How to Hit  in Every Part of the Strike Zone

Good pitchers know how to use the strike zone to their advantage, moving pitches around and changing elevations to keep hitters guessing. Good hitters respond by learning to hit the ball where it is pitched within the zone. There are a couple of ways to help hitters learn how to hit pitches in every part of the strike zone.

The first key is train them to know the strike zone. See the Quick Choice Drill in our guide Effective Youth Hitting Drills for help. The second key is to teach hitters to go with the pitch. In other words, they must learn to drive the ball hard to all fields based upon where the pitch is located. When batters do not know how to do this they try to pull balls that are out over the plate and weak ground balls usually result. The biggest hurdle is simply getting the batter to understand the physics of hitting and why using all fields makes good sense. Most players will pick this up pretty quickly.

The Hitting Tee And The Strike Zone

A good way to learn to hit pitches in every part of the strike zone is with the use of a tee. Have a player get in the box and then move the hitting tee around in the strike zone and be sure to change elevations as well. Balls on the inside part of the plate should be pulled. Those over the middle of the plate should be hit roughly between the second baseman and the shortstop. Those on the outside part of the plate should be hit to the opposite field. Read the rest of this entry

Hitting Drills For The Young Player

While most youngsters simply want to get in the batter’s box and swing away the drills you offer them prior to their trips to the plate will make them much better hitters. They’ll have more success and enjoy this wonderful game far more. Here are 3 effective youth hitting drills. Make them fun and your young players will improve without even thinking that they are practicing!

Hitting Off A Tee

You might think we’re kidding, but this is no joke. Tell your reluctant kids that even major leaguers and our women’s national team use tees as a regular part of their training and preparation. The use of a tee does two major things. First, it allows you as the parent or coach to teach your players good swing mechanics. See our guide entitled Basic Swing Mechanics for Baseball and Softball for insight. They learn to swing right and then build muscle memory through repetition.

Secondly, hitting off a tee markedly improves hand-eye coordination. Good swing mechanics and improved contact with the ball equals better performance, more success and a wonderful experience. Read the rest of this entry

Learn The Batters Swing

If you are a parent and have one or two youngsters who play diamond sports, or if you are a coach with a whole team full of players, knowing basic swing mechanics for baseball and softball will allow you to get them started in the right direction. In this guide we’ll touch on the basics of stance and swing.

When it comes to taking a position in the batter’s box the stance will either set up the player for success or failure. Succeeding begins with good balance and weight evenly distributed on their feet, which should be shoulder width apart or slightly wider. The key is comfort and balance. The hitter should lean slightly forward with most of their weight on the balls of their feet. Too wide a stance will rob the swing of power. Too narrow a stance will cause the stride to take too long and they’ll be behind most pitches.

Better Stance Better Swing

The player should bend comfortably at the waist and knees, almost like being seated on a stool and leaning forward slightly. The front shoulder and the side of the front foot should directly face the pitcher’s mound. This is called being “squared up” at the plate. Read the rest of this entry

Best Bats for Young Players

No doubt your first little league bat was a table leg from the old dining table – or a waterlogged Louisville Slugger that weighed about 5 pounds. Well, things have improved in the past few decades and your youngster now has the opportunity to use some pretty specialized hitting sticks that pack loads of modern technology. Read the rest of this entry

Just as important to a softball player as finding the right bat is finding the right sized bat. The right bat at the wrong length for a player will throw off their swing, hurt their game, and possibly even cause injury to wrists. This is especially true for youth, but adults should pay attention to the size of their hitting stick, too. Read the rest of this entry