Remember to bring your camera to each game to take action photos
Forward these pics. to cubspics@westsidecubs.net
2010 Game Schedule Now Available
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Remember to bring your camera to each game to take action photos Forward these pics. to cubspics@westsidecubs.net 2010 Game Schedule Now Available
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Teaching Your Child HittingHitting is the most important facet of the game of baseball. Some may argue that pitching is more important, but there are far more 40 year old hitters in Professional baseball than 40 year old pitchers. When you look at the swing of Julio Franco (47 years old), a recent Braves (now Mets) reclamation from the garbage heap, you will see a text book example of proper hitting technique.
If you were to sit with your child and watch a complete Braves Baseball game, you may see 7 different hitting styles in the Braves line-up alone. Not every player uses the Andruw Jones hitting style which has become so popular with hitting coaches today. Trying to mold every player into this style is a recipe for disaster. Whether they step toward the mound with their lead foot or keep it stationary (squash the bug), makes very little difference, if the player is uncomfortable in the swing you design for him. Their are a few basics you should watch for, however.
Try both grips in slow-motion and examine final bat location/angle when the bat reaches the front of the plate (where the bat should strike the ball). Now use the top knuckle (left-hand)-door knocking knuckle (right-hand) grip and slowly move the bat forward until you reach maximum range (forward) to where your right wrist is locked (Straight like a punch-not bent forward). The bat will be tilted backwards slightly toward the catcher. Hold the bat in this position and rotate the hands to line up the two door knocking knuckles and watch how the end of the bat moves forward toward the pitcher to line up square with the plate. Most youth who have grown accustomed to using an improper grip will tell you the proper grip is uncomfortable. This is because they have become accustomed to doing it the wrong way. It can be a difficult, bad habit to break. Gripping the bat is much the same as gripping a golf club except you do not interlock your fingers. Have your youth reach down and touch the inside corner of the plate with both hands on the bat (like addressing a golf ball). If their wrists are straight, their door-knocking knuckles will be properly aligned. get them in the habit of doing this before every pitch and the proper grip will become routine. The improper grip can produce more problems that just poor bat position on contact and pushing everything to right field. Since less bat is exposed to the ball, strikeouts may increase. The problem may be improperly attributed to slow bat speed. You can spend hours trying to fix the wrong problem when it is a simple fix that works. Also the improper grip will reduce outside plate cover by as much as 4-inches. Improper grip can cause other problems, as well, such as dipping the back shoulder, bailing out, uppercut swings, or the head flying out. The body will make adjustments to compensate for the improper grip. If you spend wasted time trying to correct symptoms caused by improper grip, you can have a confused, desperate child on your hands. Hitting ain't necessarily easy, but the grip is the first thing you must master-just as in golf. A baseball swing by Tiger Woods in golf would be deadly to spectators. Those that can't hit a baseball play golf. The Load Position The hands should begin at about the height of the "back" shoulder. At
the beginning of
The bat should be angled at about 45 degrees over the back shoulder. The proper bat grip will encourage this position, while an improper grip may cause the player to hold the bat straight up. Some players have developed the habit of hold the bat straight-up as the pitch is being delivered. The next step is to drop the bat down (back) in the 45 degree position to begin the swing. This can develop late swings, as well. Another common mistake among youth is to release the top hand too early during the swing. If your child ends the swing with one hand, chances are this is what is happening. Releasing the top hand too soon typically prevents the youth from rolling the wrists over on contact and can provide a dramatic loss in power and contact consistency. The following is a step-by-step dance move for each pitch
Hitting is all about bat speed. A slow swing will rarely produce good results. The quicker the bat speed the better the hitter. Quick bat speed also enables a player to "wait" longer on a pitch to determine whether it is a hittable pitch or one that is out of the strike zone. At the age of our players, many players with slow bat speed make up their mind whether they will swing at the next pitch when the pitcher starts his windup. This is why we see so many players swinging at balls that bounce 3 ft in front of the plate. A batting tee is an excellent investment!!! Even Professional baseball players work out with a batting tee. Using a tee will allow you to carefully watch your child's swing. It is very difficult to throw pitches to your child, try to throw strikes, and carefully watch his swing at the same time. The batting tee also is good to help produce a level swing. While many players (Babe Ruth, for example) use an uppercut swing, these players also tend to strike out much more often. While fly balls are more difficult for young players to catch, they become easier to field as players get older. Level swings produce ball contact more often, as well. If you were to view archive footage of Pete Rose (The all-time hits leader) you would see a perfectly level swing on almost every hit. This does not mean the bat is level. The barrel of the bat may be at a 45 degree angle (toward the ground) on low pitches. Whether your child steps toward the mound with his front foot or keeps it stationary matters less than what happens with his back foot. Current hitting theory suggests the back foot should turn slightly bringing the heel in line with the pitch. This forces the player to open (twist-explode) their hips and it should give the swing more power and bat speed. If your child is afraid of getting hit by a pitched ball, you need to have them "relax". They can't hit if they are tense. Many players begin with this fear, especially during the first couple of years of kid-pitch ball, but most overcome their fear. If they're thinking about proper mechanics, they won't have time to think about getting hit. On the other hand, if they are worried about getting hit, they can't concentrate on proper mechanics. Spend about 15 minutes 2-3 times per week to work with your child on hitting. Its' great one-on-one time, and you may find your child will like spending time with you and may come to you (often) and ask if you can help them work on hitting. I generally take this as a sign that I may have been neglecting to spend enough time with my son. I immediately stop whatever I am doing and spend time with him. After all they grow up too quickly.
Here's a step-by-step to go through with your child;
Eye and Hand CoordinationEven if your child has the perfect swing, he still has to make contact with the ball. Eye and hand coordination is simple a matter of repetition and practice. Not all of us old coaches can afford the wear and tear of pitching a bucket of balls each day and we certainly can't afford a pitching machine. However, we can all afford to buy a 1 1/2 inch dowel rod and a couple of dozen plastic golf "wiffle" balls. All for less than $10. Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and have them cut a round wood dowel rod the same length as your child's bat. Then visit Wal-mart and buy a couple of dozen plastic golf wiffle balls. Practice pitching to your child with these balls. Once they master hitting these balls, a baseball will seem like hitting a slow-pitch softball. You will soon find that (since they don't travel very far), neighborhood kids may begin to use them to play home run derby.
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There are numerous philosophies to hitting and no, single method is right for
all players. The hitters body build and physical skills will determine the
mechanics that your child uses. Trying to teach all youth the same hitting
style is like trying to catch all fish with the same bait. It can be hit or
miss. Last year, I enrolled Logan (9 years old) with a coach to instruct him in
hitting and pitching. I soon learned he was doing "everything wrong".
By the end of the third session, the coach had changed everything about his
swing (batting stance, stroke etc). He couldn't hit underhand pitches. I
withdrew him from the instruction, worked with him and got his old stroke back.
The
Grip- bottom hand should be the grip hand and the top hand is the guide hand.
"Door knocking" knuckles should line up. This forces the bat to roll over
with the follow-through. More importantly if you line the left top knuckle up
with the right door knocking knuckle (incorrect) the bat will be on a -15° angle
(tilted slightly backward) when it reaches the front of the plate and makes
contact with the ball. This pushes all hit balls to right field and causes
a significant loss of power. The only way to line the bat up for
(straight) solid contact with the ball (using this improper grip) is to bend the right wrist forward (also
causing a loss of power). The right hand and wrist of the (right-handed)
swing should act in the same manner as an upper-cut kidney punch. The
wrist should be locked to deliver a maximum blow. 
the "launch" position the hands should smoothly move through
the ball. You should watch to make sure the player isn't dropping their
hands to elbow height before making the forward thrust into the launch position.
Dropping the hands can cause a late swing and a significant loss of power.
