Intricate And Advanced Hitting Skills

Intricate And Advanced Hitting Skills
By Jim Bain


At times there seems to be such a tremendous amount of information pertaining to how to play baseball we become literally overwhelmed and shut down. We don't seem to know which drill or exercise to perform in what order.

I've found that sometimes just throwing a few drills, tips or advise out and letting the player choose which to take first lends to getting back on track and that's exactly what I have done here by offering various hitting drills from which you may choose.

1. Batting Gloves It seems somewhat out of place listing batting gloves as a way to hit as it really has nothing to do with mechanics. However, the use of batting gloves have become so popular it's worth a mention.

When buying batting gloves, only buy gloves that do not wrinkle. They will be more expensive, but ironically batting gloves were first used to keep players from developing blisters due to extended batting practices. Now ill fitting or wrinkling gloves are producing the blisters they were intended to prevent.

2. Batters Box We are constantly drilled to keep our head still as we swing in order to maintain eye / bat contact with the ball, but we never stop and think about always standing in the exact same spot in the batters box. If we constantly change where we stand in the batters box, it changes the perception of the oncoming ball and produces muscle confusion, which will prevent us from ever being able to consistently hit a breaking ball.

Unless you're changing your batting location in the box permanently, take your stance in the exact same spot every bat, every game. If the catcher's squeezing you, crowd back...he'll move.

Follow Through We're always hearing the Coaches yell "Follow Through" to their pitchers. Maybe we ought to start doing the same to hitters. We say we want to Hit the ball, but actually that's not quite correct. What we should be saying is we want to Hit Through the ball.

When finished swinging a hitter's bat should be high over and behind his head. Just as there is a beginning to a swing there is an ending and swinging through the ball is where the power originates. Have you ever seen a golfer stop his swing immediately after he hit's the ball? Be sure to finish your swing.

Bringing the Knob Thru the Zone You've probably heard the saying "Throw the Bat head thru the zone." What they are referring to is bringing the barrel of the bat, the sweet spot, in front of your hands. This offers a quick bat and power when good contact is made.

I'd like to offer a different theory. In order to maintain better bat control, which means more hits, but not necessarily of the power type, we lead with our hands. Another way of saying this is we lead with the knob of the bat.

In order to do this we control the bat with our top hand (on the bat). When we bring the bat thru the strike zone the top hand must be palm up. This guides and controls the bat towards the ball. Using this technique will make you a better hitter as far as contact.

Jim Bain - Former Minor league baseball player, who since retiring has dedicated his life to teaching baseball to youth. Visit his exciting info packed website: http://www.Learn-Youth-Baseball-Coaching.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Bain

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How to Improve Batting Average and Get Full Contact When Hitting a Baseball

How to Improve Batting Average and Get Full Contact When Hitting a Baseball
By Guest Author Joe Brockoff

Young or old, new to the game or not, no one likes to strike out. So, when I see players struggling with making contact while at bat I simply ask, "How do you feel at the plate?" Most often, the response is the same, "Coach, I'm not seeing the ball."

My response? Use your imagination. Throughout my career in baseball, I've developed hitting drills that convert complex techniques into easy-to-learn applications using imagery. My system is practically fool proof, requiring only a player's willingness to imagine and a desire to succeed.

So how can we use imagery to help batters "see the ball?"

The Problem: "I can't see the ball."

We hear players say it all the time, especially after striking out. Following the ball from pitch to plate is a serious challenge for many hitters, yet we know that the ability to read the pitch and make proper judgment is as important as anything in becoming an efficient hitter. This also decreases rushing and increases confidence.

The Super 8 Hitting System Solution: "Visualize the Target"

Let's imagine that the ball is a target. If we want to hit the bull's eye on a target, then it is necessary to aim for the bull's eye. If the outer ring will give us 10 points, and the bull's eye will give us 100 points, what part do we focus on? The bull's eye, of course. It gives us the highest reward.

With this in mind, let's do a few "making connections" hitting drills, using either regular batting practice or a pitching machine.

Drill #1: Loose Body, Full Take

1. Stand in the batter's box. Take a deep breath.

2. Stand tall with a soft body, soft in the hinge joints.

3. As ball is pitched, keep eyes horizontal, placing a quarter-size imaginary red dot in center of ball.

4. Read pitch all the way to catcher, using just the swivel of the head. Move nothing else.

5. Repeat several times.

Drill #2: Stride-Take

1. Begin as in Drill #1.

2. As ball is pitched, load and stride, reading pitch back to catcher.

3. Continue to visualize bull's eye.

4. Important: Do not move hands from starting position.

5. In the stride, front heel remains up, with 30-40% weight now on front side.

6. Hips remain closed.

7. Repeat several times.

Drill #3: Drive-Take, Add the Pivot

1. Begin as in the first two drills.

2. Pivot hips at completion of stride.

3. Important: Hands rotate with body; they do not commit to the pitch.

4. Hitter is now taking pitch in "drive position."

5. Visualize where "cut" or cut line on the ball will be.

6. Read ball to "contact zone" in front of plate.

7. Repeat several times.

Drill #4: Take and Stroke

1. Batter reads pitch in loose body.

2. Visualize the proper cut line and take pitch.

3. Take several full swings, use same cut line.

4. Each time, visualize a positive hit.

5. Repeat several times.

Through repetition, these visualization drills will dramatically improve a batter's hand action. The batter will no longer swing to contact, but snap at the point of contact, yielding a remarkable and measurable improvement in speed and contact-ability.

Hi. I'm Coach Joe Brockoff, a Division I Head Baseball Coach for Tulane University for more than 19 years, and former minor league player for the New York Yankees. Over the years, I've taught thousands of baseball players how to increase batting speed and improve their overall performance on the field. In fact, my proven training system has sent 45 baseball players to the pros.

As a coach committed to continuous improvement, I share my baseball drills, tips, and techniques here so that you will, in turn, inspire and motivate young players to improve their game. I hope you'll visit my web site, the Super 8 Baseball Hitting System at http://www.learnbaseballhitting.com/super-8-hitting-system.html?gclid=CIKf96-17qICFUsJ2godDWdXaw to watch some of my free instructional videos.

Learn more about the Visualizing the Target baseball hitting drill and other proven methods for improving batting speed by visiting my Super 8 Hitting System - http://www.learnbaseballhitting.com/ bestselling baseball training web site and instructional video package, which includes many free youth baseball drills and tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Brockoff

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Coaching Youth Baseball: Top 10 Hitting Drills

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How to Hit Better in Baseball Immediately

How Hit a Baseball Better
By Guest Author Jeffery A Wise
Every baseball player serious about the sport desires to become the best hitter they can be. Even major leaguers always seek to improve their hitting. You should also want to learn how to hit better in baseball.

Players, parents and coaches should all be interested in learning the secrets to hitting better. Parents can encourage their children and give pointers. Coaches have a huge impact on teacher their players the hitting skills they need. If the following skills are practiced regularly, players' hitting abilities are sure to improve.

The basics include hitting mechanics, confidence and the right timing. Let's touch on hitting mechanics first. If we don't go over the mechanics of baseball hitting then we are doing a disservice to ourselves. Remember, even professionals work on basic mechanics every day. They get to the ballpark early to practice hitting and fielding. Those basic mechanics are:

-Stand shoulder width in the batter's box for maximum balance and bend slightly at the knees and waist while holding your bat in a vertical position six to eight inches away from your chest.
-Wait for the ball and keep your shoulder and hips closed until it's time to swing.
-Always have your head pointed towards the pitcher and keep your eyes on the ball at all times.
-Try to have a smooth and consistent swing no matter where the ball is pitched.
-Make sure you follow through with your swing

Confidence is most important while hitting. Remain in control, be selective and hit your pitch. Don't swing at the first pitch for a while to get the feel of the pitcher. If your at-bat goes all wrong, don't let it get you down. Even if you have no hits in three at-bats, the next at-bat might be the one to win the game or sustain a rally for your team. Stay calm and in the game.

When referring to right timing, it's not about the timing of your swing. Instead, it's the reality that sometimes the hits fall for you and sometimes they don't. You can have all your mechanics and confidence down to a science, but sometimes you hit it right at a fielder or you hit the ball foul by one-half inch. That's part of the game everyone goes through. If it wasn't, then everybody would hit.750 or better.

To learn how to hit better in baseball, begin working on these tips immediately and regularly. Never give up. Be sure of yourself and always be ready to attack the ball. These tips will help you be the best baseball hitter you can be.

Jeffery A Wise invites you to learn the proven system of how to hit a baseball so that you can learn how to hit a baseball better. Start learning today by reading our information, watching our videos and participating in our blog.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeffery_A_Wise

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The Perfect Baseball Hitting Drill?

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The Perfect Baseball Hitting Drill?
By Jack Perconte

The sign of a good baseball hitting drill is one that forces the correct hitting fundamentals and that over time, causes the correct hitting action when a hitter goes without the drill. With that in mind, some drills are obviously better than others. The drill below does just that. It forces of the correct action and works on all the important hitting fundamentals of staying back, compact swing, weight shift, hips opening and follow through.

Because this drill combines all the correct baseball hitting fundamentals into one drill, it makes teaching hitting easier and quicker, as long as it is performed correctly. It is a little complicated and requires some hitting tools that one does not usually have in the basement, or backyard. The local batting cages though will have the things needed - balls, protective screen, batting cage.

Here is the perfect baseball hitting drill:

1. The hitter stands very close (within six to 10 inches) from a net, facing the pitcher with the net being behind the hitter where the catcher stands. The hitters rear foot and hands should both be this distance away from rear net. Make sure a home plate is set and hitters stand their normal distance from the plate.

2. The coach sets up behind a protective screen with a bucket of balls in front of the hitter, beginning at twelve to fifteen feet away.

3. The coach flips balls to the outer half of the plate - firm underhand flips are best from this distance, trying to keep the ball level with no rise or drop on the flipped ball.

Result you are looking for? Because the ball is on the outer half of the plate, hitters should drive the ball to the opposite field by missing the net on the initial portion of the swing but hitting the net on the follow through.

Note: Hitters may graze the net on way forward and come up a little short of hitting net on follow through and this is acceptable.

Why is this the perfect baseball hitting drill?

1. One of the main fundamentals of hitting is "staying back" - if the hitter jumps forward (lunges or over strides) they will not be able to hit the net on the follow through.

2. Another goal of hitters is to have a compact swing - when a hitter's swing is long, in anyway (upper cutting, casting, dropping barrel behind them) they will be striking the net on the initial portion of their swing.

3. Another objective of a good swing is to have the hands in a power position (palm-up, palm down) at contact. By hitting the ball to the opposite field on this outside pitch, this drill will guarantee that the hitter is in this correct contact position.

4. Another component of the perfect baseball swing is that the hitters' weight transfers while their hips open - missing the net on the way forward will promote weight shift and the only way to hit the net on the follow through, or get close to it, is to open the hips.

5. Another ingredient of good hitting is that hitters' keep their eye on the ball; thus, the reason for working on the outside pitch. It is further recommended that hitters keep their eyes in the direction of where they ball is hit, while trying to hit the net on the follow through as hard as possible.

As hitters begin to perform the drill with some consistency (frequent line drives with back-spin to the opposite field), the coach can begin to back up until eventually doing the drill from regulation, hitting distance.

Is the drill the perfect hitting drill? Maybe not, but if done correctly, it works on all the necessary hitting fundamentals all at once. Finally, I am sure that I have not been the first one to discover this drill, but it is one of my favorites while teaching hitting over the last twenty-two years.

Former major league baseball player, Jack Perconte gives baseball hitting tips and batting practice advice for ballplayers of all ages. His baseball playing lessons, books and advice can be found at http://www.baseballhittinglessons.com/baseball
Jack is the author of two books, The Making of a Hitter and Raising an Athlete - his positive parenting advice and books can be found at http://positiveparentinginsports.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_Perconte

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Baseball & Softball Swing - Confidence Vs Mechanics

By Todd Thomas

I was at a high school level ball game recently. Of the two teams playing, one was filled with a group of very cocky players. They were cocky and CONFIDENT. What's interesting is that the players on this team had some of the worst baseball swings I have ever seen in my life. But they were confident as all get out.

It's an interesting phenomenon to observe that a player can have horrible mechanics but have supreme confidence(cockiness is a good word to describe here) and still be able to hit the baseball successfully. Alex Rodriquez successfully? NO! No, as I watched the game none of these players really scorched the baseball but they did swing confidently at it and put the ball in play often finding holes and blooping hits all the way to a 14 to 2 win.

These players' potential to play at higher levels is limited with bad mechanics. Ultimately, they will reach an end to their success(and subsequently their confidence) as they move to higher and higher levels of baseball. These were high school players. Obviously, they are going to have some success at the high school level. Reaching the collegiate level is probably out for most of them because of their technique, but one or two of them may reach that level. Then that's probably it. I once had a collegiate player over for some training and his mechanics were awful, but he was playing Division I baseball. Why? More than likely he was extremely confident up until this point but now was crashing and burning at the collegiate level. He also had a load of natural ability that had carried him this far too. However, he had reached his peak and I remember telling him that if he has sights on playing professionally he needed to change what he was doing mechanically. And he did have the desire to play pro ball.

However, even if a player works on and gets mechanically sound, I believe that any player(no matter what age) will struggle if they don't learn how to be confident. If they are not confident and their new mechanics aren't "working" for them, then they will blame the mechanics or the teacher or both and will keep searching for that "perfect" way to swing to insure success. When what they really need is confidence training in order to raise the game and to be successful.

So is learning the proper mechanics the "answer" to being a good hitter? I teach the mechanics of the best players in the game and I am supremely confident in what I teach. Let's say however that I took a player from the team of confident hitters with bad mechanics and we started working on fixing his mechanics. IF he is able to sustain his confidence, look out. He should excel in a big way.

What if though(and this probably goes higher the younger the player is) the player starts "thinking too much" about executing the proper swing mechanics? What if he starts over-analyzing his swing and trying to hard to make things happen with his new swing? Questions and doubt may start building within him after a bad(weak) hit or a strike out. He then starts asking himself, "Am I doing it right?" "Am I performing my mechanics correctly?" If the results are not there, then the player will assume that he is not swinging "correctly" and there begins the process of over-thinking, over-analyzing, and confidence shrinking. And I believe the downward spiral of his hitting results and confidence will continue to fall.

What's interesting as I think about the team of cocky confident hitters is that I don't think they realize that they suck. Their mechanics that is. They seem to have no idea how "bad" they are and they play as if not to care. They are just confident. On the contrary, they are pretty good because they THINK they are in spite of what they don't know.

So which is more important? Confidence or mechanics? It seems from my observations that confidence with bad mechanics can still have a degree (albeit limited) of success. YET, good mechanics with zero confidence and playing scared seems to have no chance to succeed.

Hmmm?

Todd Thomas is a Baseball Coach and Professional Hitting Instructor for Mike Epstein Hitting. Coach Todd's personal hitting website is http://www.HitItHere.net. Coach Todd also enthusiastically endorses http://PlayMyBestBaseball.com as a place where baseball and softball hitters can master the Confidence, Composure, Focus and Consistency of their game so they can reach their full potential.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Todd_Thomas

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Top 5 Baseball Drills to Improve Your Baseball Game .

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Article Title: Top 5 Baseball Drills to Improve Your Baseball Game
By Kendra L Fagan

Open professional baseball tryouts are designed to help scouts determine the physical talents and abilities of aspiring baseball players.

Though many of the drills that young MLB hopefuls are put through might seem random. This is because different drills are put to people to test their skills level. While one person trying out might have a killer pitch and he knows it, a scout might want to see what the person's skill level is with other types of baseball maneuvers.

Scouts look for speed, arm strength, glove skills, and hitting skills and overall mechanics. The tryouts are grueling and not like any version of American Idol you've seen. There is no "nice" judge. Instead, baseball scouts simply call out the names of those they like. The rest of the players go home, and many of theme eventually give up on their dream.

But not unlike any talent-based industry, hearing "no" is just part of the game. It is up to you and your trainers to make sure you are getting all the necessary drills and skill-building exercise to take you to your goal of becoming a professional baseball player.

I have compiled some of the best drills for cross-skill development that will give you a leg up in the competition and hopefully win you the interest of a baseball scout.

AROUND THE WORLD DRILL

The "Around the World" drill is a great conditioning exercise that will help any baseball player develop physically.

Here's how it works.

Take the players to the foul pole in left or right field. Then time them from foul pole to foul pole to get a good accurate base time. Then have a set time that they should complete each of the laps. Some choose seven laps, some others. The number should be based on the number of innings one would play professionally. A good hint is that coaches should remember to adhere to is to not let a lap count if it is under time. This will help the player push himself to get it right. There is no "almosts" in pro baseball.

DIVE BACKS

Besides basic conditioning, this drill helps to build the players speed and quickness back to the bag. Also, it is helpful to work on quickly leaving the bag as well as helping the players to recognize how big of a turn they can make around a bag to make sure that they get back in case of a throw. Here's how a good Dive Backs drill is set up.

The players start out at Home Plate and run around first base, making an aggressive turn, and then dive back into the bag. After diving back they get up as fast as they can and head to second base to do the same thing. They do this also at third then slide feet first into home plate to end their round.

A good way to prove the get back theory is to have an outfielder and a second basemen trying to get a player out every couple of times through. This exercise works wonders for agility and speed skills which is an absolute necessity to play in the major leagues.

THE GLOVE BASEBALL DRILL

Conditioning is a grueling task, so some fun elements need to be used as well. A good fun conditioning drill is great because you can make them the hardest and the fun elements makes it not so bad.

The glove drills starts off with separating players in groups of 4 or 5. (If you are just with yourself and your coach, find a friend or two to help.) Line the people up and put their gloves in the outfield at about 25 foot intervals apart, away from them. They start the drill with a ball in their hand and run to the first glove and set the ball on it and come back to the line and go back and get the ball and come back to the line and go to the second glove and set the ball down and go back to the line and so on and so forth, until all the players have gone through and the winners get out of laps at the end of the practice.

SPEED QUICKNESS AND POWER

In any good baseball training program, player development is a primary concern. As players get older they also raise their level of function in the game. One of the areas to try to improve is the physical or talent area. If you are at all seriously about playing professionally you must first be in the talent pool of players. If you can't do the physical levels, no one will look at the skill or playing abilities.

A well rounded pre-season conditioning program starts when the players get back from Christmas break. Work should be focused on 3 areas essential to playing baseball at a professionally competitive level - speed, quickness, and power.

The first day should be spent testing the components of each skills set that are vital to an overall skill matching assessment. Test items can include:

· 40 yard sprint
· 10 yard sprint
· Standing 2 footed vertical jump
· 30 second dips
· 30 second sit-ups
· Home to 1b
· Bench press
· Dot jumps
· Diamond push ups

After the testing is done, you should have a good two months dedicated to a program that incorporates exercises, running, and strength training. Once this part is done, practice the test points listed above again. This will help you accurately measure your progress and where to improve.

THE 60 YARD DASH DRILL

This is used to determine sheer sprint speed, and it is chosen to determine the athlete's ability to run from the length of two bases. If you decide to incorporate this for your child, do so sparingly and make sure that your child is warmed up. Also reduce the length from 60 yards to only twice the distance from home to first. Of course, make sure that your child is medically approved to do sprinting. Keep the number of such dashes very low and GRADUALLY build up over time.

Here is a good pointer:

When asked to hit, scouts do not look at the end result of whether the ball was a hit, home run, foul ball, etc. Instead, they look at mechanics in order to determine if there is a "loop" in a batter's swing, weight transfer, and the batter's overall approach to the plate appearance. If you are able to introduce your child to one of the scouts during a break at the tryout, ask the scout to give you a minute to understand what he likes to see in his ideal batter. You may learn quite a bit.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kendra_L_Fagan

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How to Develop a Compact Baseball Swing

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How to Develop a Compact Baseball Swing
By Jack Perconte

All major league hitters have compact swings. They could not get to that level without one. What separates hitters at this level is their degree of bat quickness and bat speed. Bat quickness determines how quick they can get the bat to the ball once they decide to swing. This is one of the ingredients needed for being able to wait on the pitch as long as possible and for making contact. Bat speed determines the amount of power that a hitter will produce if solid contact is made when the ball is hit. Once again though, all major league hitters have compact baseball swings. This is vital in order to hit the speeds that major league players face.

You might ask, "If they all have compact swings, why do some strike out so much?" There are three reasons for that and one was mentioned, bat quickness. A compact swing does not guarantee a quick bat. Two, some players put more tilt in their upper body with their swing. When players collapse their back side creating un-level hips, they create more up-swing, leading to greater lift on the ball, but more misses too. Three, some players simply have better hand-eye coordination.

Developing a compact swing should be the goal of young baseball hitters too. This will be necessary if they wish to consistently hit as they move up the baseball ladder.

First, a definition of a compact swing is necessary. Compactness implies a short, tight area and this would define a good baseball swing. A compact baseball swing is one in which the bat barrel goes from hitting position (above hitter's rear shoulder) directly to the ball as the hands descend into a palm-up, palm-down position approaching the strike zone. The bat barrel stays relatively close to the hitter's head on the way to the ball, without taking a detour to the contact area. Why is this so necessary? The more compact the swings, the longer hitters can wait on the ball which is a huge advantage when making decisions on different speed pitches.

Following are the drills that will lead to a compact baseball swing, giving ballplayers the best chance of having baseball hitting success:

1. Place a pad under the hitters lead arm and take some swings without the pad falling out till the follow through. Hitters will develop strong quick hands and forearms with this drill and not a long arm swing.

2. Have hitters stand belly button away from a net and take swings with the edge of bat just grazing the net with a full, fast turn. This will force hitters to keep the hands close to body to avoid casting the bat.

3. Have hitter stand with net close behind them (toward catcher) and take swings missing net on way toward ball. This drill is best done with no stride and will not allow hitters to drop the bat barrel

4. Set a batting tee hip high and even height with hitter's rear hip. Hitters take swings while missing the tee and hitting balls at any level, even knee high - best done with dropped ball drill or soft toss flipped balls.

5. Dropped ball drill - coach holds ball up in air and drops ball into the hitter's strike zone after the hitter takes their stride. A compact swing is necessary to make solid, consistent contact.

6. Alternate fast and slow pitches until hitters learn to have the same quick swing on all pitches - when players make good contact on both speeds while hitting balls in the direction of where the pitch is located is the goal.

Finally, hitters can perform a few of these drills in combination with the other drills to challenge them further. For example, combining the glove under lead arm (# 1) and the dropped ball drill (#5) with the tee hip high(#4) at the same time can be done.

Former major league baseball player, Jack Perconte gives baseball hitting tips and batting practice advice for ballplayers of all ages. His baseball lessons, books and advice can be found at http://www.baseballhittinglessons.com/baseball.
Jack is the author of two books, The Making of a Hitter and Raising an Athlete - his parenting blog and books can be found at http://positiveparentinginsports.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_Perconte

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Baseball Hitting Tips

Hurricane Baseball Batting Machine

By Joe Brockhoff

Here are some of the many questions:
How long should it be?
What direction should it go?
Would it be best to eliminate it?

One thing is for sure: The stride, done poorly, will often do more harm than good. Here are some of those issues: Over-striding, stepping the bucket, and not getting the foot down in time.

One might think, let's just eliminate the stride. Or let's just put the front foot out, with only a little weight, and keep the rest of the weight back.
In all of our years of studying baseball hitting tips for research and development of the Super 8 Hitting System, we looked for answers to those questions.

I am a hitting purest, meaning that if the activity is not necessary, then we don't do it. In other words, economy of action, doing only the absolutes with no wasted motion is the way to go. So should we eliminate the stride? Many coaches teach this in their clinics and camps using many baseball hitting drills.

My belief is that while no stride is ten times better than a bad stride, a good stride is better than no stride. Against a good velocity pitcher, a hitter must have quick hips. He must be able to turn quickly, clearing his hips and getting his hands out in front for contact. The stride is an asset for this. It provides a continuation from linear to rotation for the fast ball and for transfer of weight through the ball.
Here is the timing factor:

Fast Ball: Stride - Stroke Off Speed: Stride - Pause - Stroke

Think of the top that young people used to play with. With all of the electronic games of today, the old "top" has been sort of put away on the proverbial shelf. But the top used to be a favorite toy for youngsters. It's a rounded object with a pin on the bottom. They would wind the string around it, toss it forward holding onto the end of the string.

When the pin of the top hit the ground, the top would change from linear direction to rotational. It would spin, and spin until it lost its momentum and flopped over.

If the top were merely dropped straight down vertically, this would create a very loose rotation, if any, and it would almost immediately drop over on its side.

So what's the point? Like the linear action of the top gives it the force that it needs for strong rotation, so does the linear action of the stride provide a good rotation of the hips toward the ball.

Former Tulane Hall of Fame Baseball Coach, Joe Brockhoff, fully explains his baseball hitting drills with the Super 8 Hitting System, completely demonstrated with videos and hitting tips to help you hit with more power and raise your batting average. http://www.learnbaseballhitting.com/.
Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Joe_Brockhoff

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Baseball Coaching Digest - The Swing Looks Perfect But the Batter Always Hits a Weak Ground Ball

By Nick Dixon

We have all seen this scenario. The batter has above average bat speed, above average hitting skill and is always extremely aggressive at the plate, but is simply not getting on base. The swing looks great but weak or poor contact is made. The batter is in a serious hitting slump. The only pitch the batter seems able to hit hard is the fast ball on the inner part of the plate. It seems like every other ball he makes contact with is a ground ball weakly hit back to the pitcher. And when it hits it hard, it is a "worm-burner" back to the pitcher. This article offers reasons and corrections for this hitting flaw.

What causes this hitting flaw?

The answer to this question is one word, "timing". The batter is not being patience enough. The batter is attacking the baseball too quick or too soon. The bat is not making good solid contact with the baseball because the bat is already through the POWER ZONE before the ball gets there. When the batter attacks the pitch too soon, the bat has passed through the "level plane" and has started to move upward when it contacts the ball.

Many young batters and overly aggressive or impatience older batters, want to attack the ball as soon as possible. They often attack it too it early before the ball reaches the plate. No matter how hard the swing is, the batter is only making contact with the top edge or third of the baseball. This contact at the very top of the ball is forcing the ball hard downward off the bat, thus creating a "hard worm burner" back to the pitcher.

How is this batting flaw be corrected?

You may have heard a coach in the past say, "Let the Ball Get In". What this means is that the batter should let the ball get inside the front foot. The only pitch a batter should attack before it gets inside the front foot is the fast ball on the inner third of the plate. Every other pitch must be allowed to get inside the foot before the batter attacks it.

Letting the ball get in allows the bat to make contact when the bat is on a level plane. The best way to correct the flaw is to do a front toss drill and making sure that the batter waits until the ball gets inside the front foot before attacking it. Patience and timing are the two important things batters must learn to use at the plate. Having these two traits are the key to hitting line drives for base hits.

I hope that you found this article to be useful and informative. You may find other articles like it at the Baseball Coaching Digest and the Youth Baseball Digest. I thank you for taking the time to read it. Have a great day. Nick


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Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Dixon

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Three Baseball Batting Drills - Streak Drill, Switch Hitting Drill and Step-In and Hit Drill

Video shows three great baseball hitting drills being done on the Bat Action Hitting Machine. The BatAction baseball batting trainer's high speed ball movement and large ball path closely simulates real pitching conditions. The BatAction is often called the "Backyard Basketball Goal" for baseball players because it makes home batting practice easy, fun, challenging, and convenient. The BatAction Hitting Machine has height and speed adjustments for all ages and skill levels.

Youth Baseball Digest: How to Prevent Hitters From Popping Out

By Jack Perconte

There is only one way for hitters to pop a ball up and that is to hit the bottom of the pitched ball. The good news is that the hitter made contact but the bad news is that pop-ups are caught at least 90% of the time. Having said this obvious point, there are two causes for why players hit the bottom of the ball. The most common cause for the bat barrel going under the ball is commonly known as "dropping the shoulder." In actuality, with the correct baseball swing hitter's back shoulder will drop below the front shoulder in order to arrive at the correct palm-up, palm-down hands position. What causes the bat barrel to drop under the ball creating a popped up ball is an exaggerated drop of this shoulder due to a "collapsing" rear hip and leg.

To prevent hitters from popping out, they need to improve their weight shift into the ball. This action will prevent the hip and back leg from collapsing which will allow hitters' hips to remain level and allow them to square the baseball up more consistently.

Following are baseball hitting drills to prevent hitters from popping out - these should be done in sequence for best results, but repeatedly doing any of these drills should solve the problem.

Hitting Drill # 1 - Have hitters set their feet together without any knee bend and take swings at different pitches, from high to low. Hitters can turn their hips with this drill but will not be able to rotate their legs as with a normal swing. This drill will take the power out of their swing but will help hitters get the idea of staying tall when hitting and not collapsing. Players with good swings will still hit line drives, even on knee high pitches.

Hitting Drill # 2 - From there regular stance, have hitters swing and pick up their back leg as they swing. This will force a 100% weight transfer and force hitters to firm their front side while staying tall. The rear hip cannot collapse with this drill, which is the root of the problem.

Hitting Drill # 3 - From regular stance, set a batting tee even with hitters' rear hip and at hip high level. Hitters should practice coming over and missing this tee when swinging to any pitch level.

Hitting Drill # 4 - Set a batting tee in the hitting zone at letter high and have hitters hit balls at this level until they can hit consistent line drives. Players who drop their back side will have trouble hitting anything but pop -ups at this height.

The other less common way hitters pop balls up is by rolling their wrists at contact. This early roll causes the bat barrel to go down, resulting in a pop up. Often, this incorrect swing is only noticed by an experienced hitting coach and can be corrected with hip opening and lead arm extension drills like the following:

Hitting Drill # 5 - Have hitters choke way up on their bat and take some swings with their lead arm only. Their goal is to extend their arm and bat towards the pitcher, keeping their shoulder in and leading to a high, correct finish.

Hitting Drill # 6 - Set a ball on a tee in front of home plate and another ball on a second tee about a foot in front of that one towards the pitcher. Hitters stand in normal position and take swings with the intention of hitting through both balls. This drill forces hitters to open their hips and extend their arms without an early wrist roll. Hitting both balls solidly is the objective. A sign of an early wrist roll would be missing or continually grounding the second ball to the pull side of home plate.

It is important to understand that many young players drop their hands before swinging which can put them on the underside of the ball before they even swing. It is important that hitter--s break that habit in order to prevent hitters from popping out. Previous drill #3 will also help hitters break that habit.

Hitters with normally good fundamentals but in a "pop-up" slump may solve the problem with a couple of slight adjustments to their initial hitting position. Hitters can raise their hands slightly in their set-up and/or stand taller with less knee bend in their batting stance. These slight adjustments can cause hitters to hit a little higher up on the ball, preventing the popped up balls.

Former major league baseball player, Jack Perconte gives baseball hitting tips and batting practice advice for ballplayers of all ages. His baseball hitting lessons advice can be found at http://www.baseballhittinglessons.com/baseball
Jack is the author of two books, The Making of a Hitter and Raising an Athlete - his parenting blog can be found at http://positiveparentinginsports.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_Perconte


The 4 Best Batting Tees in Baseball:
Advanced Skills Tee
Stay Back Tee
Hands Back Hitter
5 Position Batting Tee