How to Teach Younger Players

Question:

Your material is top rate. I am having incredible results with both my kids (boy – 7 and girl – 9). I am managing my son’s team as well as a coach for my daughter’s team. My approach thus far is to cover all aspects of hitting fundamentals with all the kids starting on the set up and working forward. My time with each player is limited to about 10 minutes a week. Are there fundamentals that I should focus on that will get more observable results than others? With these kids getting limited reps, the progress is slow. I have completed the entire swing and am wondering if I start back at the beginning as most kids still struggle with the basics. I would appreciate any thoughts.

Answer:

With young kids, I recommend you start with their legs. Make sure their legs are in the proper position, so that they can complete their swing staying on balance. The practice time you are able to give them is not enough alone.  Give them specific areas to work on, such as working on balance in front of their mirror at home. If they have a tee at home, give them something specific to work on. If you can get more help, I would set up more drill stations so the kids can get more swings. They need to swing the bat everyday to improve their skills.

How to Fix Pulling Off the Ball

Question:

My sons have a pulling off the ball problem. We think opposite field all the time but as soon as we swing hard in a game situation we pull off. The only thing that seems to help is to concentrate on starting the bat with the hands and not the upper body but to do that they both seem to push more with the top hand than what your literature calls for. We don’t roll over until after contact but we seem to generate a little more bat speed and barrell direction if we concentrate on the top hand. My guess would be that we were pulling with the lower arm and really getting nothing out of the top hand. We are confused about the role of the top hand. Without it our bats seem lazy and without direction. With it we wonder if we’re doing things incorrectly but we get better results.

Answer:
As long as the top hand is not rolling too soon, it is ok to think, be more aggressive with the top had as long as the top hand is staying in the proper position and getting through the ball. If the kids are staying inside and through the ball you are ok.

What hitters mentally say to themselves is different depending on the hitter, if your sons seem to get their hands going better when they think top hand, then this is probably getting their hands going.

As far as pulling off the ball, make sure their effort level is not too high, hitters with a high effort level tend to pull of of the ball more often. They should feel like they have something let with their body when the complete their swing, also, if they are staying on balance throughout the swing, then their effort level is ok. Their effort level in batting practice and drills should be the same as their game swings, once this starts happening they will become more consistence.

Taking Your BP into the Game

Question:

My 11 year old son hits much better in the more competitive AAU than in LL. In AAU, he really drives the ball. Line drive extra base hits. His mechanics are good. quick hands, uses legs, stays down on the ball. In LL, he doesn’t use his legs, swings at bad pitches, doesn’t drive the ball. I know its a mental thing. He says he is tense. I think its a holdover from last year. His first year in LL majors, he did not hit well then either. (partly because he got hit on the elbow.) He works really hard, takes extra BP. But this is primarily mental. How can I help him overcome this psychological barrier.

Answer:

It’s true when people say that this game is more mental then physical. You talked about him taking extra batting practice, which is very good, however how muck time is he spending creating good mental habits. As much time as he spends in the cage he should spend visualising himself having success. Let him go over mentally all the success he has had in his AAU league. Have him go up to the plate with nothing on his mind except him knowing that he going to have success in that at bat. With this attitude he will always dominate.

See the Ball!

Question:

My son struggled at the 16 year old JV level this season. The bottom line is he just doesn’t pick up the ball consistently. The zone he has the most problem with is that first zone, leaving the pitcher’s hand to the first 10-12 feet. He fights off a lot of pitches because they get on top of him, sees it too late. He can’t ever attack it out in front of the plate. When he sees it early and likes it, he most of the time jumps at it and gets out on his front foot, either topping the ball or getting under it. I have Harvey’s Vision Training, have used it a bit, he’s into his Legion Ball now for the summer and I want to help him NOW ! That’s where you come in, Dave. It’s not as easy as saying “See it coming out of the pitcher’s hand”. What now !!????

Answer:

The first action that needs to take place is that when his stride foot comes down, the hands have to go back. This will get him into a good position of power and allow him to see the ball. It sounds like he usually starts too late, and gets beat on balls, or he starts too early and all his weight comes forward. I would rather him start too early then too late, if he starts too late he will get beat on balls every time.

However, he can start as early as he wants if he gets into the position of power. Once he is in the position of power, don’t have him thinkn about seeing the ball out of the pitcher’s hand, have him only think about seeing the ball. If a hitter thinks about seeing the ball out of the hand he might follow the hand instead of the ball. Have him start early, and only think about seeing the ball. Good luck with the season.

Can you have too much bat speed?

Question:

My son just went through the worst possible winter of his playing career. He had worked very hard this past off season to develop some serious “pop” in his bat. We measured his bat velocity while doing some heavy duty overload/underload training. His bat speed really increased and I could really see the pop.
The problem is that it is just in batting practice. In games he wasn’t making contact. When he did, it was a rocket. The first thing that I saw was that he was pulling off theball. The next thing was a loop in the swing. After that I saw the early rolling of the hands and then too much weight passing through center onto his front side. Do you have any suggestions?

Answer:

It sounds like your son has improved his bat speed and therefore his power. Now, he expects to hit the ball out of the ball park. That may be the problem – he feels he should be hitting the ball out of the park. He is probably over swinging and his effort level is too high.

He must get back to thinking “hard contact” and “line drives”. An excessive effort level leads to many break downs – head movement, front side pulling off, rolling top hand, etc. Get him back to basics so that his goal is consistent hard contact and line drives. Look for good balance, correct head position throughout the swing, and a short hand path to the ball.

Keeping the Game Fun

Question:

I am a tee ball coach and have intentions of coaching throughout my son’s playing days. I hear of 7-8 year old select teams practicing or having a game (sometimes doubleheaders) 7 days a week. Is that normal? It seems too much for any age.

Answer:

That type of game schedule is too much for that age level if you are looking to keep the game fun to the kids. The kind of schedule is more for the adult coaches to feed their ego. Three games a week with two practices, teaching the fundamentals that the kids do not understand. Teaching the game so the kids will have a chance to have fun and play the game correctly. That type of game schedual is too much for that age level if you are looking to keep the game fun for the kids. The kind of schedual is more for the adult coaches to feed their ego.

The Proper Set Up

Question:

We have a hitter on our American Legion Team who claims that keeping his back elbow up at the point that he completes his stride; i.e. getting into a “Position of Power”, or “launch” position, or “loaded” position, allows him to attack the ball with a downward approach. His back elbow, at the end of his stride, is parallel to the ground. As i understand biomechanics, this position has to elongate the swing. It also seems to me that his hands and arms have to be really quick for pitchers that have some pop on their fastball, as well as good offspeed pitches, to compensate for the longer path that the hands have to take to the ball. In coaching hitters, I have difficulty convincing them that starting with the back elbow at a 45 degree (or so) angle in their stance and keeping it there after their stride gives them more time to decide if they want to commit to the pitch; in part, because they see so many major leaguers starting with the back elbow up and parallel to the ground.

Is it true that most major leaguers who start that way and are successful, i.e. , high batting averages, bring the elbow down to about a 45 degree angle when they get into their “position of power”? If having the elbow slanted toward the ground in the “Position of Power” is so important, why not start there. The player whose approach I like to get our hitters to emulate is Mike Piazza. His swing is extremely short and smooth. (Being from the New York City area, I get to see more of him than others). The other example I like to use is Tony Guinn. What surprises me is that this kid is being coached/instructed by someone who, the player says, is an advocate of your program. I find that difficult to believe. Any comments or suggestions?

Answer:

Coaches and kids see the set up of Major League hitters but most coaches do not understand what happens when the ML hitter gets into the position of power. The back elbow will relax before they swing. Some people cannot be convinced, I don’t argue with them, but I will have them do some drills that relaxes the back elbow. Doing one hand top hand drills will force the back elbow into the proper position. I would just keep reminding your hitter to stay short to the ball and see if over time he gets in a more relaxed position. Good luck.

Hitting Through the Ball

Question:

My son consistently makes contact, however he does not hit through the ball and his bat angle at contact continues on a downward plane instead of a even plane. He always hits grounders and never/seldom line drives. Other than telling him whats happening and demonstrating the proper technique, I can’t seem to get him to adapt the proper mechanics (I think this is where I was going with the Dad thing!) Anyway, are there some drills you can recommend that might creat a muscle memory for the proper mechanics in hitting through the ball and the proper swing plane?

Answer:

Your son sounds like he has the correct idea of starting at a downward angle. In his toss drills, and off the tee, have him start finishing his swing shoulder high. As you stated the swing should level off, if you work on the finish, he should level the swing off. Make sure he is not rolling his top hand too soon, the top hand should not roll until well after contact. Do some tee work, move the tee about 5-7 inches in front of where he would normally make contact. If he continues his downward angle he will not be able to make good contact. He will have to level his swing in order to make contact. Have him try to drive the ball back up the middle, keeping his hands going through the contact plane.

Learning How to Cure Your Fear of the Ball

Question:

My son is on the young side of the playing age in Little League as his birthday is June. In all his years playing, he has never shown fear of the ball. This year we moved up into minor division – first year of kid pitch.  He is now showing fear at the plate by backing up in the box before the ball is even released from the pitcher’s hand. How do I help him? One of his coaches states, “You can’t coach fear.”

Answer:

Fear at the plate is something that many, if not all kids go through at one time or another. I disagree with your coach, this is something that he can get through with the right information.

First, teach him how to get out of the way of the ball. He should understand that he is going to be able to react to the ball better if he knows how to get out of the way of an on coming pitch. Teach him to turn away from the ball, you can do this by throwing tennis balls at him and mixing in strikes and balls, up and in.

Second, start teaching him a more aggressive attitude. That he is going to be the one that hits the ball right back at the pitcher and he is going to have the most aggressive attitude on the field, even if he is the youngest.

I know what your going through, my son’s birthday is July 31 – the Little League cut off day.

How to Get Into the Position of Power

Q:

When my 16 year old tried setting her hands in the Position of Power, she feels like it’s harder the pull down with the bottom hand, getting that short path to the ball. She feels “trapped” a bit and has too much top hand, her swinging loops under the ball. How can we get the hands set and still get that pull down angle with the bottom hand?

A:

The Position of Power is a position that every hitter should be in when the stride foot lands. The hands do not need to move very much, as long as the hands are just behind the back foot when the stride foot lands. The hands should not feel “trapped”. This should be a fluid movement that is not segmented.  It sounds like your daughter is not properly staying inside the ball.

The easiest way to correct this problem is to not think of cocking the wrists, just think about taking the hands back. This will allow for a free and easy swing, when she thinks about the wrists, she would probably have a tendency to be stiff.

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