Youth Baseball Training - Solving Hitting Problems
By
Jake Wyatt In youth baseball training, hitting the baseball is often the most practiced skill. Every kid lives for the "crack" sound when the bat meets the baseball perfectly and sends the ball flying over the fence!
But many kids have yet to experience this thrill. With proper coaching and training, you can give your players the best possible chance of hitting a home run. Here are some hitting problems and potential ways to correct them:
Striking Out Too Much
Every team has a player that almost never hits the ball. The coach needs to play him, but doesn't know where to put him in the batting line up. With some special coaching, this player just might become a top hitter.
Here are some things to consider with a strike-out player:
1. Have his eyesight checked.
2. Make sure he isn't swinging too hard - if he is losing his balance after each swing, he is swinging too hard.
3. Tell him to adjust his goal from an over-the-fence home run to a nice even line drive.
4. Make sure the bat isn't too heavy for the player.
5. Have him develop a two-strike approach to guard against a strikeout (change his stance, change his grip on the bat, something different than the prior two strikes).
6. Encourage extra "hitting off the tee" practice.
Trouble With Inside Pitch
Some kids are scared of the inside pitch - with good reason. In youth baseball, pitcher inexperience causes many more players to be hit by pitched baseballs.
1. The most common cause of having a hard time hitting inside pitches is standing too close to the plate. Have the player move away from the plate a bit.
2. Have the player overcome his fear of being hit by tossing balls at him (slowly) and having him dodge them, so he can get his confidence up that he can avoid a direct body hit from an inside fast ball.
3. Again, additional practice off the tee setup inside the base can help improve this problem.
Hitting Too Many Pop-Ups.
All players love to hit the ball, but the pop-up is almost always an out. Preventing pop-ups is important in youth baseball.
1. Pop-ups are caused by hitting under the ball. Have the player practice hitting high pitches, to help them stay on top of the ball and learn how to hit it down.
2. Locking hips can cause pop-ups as well. Have the player practice a smooth stride and weight transfer.
These are some of the biggest hitting problems seen in youth baseball. With a little extra work, the coach can mitigate these problems and help lead the team to victory!
In order to be the best possible baseball player, training should happen year-round and be a joint effort between the coach, the player and the parents. Get more free tips to improve baseball performance, reviews of e-products related to baseball, and links to training resources at
http://youth-baseball-training.com.
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