For all beginners in baseball, it is very important to learn from the very start the ways on how to improve in baseball, since this will greatly lend a hand in playing the game. In this article, you'll find some very vital youth baseball hitting tips.
Tip number one. According to some experts, the first thing an aspiring baseball hitter should do is strengthen his arms and wrists. The fact is little guys and big guys can hit hard, but they will definitely need to have strong hands and wrists. It will also be very helpful in delivering a perfect hit by swinging your body as you hit, using your hips first and hands last. You will want to have quick hands and an even faster pivot.
Tip number two. One of the most important youth baseball hitting tips is to have a good batting stance. In other words, the position of the bat and the body while waiting for the pitch must be taken into account. Your feet should be shoulder wide apart, while the foot closer to you should be lined up near the front edge of the home plate. Make sure that your knees have to be slightly bent and you should also have your waist slightly bended.
Tip number three. Make it a point that you hold your bat the right way. You will have to hold the handle as close as possible to your back shoulder, and the barrel of the bat should be just above your head. Grip it the right way, do not squeeze the bat, instead, keep it loose. Keep in mind that when the ball comes at you, you should keep your eyes solely on it, until you hit it. Remember that your head shouldn't follow your body as you hit it.
These youth baseball hitting tips will greatly help you in improving your game. Make it a point to practice on a regular basis. Once you do that, you will be able to master more advanced techniques.
T-Ball University: Batting Drills For New Tee Ball Coaches
Baseball Season is just around the corner, so parents and parent coaches, start digging through the garage for your baseball equipment and begin stretching out those rusty arm and leg muscles. For many communities, children begin their baseball or softball careers playing the lead-up skill called Tee Ball, which is baseball, minus the pitcher. In Tee Ball which is also spelled T-Ball, children learn the fundamentals of batting, fielding and base-running. For the purposes of this article we´ll be concentrating on batting. In Tee Ball, batting takes place utilizing a Tee which sits approximately waste high to the hitter. The Tee is a great tool for perfecting a child´s swing. When used correctly, a coach can analyze all of the components used in a swing and make subtle or not so subtle adjustments to a child´s swing, batting stance, hip rotation and foot work.
It is my opinion after coaching all these seasons that proper footwork is the most important aspect of hitting. If you have the proper footwork, the arms, hips, and head will fall into place with the required timing.
In order to achieve proper footwork, I will place the tee on top of home plate. I will draw a perpendicular line in the dirt with the handle of the player´s tee ball bat from the middle 45 degree corner of the tee´s base. The line length is approximately 12 inches. Adjust this length accordingly to a comfortable extension of each player´s arms with the bat swing. I then will draw a perpendicular line from the first line and parallel to the edge of the tee base going back toward the backstop. Therefore, this line is in the shape of an inverted "L". I will squat down and point with my index finger as to where I want each foot to be placed along the parallel line. Drawing the 12-inch line allows the hitter to extend his or her arms when swinging to comfortably hit the tee-ball with the "sweet" spot of the bat.
I want each child to have a stiff front leg with feet square to the parallel line. The player should be placing their weight on the balls of both of their feet. The square front foot will prevent the front knee from buckling or bending. Imagine a bug underneath the back foot. I want the child to squash that imaginary bug with a pivot of their back foot. Approximately 60% of the player´s weight should be on the back foot. This is called the "load" position. This pivot will open the hips toward the pitcher when "squashing the bug". The front foot should remain square and the front knee locked when "squashing the bug" also. The back leg can bend but do not take a large dip with the back leg. (This drill is presented in a short video on our www.tballu.com website, within the "Free Sample Video" section).
Most coaches and parents who played the game when they were young were taught to take a step toward the pitcher with their front foot when swinging the bat. Most coaches and parents remember taking a small step or a large step. I do not want the player to take a step with their front foot when "squashing the bug" since a step will cause the player´s head to slightly dip when swinging the bat and therefore, the player´s eyes will dip when swinging the bat also. The no-step will prevent an eye dip when attempting to hit a breaking ball (e.g., curve, slider, etc) later in the player´s career when he or she advances to high school baseball or softball. Use a series of batting helmets as impediments to prevent the player´s front foot from taking a step if they had been previously taught to do so.
Practice "squashing the bug" with a bat situated between the arms and the back´s shoulder blades. Have the entire team practice this drill at the same time making sure they are a good distance away from each other. Keep an eye on a stiff front leg and the back foot should pivot on the ball of their back foot. Some players will pivot and raise the heel of the back foot such that the back weight is placed on the toe of the back foot instead of the ball of the back foot. The player´s head should stay down while looking in the hitting zone. If the back shoulder does not remain in the hitting zone upon pivot, the head will lift up from the hitting zone and the front foot will automatically lift up as well where the hitter is pivoting on the heel of the front foot. This is called "rolling" the front foot. Repeat this drill 50 times each practice and before each game. The player can also do this drill 50 times daily in front of a full length mirror at home. This will provide the player great muscle memory to ensure a proper swing every time.
After more than ten years coaching youth baseball, it has been my experience that, despite the best efforts of parent-coaches, too many children do not learn the basics of hitting and fielding and develop bad habits from the start. As these children progress to coach-pitch and kid-pitch leagues, this results in coaches spending many hours trying to correct problems, which could have been easily avoided at the Tee Ball or Beginner Baseball level. Coaching children, whether your own or children in your community, is one of the most rewarding experiences you´ll have. Watching children learn and successfully apply the skills that you´ve taught them is tremendously fulfilling. I wish you all the best of luck in your t-ball, baseball or softball seasons.
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