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Thread: Hitting Suggestions...

  1. #1
    .377 in 1905 CySeymour's Avatar
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    Hitting Suggestions...

    Ok Redszoners, I come to you for advice on the fine art of hitting. I noticed at my 10 year old sons game last night, that when he swings, he is hitting off of his front foot.

    Any suggestions on how to get him out of it?
    ...the 2-2 to Woodsen and here it comes...and it is swung on and missed! And Tom Browning has pitched a perfect game! Twenty-seven outs in a row, and he is being mobbed by his teammates, just to the thirdbase side of the mound.


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    Member RollyInRaleigh's Avatar
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    Re: Hitting Suggestions...

    Tell him to keep his head behind the baseball and hit the ball out front. Sounds like he is striding and swinging at the same time. You have to get the front foot down before you swing and then transfer the weight and the torque of the swing, if that makes any sense. You are rotating around that front foot. Make sure he keeps the front foot closed. Might try spreading him out a little in his stance. That will probably cut the stride down and keep him from getting out front so early.

  4. #3
    Reds Slacker '07 RedsMan3203's Avatar
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    Re: Hitting Suggestions...

    I had a problem like that while golfing... My weight was going forward waaaaaaaaay to soon....

    My golf coach who I got lessons from made like a ramp type deal with incline on it... so i'd set up and most of my weight would be on my back side and would continue to be there.
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  5. #4
    Member RollyInRaleigh's Avatar
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    Re: Hitting Suggestions...

    Is his head moving with his stride?

  6. #5
    .377 in 1905 CySeymour's Avatar
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    Re: Hitting Suggestions...

    Quote Originally Posted by RANDY IN CHAR NC View Post
    Is his head moving with his stride?
    Yeah it is...it really looks like he is lunging out at the ball right now
    ...the 2-2 to Woodsen and here it comes...and it is swung on and missed! And Tom Browning has pitched a perfect game! Twenty-seven outs in a row, and he is being mobbed by his teammates, just to the thirdbase side of the mound.

  7. #6
    Member ochre's Avatar
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    Re: Hitting Suggestions...

    I'd try some soft-toss, or tee work. Get him hip turning instead of lunging.
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  8. #7
    Member RollyInRaleigh's Avatar
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    Re: Hitting Suggestions...

    The quickest fix is to spread his stance out a little and see what happens. Will definitely shorten his stride and will probably keep the head a little more still. Going forward, have him practice his stride while keeping his head and the majority of his weight on his back side. Then work your way to the swing. Best to have him hit the ball off the tee into a net for a while. Make sure he is making contact out front and keeping his head behind the ball. The swing starts at the feet and works it's way up. The whip of the bat through the zone is the last piece. PM me if you need any help. Would be glad to offer my suggestions.

  9. #8
    .377 in 1905 CySeymour's Avatar
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    Re: Hitting Suggestions...

    Quote Originally Posted by RANDY IN CHAR NC View Post
    The quickest fix is to spread his stance out a little and see what happens. Will definitely shorten his stride and will probably keep the head a little more still. Going forward, have him practice his stride while keeping his head and the majority of his weight on his back side. Then work your way to the swing. Best to have him hit the ball off the tee into a net for a while. Make sure he is making contact out front and keeping his head behind the ball. The swing starts at the feet and works it's way up. The whip of the bat through the zone is the last piece. PM me if you need any help. Would be glad to offer my suggestions.
    I really apprecate it! Weather willing, I'm going to take him out and have him hit off a tee tonight.
    ...the 2-2 to Woodsen and here it comes...and it is swung on and missed! And Tom Browning has pitched a perfect game! Twenty-seven outs in a row, and he is being mobbed by his teammates, just to the thirdbase side of the mound.

  10. #9
    Resident optimist OldRightHander's Avatar
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    Re: Hitting Suggestions...

    Quote Originally Posted by BigKlu View Post
    ...that when he swings, he is hitting off of his front foot.
    I would suggest using a bat. Works a lot better that way, and doesn't hurt as much.
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    Resident optimist OldRightHander's Avatar
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    Re: Hitting Suggestions...

    I know it's a different sport and all, but I had the same problem in softball and someone else noticed it and gave me a couple tips. All I did was widen my stance a bit and then make a conscious effort to keep my weight on my back foot for as long as possible, almost to the point of exaggeration. It made a difference. I heard on XM not long ago where a MLB hitting coach had his hitters hitting softballs to get them to stay on their back foot longer. There must be something to the soft toss and tee work if MLB coaches are using it.
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  12. #11
    Member RollyInRaleigh's Avatar
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    Re: Hitting Suggestions...

    Quote Originally Posted by BigKlu View Post
    I really apprecate it! Weather willing, I'm going to take him out and have him hit off a tee tonight.
    Let me know how it goes!

  13. #12
    I hate the Cubs LoganBuck's Avatar
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    Re: Hitting Suggestions...

    Not to impose on your thread, but I have noticed my 7 year old son, in coach pitch, has developed a combination Jose Canseco/Brandon Phillips type stance, and then he swings with a wicked upper cut. If he connects he can whack it good, other wise he hits dribblers to first base. I have tried tinkering with his stance at home, but in games he goes right back to it. He does well with soft toss and a tee, maybe too good. Any good suggestions?
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  14. #13
    Member RollyInRaleigh's Avatar
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    Re: Hitting Suggestions...

    Tee work is best for correcting the loop and uppercut. You have to make sure that the barrel of the bat stays above his hands as he starts toward the baseball and that his hands stay above or parallel to the baseball. Try to teach him to "pull the knob" of the bat to the ball and to hit the inside upper half of the baseball. Have him to focus, not on the ball, but on a particular spot or thread on the ball. Make a mark with a sharpie, postion it on the upper inside half of the ball, and have him try to hit that mark, every time. Gravity is going to cause the bat to drop just a bit and this gives him the best chance of "squaring" the ball. Don't let the knob point up in the swing. If the knob goes up, the barrel of the bat immediately drops. This lengthens the swing and also makes the weight of the bat more difficult to manage and really slows the swing down. Can't get a level swing and really decreases the opportunity to make consistent, good contact. He needs to learn to swing "down through the baseball," and to get good extension out and through the ball. He is probably also staying on his back side too long, trying to lift the ball. Have to get the front foot down to start the bio-kinetics that "is" the baseball swing.

    Don't try to fix him too much during the season as he will get frustrated at that age. Take some time after the season, go to the cage or hit on the tee at home. Praise him for the slightest improvement and particularly for hitting the ball on a line or on the ground. Keeping the hands inside the ball and pulling the knob of the bat to the ball will be a foreign concept to him, but if he gets it, he will never go back. A short swing is always better than a long one. I always try to show kids how quickly the bat gets to the hitting zone when you keep your hands inside the ball and how long it takes when you really extend your arms and get "around the baseball," or "caste." That swing always feels more powerful to them, when in reality it is very slow. Bat speed is key, and a direct line to the ball is fastest.

    Hope this helps and makes a little bit of sense. It is always a work in progress.
    Last edited by RollyInRaleigh; 06-18-2009 at 10:10 AM.

  15. #14
    Member Spitball's Avatar
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    Re: Hitting Suggestions...

    Quote Originally Posted by RANDY IN CHAR NC View Post
    Tee work is best for correcting the loop and uppercut. You have to make sure that the barrel of the bat stays above his hands as he starts toward the baseball and that his hands stay above or parallel to the baseball. Try to teach him to "pull the knob" of the bat to the ball and to hit the inside upper half of the baseball. Have him to focus, not on the ball, but on a particular spot or thread on the ball. Make a mark with a sharpie, postion it on the upper inside half of the ball, and have him try to hit that mark, every time. Gravity is going to cause the bat to drop just a bit and this gives him the best chance of "squaring" the ball. Don't let the knob point up in the swing. If the knob goes up, the barrel of the bat immediately drops. This lengthens the swing and also makes the weight of the bat more difficult to manage and really slows the swing down. Can't get a level swing and really decreases the opportunity to make consistent, good contact. He needs to learn to swing "down through the baseball," and to get good extension out and through the ball. He is probably also staying on his back side too long, trying to lift the ball. Have to get the front foot down to start the bio-kinetics that "is" the baseball swing.

    Don't try to fix him too much during the season as he will get frustrated at that age. Take some time after the season, go to the cage or hit on the tee at home. Praise him for the slightest improvement and particularly for hitting the ball on a line or on the ground. Keeping the hands inside the ball and pulling the knob of the bat to the ball will be a foreign concept to him, but if he gets it, he will never go back. A short swing is always better than a long one. I always try to show kids how quickly the bat gets to the hitting zone when you keep your hands inside the ball and how long it takes when you really extend your arms and get "around the baseball," or "caste." That swing always feels more powerful to them, when in reality it is very slow. Bat speed is key, and a direct line to the ball is fastest.

    Hope this helps and makes a little bit of sense. It is always a work in progress.
    Excellent advice here...and through the entire thread.

    I am a huge advocate of the batting tee, soft toss and anything else that allows the player to get numerous quality repetitions. Repeating proper mechanics over and over many numerous times creates rote muscle memory. You don't want the batter thinking about his mechanics because he must concentrate on each pitch.

    Just telling a kid a sequence of body motions, practicing it a few times, and then sending him out to face a real live pitch, will almost always result in a batter thinking about too much and be counterproductive in many ways. He needs many quality repetitions. When he is batting, his mechanical approach must be automatic because everything happens in the brain and body so quickly. Work to develop automatic responses because too much thinking can hinder fluid physical actions.
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  16. #15
    .377 in 1905 CySeymour's Avatar
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    Re: Hitting Suggestions...

    I didn't get a chance to work with my son before his last game, because of rain, so I was only able to tinker a bit with him. He walked all his times up, so it didn't turn out to be an issue. They lost the game, so their season is now over. But I will be working with him a lot during the summer, and using the tee a lot!
    ...the 2-2 to Woodsen and here it comes...and it is swung on and missed! And Tom Browning has pitched a perfect game! Twenty-seven outs in a row, and he is being mobbed by his teammates, just to the thirdbase side of the mound.


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