The BatAction Blog presents baseball batting training tips, baseball hitting drills, and other information to help Bat Action owners produce unbelievable results from working out on the BatAction Baseball Trainer. Baseball coaches, players and parents will find this information very interesting and extremely useful. The Regular posts include new and innovative training drills and techniques to increase bat speed, improve power, improve hitting skill, and increase batter confidence.
Showing posts with label youth baseball drills. Show all posts
Showing posts with label youth baseball drills. Show all posts
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Little League Baseball Drills - Batting Practice
By guest author: Chris Campbell
I have heard it said by many an accomplished athlete, that one of the hardest things you can do in professional sports, is to hit a major league fastball. Or any major league pitch for that matter. Just ask Micheal Jordan. He may be a living legend in the world of professional basketball, but he only managed a 202 batting average for the Birmingham Barons (a farm team for the Chicago White Sox). The moral being, it's best to get your little leaguer started early, if they plan on challenging some of the MLB hitting records.
With that in mind, lets consider a few hitting drills that the kids can use to get their bats swinging true, and making contact as soon as possible. One of the best drills you can do with your kids, is simply to grab a bucket of balls, and pitch a few to them every day you can find the time to do so. It's practically impossible, for most kids to get enough batting practice with the team. There's a limited number of pitchers, catchers, and backstops for most little league coaches to work with. It's almost impossible for them to get more then a few minutes hitting each practice. A one on one practice with mom or dad every day or so will really help out.
Now just swinging for the sake of swinging will make you a better hitter, but there are a few simple points you should keep in mind, to maximize the time put in. Don't harp on these items too much, as they can be a bit technical and boring for kids. Try to make it fun for them at the same time.
Choosing The Right Bat
Picking a bat that's appropriate for your child's height and strength can make all the difference. It should feel comfortable for them to hold and swing the bat. If the bat is slowing down their swing too much, it's probably a little too heavy. There is a simple way to test a bat, even before you buy one. Simply have your son or daughter hold the bat by the handle, and hold it straight out to the side, so the bat is parallel to the ground. They should be able to hold the bat steady for at least fifteen seconds. If they can't, or their arms starts to shake, you should try a smaller bat.
Batter Positioning
It's important to know where the batters box is, where home plate is, and where the strike zone is. That way, even little league players, can put themselves in good position to reach any ball that is passing through the strike zone. Even if your in your back yard practicing, you can mock up a plate, and batters box. Just use a can of spray paint on the grass to mark out home plate and a made up batters box. Don't worry, it'll disappear the next time you cut the grass.
Little League Baseball Drills is a great resource for helping your little leaguer get the most out of his or hers favorite pastime. With a little good training, amateur or even professional ball players will see a dramatic improvement in the way they play.
Tips For Correcting an Upper Cut Swing By guest author: Jim Bain
I have witnessed coaches, who I thought were going to have a cow, in their reaction to a player having an upper cut in their swing, but one must realize there are times an upper swing is quite appropriate and possibly the proper swing.
When a pitch is low in the strike zone, and the situation requires a fly ball, such as trading an out for a runner scoring from third, the hitter wants an upper cut in order to lift the ball into the air.
Historically, Left Handed Batters' Power Alley, ball location where the hitter can utilize his entire core strength when swinging, has been low and inside using an upper cut swing.
So just to set the record straight, there are times a hitter using an upper cut swing is beneficial. However, to have a permanent upper cut motion in every swing, regardless of ball location, will only lead to high strike out numbers and easy fly ball outs.
The reason for a high strike out ratio is simply, it's difficult enough to solidly strike a baseball when the bat is traveling on the same, level plane as the ball, much alone the bat traveling in an upward motion, which totally throws eye to bat to ball timing in the waste can.
Secondly of course, if the hitter is successful at making contact, the baseball comes off the bat with a back spin, which not only creates lift, but also restricts distance, as the ball is essentially Clawing its way back towards the plate, which normally results in a high fly ball to the shallow outfield.
More than likely, somewhere along the line, the batter developed a hitch in his hitting mechanics, which is producing the repetitive upper cuts. The batter is not consciously swinging upwards, but rather the muscle memory responsible for producing the swing is the culprit. These muscle memories must be re-programmed, which can be a tedious and time consuming project, or a change of one part of the mechanics may have near immediate results. Plan on a lengthy project and be overjoyed if it happens quickly. We are not concerned with creating power or bat speed or anything else other than flattening the swing and there's no substitute for taking hundreds of correct swings in order to achieve that purpose. That's exactly why the use of a batting tee is an excellent method in eliminating an upper cut.
Set the batting tee at slightly above belt height, anything higher will create a handcuff effect and will do more harm than good. Using a whiffle ball and bat, remember we're changing mechanics and actually the lighter weight of a whiffle ball bat allows more swings without fatigue than a regular wood or metal bat, a practice swinging Down on the ball.
The downward swing will produce ground balls, so the hitter is able to immediately know if the swing was proper, if it wasn't the ball will be hit into the air. When the batter can successfully drive ground balls off the tee, the next step is to hit a moving ball.
We then move to the batting cages and while using a regular bat and a moving baseball, see if we can continually hit ground balls. Should the batter fail to hit ground balls, it's back to the hitting tee for more practice.
Bear in mind, when hitting, whether off the tee or in the batting cage, you will hit an occasional fly ball, which doesn't mean you're failing. Set a goal of hitting 2 ground balls for every fly ball, then increase to 3 ground balls for every fly. Also, don't become frustrated if your ground balls are not hit with authority, that will correct itself as you become more efficient at hitting the ball on a level plane.
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
Youth Baseball Training - Teaching Good Nutrition By guest author: Jake Wyatt
Eating the proper foods is a key element of youth baseball training. When coaching youth baseball, the coach should encourage players to bring water and snacks to practice (or better yet, make these available rather than relying on the kids). The coach should also explain to the players that proper nutrition while at home will help them play better baseball overall.
When kids are young, their food choices are mostly made for them. As they grow up and begin to make their own choices, they need to be taught about food and its impact on the body. This way they can make better choices for themselves, leading to stronger and healthier kids. Parents' nagging often falls on deaf ears. But most players listen to their coaches! A coach can be a great ally for parents in helping their sons eat better.
Here are some basic nutritional facts that should be taught to youth baseball players:
1. Protein provides the building blocks for muscle. Kids must eat protein to build up their strength.
2. Carbohydrates provide quick energy. Kids should understand the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates, and they should be instructed to choose complex carbohydrates that will give them longer and more consistent energy.
3. What types of food provide protein? It is surprising to find out that many kids don't know the answer to this question! The coach should make sure his players know this.
4. Explain to the players that the less processed food is, the healthier it is. Fresh fruits and vegetables and unprocessed meats should be their first choices.
5. It is becoming widely accepted that eating more, but smaller, meals is a healthier way to eat. Have kids try to plan to eat healthy six times a day. This may help cut down on bad snacking habits.
If kids understand some basic facts about nutrition, and these are emphasized by their coach, they will be more likely to follow a healthier diet. It may not be perfect, and given they are kids it won't be, but if they choose a banana over a candy bar just a few times a week it will make a huge, long-term difference!
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.
Baseball Hitting Drills: "One Handed Drill" (Soft Toss) ebaseballtips http://www.baseballsmith.com is another great resource for players, coaches and parents involved in youth baseball.
This form of soft toss isolates the lead hand and then the power hand. If is a drill used by intermediate to advanced players. "Optimum Swing Path" video available at http://www.ebaseballtips.com works well with this video.
