy as it looks or as easy as people think. It takes good concentration and, of course, very good footwork. Besides catcher, there is no one on the field that handles receiving the ball more, so coaches need to have one of their most sure handed players at this position. With this in mind, here are the important points that coaches teach kids when learning the 1B position:
1. Except for the ball batted around home plate, the first baseman should have the foot opposite their glove hand on the base to receive the throw. This is very important for being able to stretch out completely as well as for overall balance when cathcing balls.
2. Players need to be taught that they only have the inner 1/4 of the base to step on when receiving the ball as the runner will be stepping on the top of base. Injury can obviously occur when their foot is on top of the base.
3. Players should square their shoulders up to the thrower and learn not to stride out until they see the direction of where the ball is thrown. This is one of the keys to playing a good 1B, but takes time for young ballplayers to learn.
4. 1B is a one handed position where players must learn to rely on catching most balls with their glove only, and thus the reason for a first basemans glove. This can be a difficult thing to learn for unsure handed players and for kids who constantly rely on catching the ball with both hands.
5. Learning to pick balls out of the dirt is a key as players get to higher levels of ball and requires great technique and footwork to become good at. Practicing with a softer ball for balls thrown in the dirt can be helpful.
6. Holding runners on when leadoffs are allowed is another aspect of first to be learned.
7. At the higher levels of ball, first baseman have important responsibilities for covering bunt plays and being in correct cut-off position on certain throws from the outfield.
8. Correct positioning, based on the game situation, is another important aspect that good coaches teach their first baseman.

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Teaching Kids to Play First Base

photo credit: ttarasiuk

Exerpt of Jack’s Article for Ezinearticles.com
3 Absolutes of Throwing for Speed and Accuracy
1. Direction – most kids know how to stand at home plate so having them go to their hitting position before throwing should come easy. This complete turn of the body will point the front shoulder directly at the target with feet parallel to each other. Without this correct set-up position, the thrower’s ability to reach maximum speed and accuracy are already compromised. A noted with hitting position, a complete ninety degree turn of the thrower’s foot of the same side as his throwing arm is necessary to get to correct starting position.

2. Direction 2 – Players must step directly at the target. Without this direct step the thrower’s hips will not function correctly causing a lack of accuracy and power. The length of the step will be determined by the distance of the throw and will come naturally, with the key being the direction. Drawing a direct line from the lead foot towards the target or setting down a couple of objects for the player to step in between are good practice drills to reinforce the correct step. An indirect step is the most common area of break down in a player’s throwing fundamentals.

3. Follow through – it is necessary that throwers allow their arm to travel the complete path so the body can alleviate some of the stress of the arm action on the shoulder and to prevent aiming the ball. This is done by the players throwing arm finishing at his opposite side hip, thigh or knee and by having his rear leg come up and forward as they throw. Like hitting, this weight transfer puts power into the throw.

Sounds simple enough but like anything, “The difference between doing something totally correct and almost correct, is the difference between success and failure.” (Author of quote is unknown.) Long distance throwing can also develop arm strength but the 3 above fundamentals must be followed for “long toss” to be beneficial

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Throwing Accuracy & Arm Strength – How to Play Baseball

photo credit: kthypryn

1. Use a softer ball – this allows the coach to challenge players with more speed and game like balls.

2. Repeat, use a softer ball – this gives players the assurance that they will not get hurt when hit by the ball and will promote good fielding mechanics of getting in front of ground balls and under fly balls for the above mentioned reason.

3. Like everything in sports, development of skills is dependent on correct fundamentals. With fielding this involves good footwork. Practicing the correct footwork from approaching the ball all the way through the throw is necessary, with consistency of action the key to success.

4. Begin fielding practice with hitting or throwing slow ground balls so fielders. This will promote aggressive fielders by having to charge the ball.

5. Teach kids to catch balls correctly – glove hand only (one handed) for balls they reach for and two hands for balls within their body.

6. Avoid practicing ground balls on a smooth surface (indoors) whenever possible. Players can get away with incorrect fundamentals on a smooth surface because hops are always true and predictable. If a smooth surface is only option, roll many balls very low to ground to promote keeping glove and body low for good fielding mechanics.

7. During team batting practice, position non-hitting players and have them play balls off bat as if in a game. This is especially helpful for outfield practice to get the real feel for judging fly balls.

8. Teach players to get into the correct “ready” position according to the position they are playing.

9. Try to devote at least half of practice time on fielding drills and game like situation practice. Knowing what to do in a game (i.e. where to throw ball, what base to cover) on defense is very important.

10. Remind kids of the importance of throwing, both arm strength and accuracy, to fielding success. A play is usually only half over with a catch, completing a play with a good throw is necessary.

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How to Play Baseball – Fielding Tips

Jack’s Article from Blog he writes for Seamheads.com
To be part of something that is considered truly great is a special feeling. I own a major league World Series ring and trophy from the 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers of which I am very proud. However, I was such a minute part of that team that it cannot be considered great for me. However, 1981 was magical and if I might say “Great” for another reason. I was a member of the 1981 Albuquerque Dukes. If you look up “greatest minor league teams of all time” you will see that team listed at number 11 – http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/history/top100.jsp

If you look closely, you will notice that Duke team to be the highest ranked team that played after 1940, and to find another team listed after 1945 you have to go all the way to # 23. We had a crazy, good record and beat another Triple-A team 25 out of 26 games. I do remember the other teams in our league were happy when the first half of the season ended so records would restart at 0-0. Everyone would have a chance for the second half championship, but not for long as we proceeded to win our first 10 games of the second half and were on our way again. The follow-up article on that Duke team goes into great detail about players, manager, team, etc. and it stirs up emotional thoughts for me when reading – http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/history/top100.jsp?idx=11.

There were many reasons for our success with having talented players (many future major leaguers), good chemistry and a great leader in manager Del Crandall as the leading ingredients. Beyond that, you may recall it was the year of a long major league player strike so our team stayed intact all summer. What I want to portray about the season though was the feeling that I felt and that our team felt. We knew we were good and we liked to win. That is common for a lot of teams though. What was evident even more was that we really did not like losing. You might think, “Well, that is the same as wanting to win,” but it is slightly different. When you play to win you give your best hoping to have that winning feeling. When you win, you feel good, enjoy it and sleep at night.

Greatness comes about when a team decides they will not lose and they do all they can to avoid losing. They put more intensity into everything, so they do not have to experience that losing feeling. They prepare the right way, pull for each other, play every inning like it is the bottom of the 9th and feel as though they are truly part of something special. This great, special feeling does not come along very often and is what spurs special teams night after night. When you lose and you know you are the better team, you feel miserable, stay up half the night trying to figure out what went wrong and are determined not to let it happen again. When a team decides that losing is not fun and do all they can to prevent it, greatness may appear.

This is a hard concept to explain; maybe you have to have been a part of a team like that to know what I mean.

By the way, that 1981 Albuquerque Dukes team actually had one more win that didn’t show up in the standings. When the major league strike finally ended, sometime in August I believe, the Dodgers flew our whole team to L.A. to play an exhibition game against the big league team to help them get back in game shape. It was very cool of the Dodger organization and especially for players who did not go on to a major league career. I will save the rest of this story for another post.

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A League of Our Own

Many sports enthusiasts complain that baseball is boring and too slow. I certainly do not agree with them nor do I argue or try to convince them otherwise. I am thinking to myself though, “If only they knew what good baseball people know, they would not think it boring or slow.” There are so many little things that go into every pitch and every play that make the game so fascinating, intriguing and exciting.

For example, here are some catcher’s thoughts before each pitch:

1. They quickly check who the hitter is and recall the “book” on the hitter – the book is the hitter’s tendencies that advanced scouts forward to the team before each series and the general knowledge of the hitter that the team has accumulated over the years. Experienced catchers get to know hitters over time but may not know how hitters are swinging lately.

2. They try to recall the hitter’s previous at-bats (this night and series) to determine if they want to pitch him the same way or try a new approach.

3. Before putting down a sign the catcher checks to see that the defense is aligned correctly (bench coaches do this too) and looks to the dugout for any last second instructions. They check the hitter’s setup in the batter’s box to see if he changes his normal stance. Hitters will sometimes change their positioning in the batter’s box slightly to help them hit a certain pitch or to try to entice the pitcher to throw a certain pitch.

4. Now the catcher thinks to himself, “How do we want to get this hitter out?” It may be with inside fastballs because that is the player’s weakness, but the hitter knows that too so they don’t start them with an inside fastball but save that pitch for later in the at-bat. This approach may work or may be a mistake.

5. Now they consider the pitcher on the mound and what pitches are currently working and if he can get them over the plate.

Finally, the catcher is ready to put a sign down, making sure he has reviewed the signs with the pitcher, especially with men on base where they will use different set of signs to make sure the runner on second base is not relaying the pitch to the hitter.

6. After all this quick calculation, the pitcher may shake off the pitch and the catcher has to readjust all that thinking. Once they have agreed on a pitch and location, he sets up for the pitch, but not too early of course, because he doesn’t want to tip off location to the batter.

Now that is only the defensive side of things. Hitters have their own set of thoughts that they calculate very quickly, like the following:

1. What team are they playing? Different teams may pitch players differently. In my career, for example, the Tigers used to pitch me inside, whereas the Orioles would pitch me away consistently.

2. What is the game situation and is it likely coach will put a sign on? Intelligent players will anticipate being asked to do something in certain situations and will prepare accordingly.

3. They decide if they want to be aggressive early in count or plan on seeing a few pitches? This approach is often determined by the overall team strategy and/or based on the pitcher they are facing.

4. What pitches does this guy throw, how fast and what is his best pitch? If he is the dominant type, hitters will be more aggressive early in at bat; if not they may be patient knowing the pitcher can’t strike them out, usually.

5. They will recall their previous at-bats against this pitcher to recall their success or failure and whether to adjust or keep the same approach. Past at-bats may tip them off as to how they will pitch him this time.

6. Based on all this information, they decide if they want to look for a particular pitch (i.e., fastball, curve) and or look for a ball in a particular location, or they may decide to be ready for any pitch that looks good.

Believe it or not, all of these calculations take place in about 15 seconds before every pitch and then it all starts again. Of course, some of these thoughts are begun before the game also and are the fast moving mental calculations that I miss, and what I enjoy trying to figure out when watching baseball. The next time you start yelling at a pitcher for throwing a certain pitch or a hitter who fails to swing at a ball right down the middle, remember they did all that thinking in 15 seconds.

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Fast Moving Mental Game of Baseball

photo credit: Michael R Stoller Jr       

This is my article written for the Press Entrprise out of Southern California - 

It is Little League World Series time of year and I have noticed the annual articles written about how kids that age should not be on the “big stage” of national and international TV. These articles make good points usually alluding to “kids being too young to be put in such pressure situations and how they are treated like major league superstars.”

It is no different from much of the reality TV that is on nowadays. In many ways, it is better because those involved in the game are not reality actors. Viewers see real emotion from parents, coaches and players alike, although it is often enhanced emotion because of the stakes involved with the cameras rolling. Watching this emotional, pressure packed scene can be difficult viewing at times. Nevertheless, in many ways the fact that the games are on TV actually brings out the best side of sports.

In every day, youth sports programs throughout the world there are often abusive, negative coaches, disenchanted players and over-demanding parents. With the cameras rolling, nobody dares be abusive, demanding or too negative.

So, despite the negatives surrounding televising the games, let’s look at the positives. These are things parents and coaches of young athletes should take note of while watching the little league world series. In fact, I believe youth leagues should make it mandatory watching for parents because of the positive things that are worth emulating.

1. Very good coaching - this is understandable because there is a reason the teams got this far besides having talented teams. I see coaches who are caring, knowledgeable, inspirational and understanding. What parent would not want to have their kids play for coaches with those attributes?

2. Players who act their age and give 100% - Isn’t that what we teach and expect of our kids? To do their best, give it their all and then walk away with no regrets.

3. Parents who care and display sportsmanship while cheering for their team, even if as mentioned, it may be a little over the top.

Of course, we do not see what happens when the cameras stop, but many of these positive points are missing at games all across the country and in every sport.

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Little League World Series – Good or Bad?

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Best Time of Year – How to Play Baseball

Press Enterprise  (Southern California Newspaper Blog)

A sports reporter called a major league player and said “you have such a beautiful, natural swing.” I would like to come out and interview you about your natural baseball swing. After a slight hesitation the player said, “Sure, meet at the park tomorrow at 2:00 pm.” When the reporter showed up the player said, “Come with me,” and led the reporter to the batting cage. Before the interview began the player took 100 swings with a ball on a batting tee and a 100 more swings with balls flipped by a coach. At the end of this warm-up and before the player took his team’s regular batting practice, he turned to the reporter and asked “Now, what about that natural swing?”

The obvious point of the story is that what appeared to be such a natural swing involved many hours and years of repetitive practice to produce. Of course, some athletes are more naturally gifted than others but hard work is always necessary for success.

Additionally and fortunately because of this, it is not always the most gifted that do succeed. You may recall in a previous post that I wrote about the most important thing parents can do for a young athlete is to provide the correct fundamentals and the means to achieve them. The next ingredient for kids to have a chance to reach their potential is a good work ethic. Parents and coaches are responsible for portraying the necessity of hard work to their kids in a positive manner. Some kids understand the connection of hard work and success early on where others have not. Parents of the latter should not give up hope. Many young athletes come to it over time, as evidenced by many successful athletes who were not stars at a young age but eventually dedicated themselves to the hard work and became successful.

Staying positive in a realistic and hopeful way is something parents should strive for with their words and actions. Parents who are positive without being realistic are offering “false praise,” which usually backfires sooner or later. Along the same line, parents who push kids to work hard but do not display a positive work ethic in their own lives is false too, but that is a story for another day. Insisting that kids work harder (pushing) rarely is beneficial over the long term but nudging kids with positive and realistic words like the following can be productive.

For child who did not seem to practice much: “You were obviously upset over the way you played. You have a better chance of succeeding and avoiding those feelings if you dedicate more practice time into it.”

It is hard to feel empathy, even for ones own child’s disappointment, when they did not put much practice into it.

For child who works hard but struggled:“I know you tried your best and that’s all anyone can expect of you. There is a good chance the results will be different the next time.”

Always providing hope for athletes is comforting and necessary.

For all kids:“We will figure it out” and “I will practice with you when you want.”
The “we” feeling is also comforting so kids don’t feel like they have to do it all on their own.

Finally, an example of false praise is saying “You were awesome” when their results and demeanor do not show that. It is better to address their effort “I was proud of how hard you worked out there” than to go over the top with praise.

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Its Hard Work

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Jack’s Recent Interview on Hitting a Baseball

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How to Hit Mark Beuhrle

Pivot method - bat out front

As is often said about everything that goes wrong in the game at the big league level, Hey kids are watching and they are going to do the same thing. One of my favorite sayings that I use when teaching the game for the past twenty one years is, Fundamentals are fundamentals, they don’t change for the big leaguer or the little leaguer. The point I am trying to make is that the way the best players do things is the same way young players should learn and attempt, also.

Young players may not physically be able to do things exactly the same as the pro players, but that does not mean they shouldn’t be taught the correct way. However, in this instance, Please, baseball youth of America, do not try to copy the way most big league players perform a sacrifice bunt. It is time for a role reversal, where big leaguers copy the way young players are taught to bunt.

When I taught bunting to baseball players, ages 12 and under, I taught them to square totally around, meaning they would take their rear foot and place it even with their front foot. This method is opposed to the most common big league method of allowing hitters to just pivot on both feet. The former technique, squaring completely around, ensures that the hitter gets the bat out in front of their body, which is usually necessary to place a good bunt down in fair territory. This old fashioned method also makes it easier to create good bat angles to lay the ball down either baseline.

I have noticed that when big league batters use the pivot method, more often than not, they leave the bat barrel back even with the middle of their body, creating a bad bat angle for putting a bunt down. When the ball gets to their bat they usually jab at it and bunt the ball foul continually. Once again, I know it is not a simple task with balls travelling towards them at upwards of 90 miles an hour, and squaring around may put hitters slightly more vulnerable to getting hit by a pitch, but the success rate should be much higher at the highest level of baseball.

As mentioned, the squaring around method automatically puts the bat out front of the hitter allowing for a better bat angle and a greater chance of putting the ball down in fair territory. Maybe it is time that a big league manager puts his foot down and changes the current technique being taught instead of doing it the same way it’s always been done. After all, performing this skill better could mean winning a championship.

Generally, as young players reached a higher level of ball, I gave them the option of using the bunting technique they felt most comfortable with, only if they demonstrated the correct fundamentals when using the pivot method.

Just had to get this off my chest.

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Major Leaguers Should Learn from Little Leaguers – How to Bunt

The side angle (Left Photo) is generally the angle where the baseball swing can be most easily analyzed – hip action, bat path and weight transfer are very visible from this angle. When filming hitters, this is usually the recommended angle to show hitters their swing fundamentals and as the saying goes, “the camera doesn’t lie.”

The front angle (Right Photo) is obviously very helpful also. This angle allows the coach to observe the hitters stride direction, front side actions, overall balance and follow through. This angle also allows one to observe how the ball is coming off the bat and if the ball is being hit in the deirction of where it is being pitched.

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Angles to Analyze Baseball Swing – How to Play Baseball

Throwing Numbers

  Often when hitters have trouble timing the ball, the problem is that they are not seeing the ball the whole way from the pitchers hand to the contact area. Sometimes they are concentrating on “waiting” for the ball, which is usually a good thing, but they may forget to concentrate on the ball and time it out of the pitcher’s hand. This often leads to being late on the swing or being unable to pull the trigger on the pitch at all. The other more common vision problem comes from the hitter pulling their head and eyes with the swing and thus losing sight of the ball the last few feet before contact, causing the hitter to swing and miss or fail to make solid contact.

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Seeing the Baseball – Vision Drills

photo credit: kthypryn

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Quality At-Bats

Towel drill for lead arm

Last post I talked about the biggest hitting fault I would see in hitters. The second most common fault, especially with young hitters, is stepping out ( away from the pitcher and ball) towards the hitters pull side of the field. This stepping away action is known as stepping in the bucket. In my 21 years of teaching hitting, I tried many different techniques to try to get hitters to step correctly towards the pitcher and into the ball slightly. Rarely would addressing the hitters stride solve the problem for good. Of course, I didn’t try one drill which I read about recently where the coach lies down on the ground beneath the hitter and holds the hitter’s feet. This rather hilarious drill may work eventually but I don’t think I will try it soon. And right when I thought I had heard of every hitting drill out there. Ha
Anyway, the only way that I have seen that works for getting hitters to step at the pitcher and not in the bucket was to address the hitters front side. When they began to fire their lead hand and arm correctly they began to step correctly. With out firing the lead arm, the hitter could only get the bat out front by stepping away to clear their front side, which is incorrect. As the hitters build up lead arm strength and an understanding of how to get the bat out front without stepping away, they began to step into the ball and improved their average and power. See photo for a good beginning lead arm drill which will put the hitter on his way to solving their stepping in the bucket.

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Stepping in the Bucket – How to Play Baseball

Once hitters have this compact, repeatable swing, the following things will help hitters attain and keep good timing.
1.   Batting practice should begin with slower pitches and gradually move up to game speed pitches. This will help hitters to wait on ball at first until their eyes get adjusted to seeing the ball.
2. Bunting the first few pitches of batting practice is always a good idea. Helps to watch ball all the way to contact.
3. Likewise, taking a few pitches at the beginning of batting practice to the opposite field is a good idea.
4. Hitters who are swinging early and pulling everything in games should request work on hitting slow pitches in practice and hitters who are swinging late should practice hitting faster speeds in practice.
5. Eye tracking exercises beginning with seeing balls right from the pitchers hand are always good.
6. One of these tracking exercises is to stand in on pitchers when they are throwing in the bullpen. With a helmet on and no bat, hitters should just concentrate on watching the ball.
7.  Another tracking drill involves setting a couple of objects on the ground on the path from the pitchers mound to home plate and having hitters yell out when the ball passes each marker. Some hitters only watch the ball the first and second third of the way or only the second and third parts of the flight of ball, which causes the hitter’s timing to be off. This drill will help hitters watch the ball all the way from the hand to the contact zone.

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Baseball Hitting Timing

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Easing the Tension – How to Play Baseball

Around midseason, it is time to make some evaluations of your hitters. Timing should not be an issue by mid-season and contact should be taking place most of the time, by now. It is no time to panic (unless your son or daughter is totally frustrated).  If that is the case you may want to take them to a professional hitting coach for a lesson or two or totally overhaul their mechanics – there is not much to lose if contact is not being made by mid-season. Otherwise, a few tips for parents and coaches to keep in mind. This is the time of the season where it is important to keep hitters upbeat, focused and positive – the mental game is just as important if not more this time of the season.

1. Don’t neglect the basic hitting drills – getting away from those can cause a slump very quickly.
2. It only takes one hot streak to hook the hitter’s interest for the following season so keep the hitters as focused as possible and stay patient with them.
3. Remain positive with their results letting them know that they are one game or swing away from putting it all together.
4. Review the minor swing adjustments given at post below:  http://www.baseballhittinglessons.com/baseball/uncategorized/baseball-hitting-instruction-making-those-adjustments
5. After a tough game, give a simple tip for the player to try the next game – remember, confidence is everything, but hope is the next best thing for a hitter.
6. Unless this may be the last year of playing for the player, think long term. Players who show gradual improvement from year to year often outlast the early star.
7.  Also it is good to remember that it is better to finish the season strong than to fizzle at the end. One great, timely hit can make the whole season worthwhile and a success.
  Reminder: Jack’s second book “Raising an Athlete” is scheduled to be out later this summer.

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Mid Season – What Now?

Knob pointing out, not down – barrel falling back

When working with hitters, the most common mistake I would encounter were hitters who would not begin their swing from the correct hitting position. Instead of keeping the knob of the bat down before swinging, they would push the knob of the bat up and allow the bat barrel to flatten  behind them. See Photo on left. Often, this is a very subtle move that only a very experienced hiting coach will notice. These hitters may have what appears to be a perfect swing. This incorrect action will show up sooner or later, especially when the change of speeds becomes more prominent around the age of thirteen.
  The probelm with this incorrect action of flattening the bat before swinging is two-fold. First, this lengthens the distance the bat will travel to contact area, which is obviously a big problem. Secondly, and just as important, hitter’s will use their big arm muscles more and not their hands and forearms as much with this action. Thus, the important muscles around the hands, wrists and forearms never develop enough and it is these muscles that are important to get the ball to “jump” off their bat.
  This is a tough habit to break for two reasons, also. One, hitters who swing this way often have success at a young age and are unwiling to change. Two, many young hitters do not have the hand strength to hit correctly and they feel much stronger hitting in the incorrect manner, and although they may be stronger in this manner, as mentioned this bad habit will catch up to them.
  Despite this possible early success,  coaches and parents should think long term if they forsee thier kids playing into high school and teach their kids the correct way to hit even if it means less success for a period. Eventually, the correct habits will lead to mush greater success at a later age.
  With this in mind, one of my five drills to teach the fundamentals, the pad drill is necessary. Remember, hitters keep the pad (glove – Right Photo) under their lead armpit until after contact, when the pad should fall to the ground. Enough repetition with this drill will develop the correct position to begin the swing as well as develop good hand and forearm strength.

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Most Common Hitting Mistake

photo credit: Matt McGee

There is a long standing tradition that you never mention a no hitter in the dugout when a pitcher is pitching one. The reasoning is that the pitcher will be “jinxed,” and the added pressure will cause them to lose the no hitter. There is probably something to that and the same goes for when a hitter gets into a good hitting groove. Most of the time, good hitting streaks come when a hitter stops thinking at the plate, just watches the ball and “let’s the bat fly.” Of course and of utmost importance, good fundamentals are necessary to even have hot streaks. Hitters with incorrect fundamentals rarely ever get to experience a hot streak. There is simply no substitute for the correct hitting fundamentals.

As a coach I would not mention a hitter’s hot streak or any swing fundamentals during these streaks. It is usually best to remain silent and be sure the hitter keeps the exact same routine that they have been doing.  Upon observation of the hitter’s routine during this streak, I would notice they had grooved their swing with a few beneficial hitting drills that allowed them to not have to think about their fundamentals.

The moral of the story is to find the hitting drill or drills that most help each particular hitter. Every hitter has a swing fundamental that needs addressing the most and if you can find that drill(s) for the hitter, they will have the best chance to get into that hot streak as often as possible.

Often, this is a trial and error process but once you come across those drills, it will be worth it with a “hot streak” and an increased batting average.

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Staying in the Zone – How to Play Baseball

photo credit: ajagendorf25
 There are many great major league hitters, of course, but there are a few which I never turn the channel when they are up to bat. Off the top of my head that list includes:
1. Derek
2. Youk
3. Ichiro
4. Albert
5. Joe (Mauer)
 

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Hitters I Wont Turn the Channel On

photo credit: Matt Vorwald
  There were many times in my career when I had a great batting practice and had negative results in that night’s game. On the other hand, often, I had a rough batting practice and went home with a few hits that night. Also, there were times when I didn’t take batting practice for various reasons and I hit the ball real well that night. It made me wonder sometimes how important batting practice was. There are a number of issues here. 
 1. One of my favorite sayings to parents, coaches and players is, “batting practice may be good for timing, but it won’t change hitting mechanics.” I say may be good for timing and not “is” good for timing because often batting practice speeds are not game-like. Batting practice is most valuable when it is as close to game like speeds as possible.
  2. Along the same lines, when hitters have fundamental swing faults, they may not show up in batting practice but will show up in games over the long season.
  3. I understand that pre-game batting practice is trying to build up the player’s confidence right before the game, but this doesn’t mean that players shouldn’t be challenged appropriately. Over time, these challenging batting practices will pay off with game results and the player’s confidence levels will rise even more.

With these points in mind, following are some helpful hints for coaches to maximize their players batting practice time.

  A. Preceding batting practice with some batting tee and hitting drills is always a good idea. Coaches should vary the drills from time to time and gear the drills towards the needs of the hitters when possible. This will serve as good warm-up time and keep the players focused on improving. It is important that coaches supervise this drill work so hitters are concentrating and doing the drills correctly.
  B. Coaches can simulate game like speeds by moving closer or further from home when throwing batting practice.
 C. Changing speeds on pitches (for older players) as in games can really pay off as the season progresses.
  D. Coaches who notice a player’s weak spot can try to throw more balls in that area of the strike zone. For example: hitters who are having trouble with outside pitches, the coach should try to throw many pitches to the outer half so the hitter has a chance to improve on that pitch.
  E. Coaches should explain this philosophy of challenging hitters during batting practice to the team. Explaining to them that it is only practice and that you are only trying to help them is important.
 F. Very important – Coaches should teach their players to treat batting practice as close to game like as possible – meaning: not swinging at pitches that aren’t strikes and always trying to hit the ball where pitched (i.e. outside pitches to opposite field, etc.). This ensures players are working on their timing which is the key to hitting.
  G.  As always, coaches should stay positive and encouraging during batting practice with terms like, nice swing,way to watch the ball,great effo rt,good balance, you are so close to putting it all together,it’s only practice. You get the idea, encouraging words to hitters whether they are hitting the ball well or not will go along way towards keeping the players optimistic and engaged.

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Making the Most of Batting Practice – How to Play Baseball

Remember, parents do not have to be a trained professional to advise baseball hitters. They actually need to know just some simple suggestions to be of help. Often times, the less things said, the better. I have mentioned 5 important baseball hitting lessons below. This helpful advice should be reinforced in a positive manner and applies for players of all ages, even major leaguers.

 Necessary Hitting Tips

 1. Good balance is a key for everything in baseball, so reinforce the term “balance” to the baseball hitter whenever they seem to be off balance, out of control or taking their eye off ball.

  2. As often as possible, perform quality batting tee work, or flip drill work, before batting practice begins. Quality is apparent when the hitter hits line drives on the sweet spot of the bat in the direction of where the ball is pitched, or located on the tee. A pitched ball will help the hitter’s timing but drill practice, done correctly, will improve the hitter’s fundamentals. In the long run, cutting back on regular batting practice and doing more good drill work will pay off. Using a lighter bat than normal or using aluminum instead of wood will allow the hitter to save strength, and be able to work longer at their fundamentals.

3. When a batter is in the on deck circle and swinging to loosen up, teach them to practice swinging the bat to different locations. Most hitters take their practice swings in the exact same groove, time after time and then have trouble hitting balls that are not in their groove. Many hitters also swing a heavy bat when on-deck, which tends to slow the swing and tire the muscles. A few swings with the heavy bat are ok, but using the on deck circle to observe the pitcher and practice swinging to different pitch locations would be better use of the time.

4. The hands of the hitter should be the first area of the body to get tired when swinging. When the player’s hands begin to weaken, have the hitter take a break or wait for another day to work on their hitting. If another area of the hitter’s body gets tired first, then the hitter’s swing probably need adjusting.

5. The following are great baseball swing advice that anyone can use and tips that will make you sound like you know what you are talking about. “See the ball”,” stay back”, “use your hands”, “track the ball to contact”, and ”stay balanced.”

  Finally, the common saying “if it ain’t broke, there’s nothing to fix” is important to remember. When a player is having success, and in a good groove, let them ride it out, practicing just enough to stay sharp. Often I have seen where players practice themselves out of a good groove. Hitters should save their heavy work for the times when they are struggling with their swing or confidence.

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You Don’t Have to Be a Hitting Expert to Help your Son or Daughter

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Building Confident Baseball Hitters

# 4 - Complete finish

The 3rd drill coaches can use when there is only time for three drills would be the 1,2,3,4 drill. This drill will allow the coach to check the hitters swing positions every step of the way.
Execution of baseball swing drill 1,2,3,4:
1. When the coach says 1 to the hitter – Hitter takes stride and goes to correct hitting position (see previous post on drill number 1)
2. When coach says 2 – Hitter breaks the back knee which should be the first move of the hitter(see previous post – drill number 2) – coach should make sure the hitter keeps their hands back when their knee breaks on this drill though.
3. When the coach calls out 3 – Hitter takes a full swing, hitting ball
4. When coach calls out 4 – Hitter completes their swing and hip turn  – upon completion of swing, the hitter should be able to see the barrel of their bat on the home plate side. This is the main key to the drill – by being able to see the bat come around, ensures the hitter gets the correct hip turn while being able to keep their eyes on the ball all the way to contact. Hitters who do not get the correct hip turn, or pull their head when swinging, will not see the bat barrel on the finish. See photo above.

Of course, there are mumerous baseball swing drills that work on the correct fundamentals and this is one of 52 hitting drills to be found in Jack Perconte’s book The Making of a Hitter which can be found at www.themakingofahitter.com and in major book stores and of course at amazon.com

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Baseball Swing Drill # 3

• The Fab 3 – Hitting tips & Best Hitting Drills
  Posted on Monday, March 23rd, 2009 in Hitting Drills – Comments: (0)
  Often, I get the question If you could only teach 3 hitting drills to hitters, which ones would they be? This is obviously a tough question when there are so many good hitting drills that address hitting fundamentals. To answer the question I usually go with these 3 and I will explain why. (Next post I will discuss the second must use drill.)Must use hitting drill1  A hitter generally has no chance to be good if they begin their swing from out of good hitting position, especially as they reach the age when curve balls are thrown. Therefore, the pad drill is necessary to make sure the hitter is able to maintain, or get to, good hitting position when the decision is made to swing at the pitch. (see photo) This drill ensures that the hitter has kept his lead arm from heading up which usually results in the bat barrel falling back behind the hitter, which adds distance to contact position.
• Hitting drill 2 – if only have time for 3
  Posted on Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 in Baseball Swing Fundamentals – Comments: (0)

  Back knee fire drill

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   The second hitting drill to use to start the season or when there is only time for a few drills, which often is the case, with the amount of practice time available, is the back knee fire drill. I would also call this the “check the swing” drill because this is usually what happens when a good hitter goes to swing but holds up at the last second. In this instance the hitter’s back knee and weight has moved towards the ball and the hands have started slightly forward, but the hitter holds up on the swing. As a drill this is very important because it can help the hitter to not only learn to open their hips but, to perform the drill correctly, they will keep their weight back, learn to transfer their weight and coordinate their hands with their back hip action.

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Best baseball swing posts

Back knee fire drill

The second hitting drill to use to start the season or when there is only time for a few drills, which often is the case, with the amount of practice time available, is the back knee fire drill. I would also call this the “check the swing” drill because this is usually what happens when a good hitter goes to swing but holds up at the last second. In this instance the hitter’s back knee and weight has moved towards the ball and the hands have started slightly forward, but the hitter holds up on the swing.
As a drill this is very important because it can help the hitter to not only learn to open their hips but, to perform the drill correctly, they will keep their weight back, learn to transfer their weight and coordinate their hands with their back hip action.
How to perform the hitting drill: With the bat beginning in the correct hitting position (see previous post) the hitter takes a soft stride or no stride and then fires their back knee towards the pitcher as fast as possible and at the same time the hitter should let their weight go from their back side towards their front leg . At the same time the hitter should allow their hands to drift forward a few inches with the knob of the bat remaining down as it moves towards home plate and the bat barrel remaining above the hands. The hitter should perform this fast knee action three or four times consecutively then take their regular swing trying to keep the exact same fast knee, weight transfer and hands actions as performed with the hitting drill.
     Hitters who lunge forward with their stride, which means shifting their weight too soon, will not be able to fire their back knee very fast. It is  important for the hitters to be sure their weight is moving off their back side when they fire their  back knee, and not simply turning their back foot fast. Performing this drill correctly and continuously will help overcome many swing problems that can pop up with young hitters.

For more great drills check out Jack’s book The Making of a Hitter at www.themakingofahitter.com

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Hitting drill 2 – if only have time for 3

Often, I get the question “If you could only teach 3 hitting drills to hitters, which ones would they be? This is obviously a tough question when there are so many good hitting drills that address hitting fundamentals. To answer the question I usually go with these 3 and I will explain why. (Next post I will discuss the second must use drill.)

Must use hitting drill

1. A hitter generally has no chance to be good if they begin their swing from out of good hitting position, especially as they reach the age when curve balls are thrown. Therefore, the pad drill is necessary to make sure the hitter is able to maintain, or get to, good hitting position when the decision is made to swing at the pitch. (see photo) This drill ensures that the hitter has kept his lead arm from heading up which usually results in the bat barrel falling back behind the hitter, which adds distance to contact position. With young hitters, it is important that hitters keep their hands back towards the catcher, even though the pad is under their front elbow.(There is and added benefit of the drill “ if done correctly, the pad remains under the lead arm as the swing begins, but must fall out on correct swing extension.) This drill can be tough for young hitters who do not have much hand strength, but of course that is the point of the drill creating hand and forearm strength so eventually the ball will begin to jump off the hitters bat. As I often say, correct hitting position (the position when the stride foot lands) gives the hitter a chance to be a good hitter. It does not make one a good hitter but puts them in a position to succeed, without which they would not have the chance.

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The Fab 3 – Hitting tips & Best Hitting Drills

photo credit: quinn.anya

(Reminder – it is always recommended to use a soft  ball when playing catch with young ball players so they can develop confidence with catching the ball without fear of getting hurt.)
      Baseball throwing tip 1. After a few warm up throws, play the point game. The thrower gets 1 point when the opposing player catches the ball directly in front of his face and 2 points when they catch the ball from their waste to their shoulders, between their arms. Player catching the ball does not move in front of balls but remains standing in a set position. This requires the thrower to concentrate on accuracy with every throw and makes it a fun contest with his opponent. Players should start at a short distance and every time a player gets to 5 points (winner), the players should back up a few feet. The match obviously gets tougher as the players get farther apart and should play till they reach a distance slightly beyond the distance between 2nd and 1st base.
Baseball throwing tip 2. At a short distance away players can use the back of their glove to catch the ball. Players should squeeze their glove together and work on catching the ball on the back of the glove using two hands of course (only way to catch it). Players should be instructed to not fire the ball but throw it firm and the use of a softer ball for this drill is recommended. Of course, players should be taught to catch good accurate throws this way (2 hands) and open their glove and catch it with one hand on off target throws.
Baseball throwing tip 3. Games of quick hands drills, where players get 30 seconds or so to see how many throws they can make in the time frame will help players learn to develop quick hands and feet (if done correctly). Players work as one unit on this drill adding their number of throws.
Throwing tip 4. A contest of long toss will help build up arm strength. Players start at a relatively short distance and everytime they complete a throw, each player backs up one step. Players see how far apart they can get without missing a ball. Everytime an incomplete throw is made they start at the short distance again.
Throwing tip 5. With 4 players the box (around the horn) drill is fun. Players get an equal distance apart and one player starts the ball in one direction and players see how fast they can get the ball around the box. Coaches can vary the number of times the ball should be thrown around the horn and which direction.
Throwing tip 6. Along the same lines, the relay throw drill can be practiced. Players get in one line at an equal distance and work on throwing the ball to the player directly ahead of them till the ball goes to the end and back. Once again the coach can vary the number of times (up and back) the ball is thrown and should be teaching the correct footwork and turns for getting rid of the ball.

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Put the Fun into a Game of Catch

photo credit: Matt Vorwald

Baseball throwing & pitching

There is definitely a difference of thought when it comes to the amount of throwing that young players should be doing. One school of thought says that kids don’t throw enough and should throw more. The other thought process is that coaches need to limit the amount of throwing that kids do to protect their arms for the future. I believe both sides are correct. 
Let me explain. Arm strength and good mechanics can only be developed with a lot of throwing, and as long as it is not maximum speed throwing like a pitcher does, it is notd etrimental to a kid’s arm. Likewise, accuracy and arm resiliency can only be built up by a lot of throwing. With this in mind, I believe most kids do not throw enough. There are a number of reasons for this including it being boring, they would rather work on hitting and they don’t have anyone to play catch with. It doesn’t take long for kids to get there arm loose, so it can become boring to them quickly. Additionally, unless a kid has an organized team practice, they don’t get outside and throw enough. This is where a good coach comes in handy. I can recall at our baseball camps that we would sometimes have  kids throwing for up to thirty minutes without them ever gettting bored or complaining. The trick is to know some fun and challenging throwing and catching drills that occupy kids attention. They don’t even realize they have been working on throwing and catching for an extended amount of time without getting tired arms. In the next blog post I will explain some of these throwing drills which all parents and coaches should know so kids build up their arm strength without boredom setting in.

On the other side is the ballplayer who has the great arm. This is generally the kid whose arm coaches have a tendency to over use. Because this strong armed player can get hitters out, coaches have the tendency to overextend their throwing in the amount of innings and the number of games they pitch.  It is necessary that coaches recognize the exceptional armed player and take precautions to not over use them. The best way to do this is to limit their game pitches with a pitch count in the bullpen and during the game. Often, I have seen where pitchers throw a whole game warming up before a game and then proceed to throw another game in their real game. This often leads to arm trouble down the line for the young player. Additionally, it is important to give this strong armed pitcher enough rest in between pitching appearances and even in between playing appearances. Many leagues have rules where pitchers can throw only so many innings in a week, which is good. However, because this strong armed pitcher has such potential, there is a tendency for either their parent or coach to have them continue practicing their pitching on their off days. Although they have good intentions of helping this player improve, often they are tearing this player’s arm down further without the proper rest. Also, it is important that coaches rest this pitcher from throwing at all after a game where they have thrown their maximum number of pitches. This can be done by having this player DH or even sit out a game after they have pitched. There is a reason why professional pitchers do not also bat and resting the arm completely is one of them.
  In conclusion, I believe most kids can not throw enough, as long as it is not pitching at maximum speeds and effort. Coaches need to recognize the exceptional arms, and stick with a game plan where they do not abuse this players arm and future.
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Over Throwing or not Throwing Enough

photo credit: mikebaird

 Hitting a Baseball 
  Some hitters, for whatever reason, begin the season in a hitting slump no matter how well they prepared in the off-season and pre-season. It can be a very baffling situation year in and year out. Some hitters may just need longer to find the groove and others may need the motivation from struggling early to pick up their concentration level, and find their groove. For the established Major League ballplayer, this early season slump is not a big deal. The coach will stay with them until they begin to hit. Unfortunately, younger players don’t have that luxury. If they start the season not hitting well, they often get a seat on the bench and have to hope their replacement also doesn’t hit well so they can get another opportunity. There is no tried and true method for getting off to a good start but changing their normal pattern can help. With this in mind, here are some tips the notorious slow starter can try to change this pattern of the early season slump.

In pre-season, hitters with the help of their coaches can try these baseball hitting tips:
1. Generally aggresive types should look at more pitches, and  those that have the approach of working deep in the count should try being more aggressive. 
2. Often slumps come from not seeing the ball well, hitters should stand in more often when pitchers are getting their bullpen work. Just watching the ball at game like speeds without having to swing can be of help.
3. Along the same lines, working on bunting more can help the hitters watch the ball longer and better.
4. With more time to practice in pre-season, hitters have a tendency to over-work and swing themselves out of a good groove. When seeing the ball and hitting well, back off on the work load and save it for struggling times. (Inform coaches of plan, of course.)
5. This may seem obvious, but hitters in pre-season games should treat them like real games, where their results are going to count towards their average, etc.
6. Keep a diary of thought processes and swing tips when swinging well and refer back to it at beginning of season (and whenever struggling).
7. Tell the coach you are willing to hit-and -run more than usual the first week of the season. This can take the pressure off the hitter a little knowing the at-bat is out of their hands, and picking up a cheap hit this way can boost the hitters confidence.
8. As the season nears, give less thoughts to mechanics and more to concentrating on the ball.

Finally, seasoned ballplayers know that hitting, like many things, run in cyles so with patience, hard work, and good fundamentals they will begin to hit.

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Baseball Hitting Tips For the Notorious Slow Starter

There are a lot of “5 O’clock (batting practice) hitters,” as opposed to  “7:30 ” (game hitters). This is one of the most perplexing situations of the game for  parents and coach. Their hitters absolutely pound the ball in batting practice and then fail to hit during games. There can be a number of reasons why hitters hit in batting practice but not in a game including they don’t have the fear factor in batting practice or the nervousness associated with games.
Usually however, the two main reasons why hitters  hit in practice but not in games are one, their swing fundamentals are not as good as they appear and two, the hitters are not being challenged enough in practice. Often, it appears to the untrained eye that a hitter has a great swing but, in reality, the swing has some fundamental flaws. Secondly, coaches have good intentions in batting practice of building their hitter’s confidence by laying the ball into the hitter at a hittable speed. However, if the batting practice is not gamelike, it doesn’t benefit the hitters.
 

What can be done to help these two situations?
1. Coaches should continue to give players hitting drills that address the hitter’s fundamental problem areas. Often, once the season starts, hitter’s stop doing the fundamental drill work that they did in preseason, if at all.
2. Coaches can have a legitimate, trained hitting coach observe the struggling hitters and make sugestions how to help thier fundamentals. Often, just one little fundamental tip can lead to much more success.
3. Putting hitters in game like situations as often as possible in practice so they develop game confidence allows them to feel like they “have been there before.”
4. Coaches should challenge hitters in batting practice with game like speeds and by changing speeds (age appropriate, of course). Hitters often adjust on their own, without fundamental help, when they are challenged enough. Coaches should not allow total frustration to appear in a hitter by over-challenging them, though.
5. Of course, patience and encouragement with the struggling hitters is always necessary. Coaching statements like “you can do it” and “I believe
in you” are great.

Finally, coaches should not give up on struggling players because any hitter willing to listen, learn and practice is not beyond hope to improve and become a good hitter.

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Practice Hitter vs. Game Hitter – How to Play Baseball

Firing the lead arm drill

It is very common for hitters to just grab a bat and begin hitting at the beginning of the season or before a game. Hitting a pitched ball will help hitters to develop their timing, which of course is important. However, it is unlikely that those hitters will be able to change their hitting fundmentals with this practice. It usually takes performing some good hitting drills a number of times in order to develop better hitting mechanics. Hitters should, as often as possible, begin the season and practices by performing hitting drills to reinforce good hitting fundamentals or perform drills which best address their hitting needs.
There are hundreds of baseball hitting drills. The best drills change or reinforce muscle memory for the best, where the hitter will begin to incorporate the drills intent into their swing fundamentals.
Muscle memory takes a long time to develop or to change, but with good drills the hitter’s habits will begin to change over time. It is best to have the hitter take about 10 repetitions of the drill and then try their regular swing and see if they can incorporate the drills mechanics into their swing. But as mentioned it will take many more than the 10 reps to change the hitters mechanics over the long haul. Once a coach finds a drill that fits the hitters’ need, they should stay with it for a long period. Most hitters have natural tendencies that they will always revert back to, so it is important that the hitter remembers the drills that most help them to overcome their natural negative tendencies.
Sometimes, it is necessary to use an alternate device to help hitters to get the idea of a hitting fundamental. Such is the case with the above pictured drill. Using a towel will help hitters to get the understanding of how to attack the ball with their lead arm and front side. This is especially helpful for young hitters who may not have the strength to fire the lead arm with their own bat yet.

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The Value of Hitting Drills – How to Play Baseball

photo credit: 2neus  Baseball Hitting TIPS

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Baseball Hitting – Staying Back

On of my favorite baseball swing drills is the dropped ball drill. This drill will develop a quick, compact baseball or softball swing. As seen in picture, the coach holds the ball slightly above the hitters eye level, has the hitter watch ball as they stride and drops the ball after the stride foot lands either immediately (fastball) or after a slight hesitation (off-speed pitch). Because the coach may delay dropping the ball, the drill is also great for helping hitters learn to keep their hands back.

As a note of caution, the coach should keep their hand held high and not lower it into the strike zone after dropping ball. Additionally, the coach should not flip the ball into air, just drop it.

 This drill is great for players of all ages. It is extremely helpful with young players who have a long baseball swing or who step and stride at the same time. Although it may be quite frustrating at first, it is a great challenge for the young player and it is awesome feeling for coach and player when they begin to make contact and “shorten” that swing.
For older and more experienced players, it serves the same purpose of developing a quick swing and helps with curve balls and change-ups. With this older player, the coach can even lower the height of the ball slightly to really challenge the hitter to be quick. Players who have long arm swings will begin to use and develop quicker and stronger hands with this drill. 
Finally, the coach can add a batting tee slightly behind the hitters back hip in order to shorten the baseball swing. The tee will force the hitter to swing over the tee (located about hip high) before making contact with the ball.

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Developing a Compact Swing

photo credit: laura padgett

Many players received a new baseball bat for Christmas or will be getting a new one soon for the upcoming season. It looks beautiful and you can not wait to use it – it may be a good idea to hold on a second though. From my experience of coaching hitters for 21 years, at least 25% of all hitters are using a bat that is not the correct length and or weight. What happens is that parents go shopping and either ask the store attendant for advice, or pick out the nicest looking bat or buy something “too big” thinking that their player will grow into the bat. Sometimes, these theories work, but often they lead to the a fore mentioned problem of the wrong bat for the player. It is so important to get the correct size bat. The incorrect size bat for a hitter will lead to swing fundamental mistakes which may create a rough season at the plate and/or swing problems for future years too.  Habits are extremely difficult to change, so the wrong bat can adversely affect the hitter for future seasons also.

Most incorrect bat sizes, I’ve noticed, are bats that are too long or too heavy for the hitter. Occasionally I’ve seen hitters that have too short of a bat but this is rare, so I will mainly be talking of the danger of using a too long or too heavy bat.

Before using that bat, players with their parents help, should do a little research to be sure the bat is the right size for the player for that coming season. The first thing to do would be to check out a bat size chart like the one found in my book “The Making of a Hitter”: A Proven and Practical Step-by-Step Baseball Guide. A chart like this will inform you of an approximate size bat for the age of your child. The second step is to have your son or daughter swing their previous year’s bat to see if they appear ready for the next size. Very few players, unless they have grown a great deal since the previous year, are ready to jump up to a bat that is more than one inch or one ounce larger than the year before. Finally, players should go to the local batting cages, where they can swing a few bats of different sizes, to see what size bat may be best for the coming season.

Of course, it may take a trained eye (experienced coach) to notice if a bat is the right size for a hitter. Generally, the thing to watch for is that the hitter is able to swing the bat as fast as they can, while still being able to maintain good overall balance throughout the swing (especially on the follow through). If the bat appears to be swinging the hitter, as opposed to the opposite, you will usually notice a loss of balance, a lack of bat speed or little use of the hitters hands and forearms on the swing. The hitter should be able to swing the correct size bat for a good 10 minute or so before getting tired. If a hitter is able to do this, then you know a bat is a good fit for the hitter.

Additionally, parents should always check out the league rules on bat regulations before letting a child use a new bat. I have seen, all too often, where a parent has spent a few hundred dollars on a bat that was not legal for the players league level and could not return the bat because it was used and maybe used for only one swing. Remember, contact only once can and usually will leave a ball mark on the bat.

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Choosing a Bat thats’ Right for the Hitter

photo credit: SD Dirk  Staying Healthy and Starting off on the Right Foot

The New Year is here and it is time to start thinking about spring training. Baseball players will begin swinging the bat, tossing the ball and fielding soon. Just like other new years resolutions, the baseball player will have the tendency to do too much too soon, and either injure themself or lessen the workload as time goes on. It is important that the ballplayer draw up a game plan so they do not over do it, build upon what they begin and improve with each subsequent practice session. The following are some tips for the baseball player to start the new year out “intelligently” and prepare for the upcoming season.

1. Write out a daily schedule for at least a week ahead, especially for throwing, and stick to the plan.
 Throwers should start with throws of no more than 50% speed and from a short distance.
  B. Hitters should swing full speed but limit the number of swings – no more than 40 at full speed the first time out.
 c. Fielders should start with slow hit balls to develop an aggressive attitude of having to go get the ball.

2. Concentration on doing things fundamentally correct is paramount.
 Throwers (as always) should work on accuracy with good focus on getting a good 4-seam grip – players should have a knowledgeble coach check out their mechanics early in the year so their mechanics are correct from the beginning.
  B. Hitters should begin with swings off the batting Tee. Correct setup and use of the batting Tee can be found in the Instant Feedback section of my book “The Making of a Hitter.” Likewise, hitters should have a knowledgebale coach analyze the hitters swing to avoid reinforcing bad habits from the start.
  C. The key to fielding is the footwork, so fielders should concentrate on good footwork from getting a good jump on the ball through the throw after fielding the ball.

 3. Week by week, players should increase their workload and their intensity of work.
. Throwers should add about 10 to 15% more speed each week and add 10 to 15 feet distance to their throws each week so that by the 5th week of throwing they are close to maximum speed and are ready for long distance throwing.
 B. Hitters should not neglect Tee work at anytime during the season but also should progress to soft-toss work and batting practice. Beginning of the season batting practice should start with slower speeds and (just like the throwing schedule) increase speeds gradually each practice session.
  C. Fielders should be challenged with different fielding possibilities at each practice, especially concentrating on the players “weaker” fielding plays. 

Finally, players should continue to strength train, speed train and develop the “eye of the tiger” so they will be as mentally and physically prepared for the season ahead.

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Baseball New Years Resolutions

photo credit: Matt Vorwald

Baseball Coaching Tips

1. Challenge players up to the point where frustration is about to set in and then back off.

2. Explain to the players that you will challenge each differently for their own good.

3. Often, a great amount of instruction is not necessary because the serious athletes will accept the challenges and they will make the necessary adjustments sooner or later.

4. Stay encouraging the whole time and point out their upward development when you see it.

Baseball Coaching Hitting Challenges

1. For all players, change speeds in batting practice – don’t get stuck giving the player the same speed pitch all the time

2. Players who have a tough time staying back, throw slower pitches to begin practice before rasing the speeds

3. Vice versa – for players who are missing balls in games and are late on pitches, feed them faster pitches in batting practice.

4. Use different types of balls in batting practice, (hard balls, rag balls, whiffle balls, smaller balls, different colored balls) – they all come out differently, some are harder to hit and some move more and are easier to make move (curve balls are easier to throw with rag balls, i.e.)

5. Change distance the pitcher is away from hitters during batting practice – can help with timing issues

6. Use combination of wood bats and aluminum bats in practice – each has valuable use.

7. Take away number of swings hitter gets in batting practice for every time they swing at an obvious “ball” as opposed to strikes

8. Likewise, take away number of swings for every failed bunt attempt or hit and run failed attempt during batting practice. Players will concentrate more on these skills when they know it will cost them swings.

9. Have hitting games among players on team where they get rewarded for hard hit balls (point game.

10. When at batting cages – don’t hit the same speed pitch for the whole time – very unrealistic and can throw off timing when face pitchers throwing different speed in actual game.

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Baseball Coaches – Challenging the Hitter is Essential

Top Parental Baseball Concerns – and Quick Solutions

photo credit: brightroyalty

December 15th, 2008

In my many years of coaching, parents often stated similar concerns when it came to their young players practice and playing habits. The top ones are below with some quick fix things to try below them.

Parenting Baseball Concerns

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Baseball Parenting Concerns

photo credit: Matt Vorwald

Baseball Hitting – Power

Everybody wants to hit with more power. This is easier said than done. Smaller and weaker hitters are at an obvious disadvantage but their are still steps that can be done.
Remember - There is no substitute for correct fundamentals. Having a good, compact swing will allow the hitter to square the ball up consistently. Having all the bat speed and power in the world but being unable to square the ball up is useless unless the hitter gets lucky.
Baseball Hitting tip 1. Much of the bat speed and most of the control of the bat comes from the forearms, hands, wrists and finger. Hitters of any age can work on the muscles in these areas by squeezing things. There are many useful items on the market designed to help but just squeezing a tennis ball or the water out of a towel will work just as well. Doing this for 5 minutes a day will start to develop the strength that will make a difference with how to get the ball to “jump off the bat.”
Baseball Hitting Tip 2. The next set of muscles to develop is the core muscles in our midsection. Doing fast hip turns while holding a weighted object like a medicine ball is good. Gradual increases in the amount of weight held will develop this core strength.
Baseball Hitting Tip 3. Most of the time we think of running exercises only for pitchers and baserunning. However, working on fast crossover steps and explosive first moves of the lower body are just as important for hitting power. Most power is generated by the muscles around the thighs and rear end. Using these muscles with explosive movements will help. Working on explosive crossover steps as with stealing a base can be very useful. As players reach the junior high level, weight lifting of the lower half should be done.
Baseball Hitting Tip 4. The hitter is now ready to put all these explosive movements into the swing. Swinging the bat often and correctly will develop the ultimate bat speed and the amount of  power that the hitter is physically capable of. Players should start with twenty good swings a day and gradually build up the number of daily swings until their muscles begin to fatigue for that session. Each day try to increase the number of 100 percent fast swings till the hands begin to tire.

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Hitting with Power – How to Play Baseball

photo credit: gesika22

Hitting a Baseball

1. Watch a ball game on TV with player(s) and point out how often players make outs (including strike outs). It eases the pressure on young players when they see the best hitters in the game also making outs, and often.
2. Also while watching, point out how good hitters maintain balance, swing at good strikes and watch the ball all the way to contact. These little tips will reinforce good hitting habits without telling your player that they may not be doing those things when they hit. Any little hitting tip, suggested in a positive manner, will give the hitter some hope for their next game and is a good idea.
3. Remind your player(s) of a good hit they had in the past which will give them a good positive feeling.
4. Don’t keep your player(s) batting average. It’s great when they are hitting well but is very discouraging when not performing well. It’s best to not dwell on it and just look to improving each game.
5. Have the hitter bunt a great number of balls before batting practice. This will promote seeing the ball better and all the way to contact. Most slumps occur when the hitter is not seeing the ball very well. Bunting the ball will allow them to watch the ball without thinking of the mechanics of their swing.

Hitting a Baseball continued

1. Set up a batting tee in garage and have hitter take some swings before leaving for the game, or after a game. Move tee location around every few swings, from high to low and from inside to outside pitches.
2. Put the player’s fielder’s glove under their lead armpit during hitting practice. The glove should drop out on the hitters follow through. This simple drill will put the hitter in good hitting position and force them to use their hands, which take them to contact. Many young hitters swing with the big arm muscles without using their hands enough.
3. After tee work, or instead of, have the hitter hit some practice balls that are dropped by the coach. Coach holds ball up high and tells the hitter to stride. The hitter swings when the coach drops the ball into the hitting zone. Contact may be difficult at first but overtime, the hitter will develop a good compact swing.
4. Have the hitter take some practice swings and pick up their back knee as they swing. This will force the hitter to keep their front shoulder on the ball and transfer their weight. This will create better contact and more power for the struggling hitter. Hitter then goes back to normal swing after the practice drill.
5. Having the hitter hit balls to the opposite field in batting practice for awhile is generally good. This will force the hitter to wait, watch the ball a little longer and square the bat up correctly to hit it that way.

For more information – check out Jack’s book The Making of a Hitter at:

www.themakingofahitter.com

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10 Tips to Break or Avoid a Hitting Slump – How to Play Baseball

photo credit: kthypryn

For the hitter who is hitting to many ground balls:
1. Lower the hitters hands an inch or two 
2. Widen the stance a few inches
3. Set the batting tee at the knees and right down the middle and swing until the hitter is able to hit line drives back through the middle. Don’t settle for ground balls. Remember, low pitch on tee to avoid too many ground balls – this should help the hitter get to the back of the ball more and not the top.
4. Make sure the hitters rear leg has a good angle to it on the finish of thier swing (legs form a capital A at contact – not a v.). 
 

For the hitter who is popping everything up the opposite ”quick fix solutions“ may work:
1. Raise the hitter’s hands an inch or two or three
2. Shorten the stance so the hitter is standing a little taller so they may see the top of the ball more.
3. Set the tee high – chest or even shoulder level - have the hitter swing till the are hitting only line drives (no fly balls) or hard ground balls.
4. Make sure the hitter is transfering their weight – their achillies heel on their rear foot should be facing the sky at the finish of their swing.
  One of my favorite sayings: you don’t need to know what you are doing wrong but you need to know how to fix it. Try these suggestions – they should help. Good Luck
Read more about “The Making of a Hitter“ at www.baseballhittinglessons.com or www.themakingofahitter.com

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Baseball Hitting Instruction – Making Those Adjustments

photo credit: hoyasmeg

In the latest issue of Baseball The Magazine I wrote an article discussing different options for coaches to help hitters who have two strikes. Many of these baseball hitting instruction ideas are discussed in my book “The Making of a Hitter” – www.baseballhittinglessons.com. The following is a summary of the article.
  A few tried and true two strike solutions would be the following:
Baseball Tip 1. For hitters who strike out often or in a “must have” contact situation, have the hitter choke up an inch or so on the bat. This will give the hitter that little extra bat control which could be the difference for making contact which is the ultimate goal with two strikes.
Baseball Tip 2. Have the hitter widen their stance or even take no stride. A shorter stride or less moving parts will allow the hitter to just concentrate on using their hands and not over swinging. This should help hitters who have a tendency to get fooled by off speed pitches.
Baseball Tip 3. A mental thought that may help the hitter is to have them think of hitting the ball back through the middle. This will promote the “just make contact” philosophy and prevent the tendency of trying to kill the ball and over swinging with the big muscles instead of using the hands more.
Baseball Tip 4. A couple of other philosophies to ingrain in the hitter with two strikes are to look away (outside pitch) and adjust in and to look fastball and adjust to off speed pitches. By looking away the hitter will keep his front shoulder on the pitch longer and it is easier to adjust to a slower pitch if looking fast then vice versa.

A couple of other baseball hitting instruction suggestions for the coach:
Have situational batting practice where hitters have counts on them – 2 strikes for example.
Mix up speeds in batting practice so hitters get more practice at adjusting to different speeds and pitches.
In the third base coaches box the coach should point to thier own eyes to remind the hitters to “see the ball”. Coaches should avoid giving mechanical hitting concepts like ’stay back” and “don’t over stride” – these suggestions will take away concentration from the ball which is where you want all the hitter’s focus. Encouraging comments like “you can do it” and “keep battling” are always good.
  Finally, a heightened awareness is needed with two strikes. A couple of drills to give the hitter’s this concept are:
With a batting tee, short flips or drops (not regular batting practice) – Have the hitter close their eyes as the coach puts the ball on the tee – the coach can adjust the location of the tee, flip or drop each time – with their eyes still closed the coach tells the hitter to stride and then the hitter opens their eyes, finds the ball and immediately swings. These drills will give the hitter the feeling of heightened awareness and the sense of urgency necesssary with two strikes on them.
Give these a try – find out which idea helps each hitter – Any baseball instruction or book related comments only on this site. To read more about or to order “The Making of a Hitter” go to www.baseballhittinglessons.com or the www.themakingofahitter.com

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Baseball Hitting Instruction for Two Strikes