Where Does Power Come From For A Youth Baseball Hitter?

By Guest Author: Chip Lemin

To help your players develop more power in their swings, you must instruct them to have balance throughout the entire swing. Earlier, I discussed the stance of the hitter. This includes even weight distribution right from the trigger of the swing. In order to generate power, the swing must be compact and short. Yes players with long swings will generate power also, but they generally will not make as much consistent contact.

Many youth baseball players will have far too much hand and foot movement to achieve balance throughout the entire swing. These players could get away with these flaws when pitchers are just trying to throw strikes in younger leagues. As pitchers develop velocity and location these flaws will be exposed.Some young players will resist keeping their hands held up high. They resist keeping their shoulders stacked up over their feet. They may not have a wide enough base in their stance. These players like to stride out at the ball. A small controlled stride is acceptable. Many newer coaches are unaware that a long stride will hamper the player's power base.Many of the top youth baseball hitters will no stride at all. They may use some front foot movement as a timing trigger to begin to "load up' their swing.

I became a student of the baseball swing to learn all I could. When your gets professional instruction (which I encourage) pay close attention,and take notes.Many of the instructors are great sources of knowledge who are willing to help you too. After all, it is in their best interest for your players to improve. It is a reflection on his talent as an instructor.It may mean more business for him.It is the player's responsibility to work on their swing. You can give them the tools and information. You can attempt to inspire them to work harder. Don't feel any guilt about a player's swing if they are not putting in extra work to improve.

Players must look at the pitcher with both eyes. Too often the player's shoulder position will be turned so that both eyes are not on the ball. These batters may have hit the ball well at lower even with these flaws,it may take some strikeouts or weakly hit balls to get their attention. Just be a patient instructive leader. Focus on what the batter is doing right first, then move on to correcting mistakes. Most young players don't get proper extension and follow through on their swings.They may be trying too hard to pull all pitches. This is a common mistake. When players wrap the bat around on their follow through, and it ends up below the front shoulder, it is a sign that they are "pulling off "of the ball. The finish should be up high, with the bat and the hands up near or above the front shoulder.

Power is not always generated just by size. It is a function of bat speed.The quicker the bat head can get into the hitting zone the better. The batter's hands must lead into the zone, and the hips and torso will follow. The player must focus on extension through the entire hitting zone. This will help the player to finish the swing with a nice high follow through. Then the hips and torso will come along also. Professional instruction with a qualified instructor is worth every cent. I believe the coaching staff will get just as much help from it as the players. There will be more articles on hitting for youth baseball players coming up soon. Thanks Coach Chip

Chip Lemin has been a promoter of youth baseball since they started using aluminum bats. That's a long time. I have witnessed many good people get into coaching without solid coaching skills and it is not fun for them or the kids.Today's newer coaches are also being shortchanged on sportsmanship, like there is none. Visit my site to sign up for a insightful, informational, free coaching e-course at http://www.baseballecourse.com

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Top 10 Best Coaching Tips For Baseball

Top 10 Best Coaching Tips For Baseball
By guest author: Nick Pezzuto

1. BE ORGANIZED...A good coach must have practice plans, and be thinking in advance as to what is to be accomplished and learned for that days practice. Kids will pick up on an unorganized coach and he will lose respect and focus from his players. Plan a week in advance of each practice and modify each plan according to what you need to get done.

2. DISCIPLINE...No matter who breaks your rules, even your best player, you as the coach must act upon your preset punishment, and reprimand that player accordingly. Play no favorites, as hard as that may seem and you will win the respect and admiration of your team.

3. P.M.A.(POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE)...Situations in baseball can get pretty bad, your not hitting, your pitcher can't throw a strike etc. but you as the coach must remember to find a positive and rally around that point. Maybe your defense is outstanding or you're running the bases well, players need encouragement. Mistakes will undoubtedly happen; it's what you do as a coach during this time that will define your coaching ability. Take a negative, work on it, and put it to your team's advantage.

4. WINNING, IT'S NOT EVERYTHING...Be a teacher of baseball first, then winning will take care of itself if you have prepared the team to play hard and always give their best efforts.

5. TEACH, LEARN & COMMUNICATE...Players at all levels learn by listening and doing. Remember, telling a player to do something, he will forget, but TEACH a player by showing and they remember. When a player does something on their own with your instruction they have a tendency to do it better and remember much more. Here is a simple four word phrase that I and several other coaches use: TEACH, SHOW and DO. Teach them in theory, Show them on the field, have them Do it themselves. Communicating to a player and parent is also key. I have developed and used The Coaches Communication Plan. It is a step by step approach to assist the coach, the parent and the player in better communication and understanding.

6. IMPROVEMENT...Emphasize your teaching and instruction by challenging all your players at any level to improve on their skills. Players want to improve, so as a coach, plan appropriately to accommodate them. This may require you to work on different drills for different players or stay later after a practice is finished. Be prepared to give of yourself and your time for overall team and individual success.

7. BE CARING...Nobody likes the mean and grumpy coach that sits in the corner of the dugout barking out orders. Show the players that you care about them as individuals and that you believe each one is important to the team. Let them know what their roles and responsibilities are to the team. Take time as the coach to talk to players individually, ask them what is going on. Remember coaches, be human. You're not a good coach unless you can relate and understand your players, both on and off the field.

8. BE A GOOD SPORT...Yes winning brings high fives and smiles, but instill in your players how to accept winning as well as losing. Your coaching of baseball will reflect on your players and if they show poor sportsmanship, what does that say about you, their coach!

9. DEALING WITH PARENTS...I included parents in my top ten best baseball coaching tips because they are un-avoidable and setting a precedent early with them will help you as a coach. First, send home a congratulatory letter letting them know their son or daughter made the team. Explain your rules, philosophies, what is expected of them and their kids, put in practice and game schedules and put in a contact number so they can contact you if needed. Unfortunately, nothing will prevent a disgruntled parent from wanting to talk or yell at you for not playing their kid, but at least the letter will let them know first off, where you stand.

10. HAVE FUN...Sometimes as coaches and parents we forget the whole reason we play this great game of baseball. To have Fun. Coaches, you don't have to be a Drill Sergeant to teach baseball. Create a practice environment that is structured, varied and enjoyable. If you're having fun and so are the players, chances are they will learn more, quicker and with less complaints to you or their parents. I am not saying to create a circus atmosphere, but add variety to your regular drills ad stations to keep the level of excitement and fun.

These baseball coaching tips should be in every coach's tool box to be utilized all the time.

Nick Pezzuto or Coach Pezzu as his kids call him is a 16 year veteran baseball coach and a high school business and technology teacher. For more interesting and FREE articles, tips and advice on how to coach and play baseball, go to his website [http://www.all-about-coaching-baseball.com]

Don't forget to sign up for the Free Newsletter, Coaches Corner, packed full of interesting and useful coaching and baseball info.

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Four Tips to Improve Youth Baseball Performance

Four Tips to Improve Youth Baseball Performance
By guest author: Jake Wyatt

Here are two tips to improve batting performance and two tips to improve pitching performance.

BATTING TIP NUMBER ONE: Learn how to judge the pitch.

When kids are just learning how to play baseball, they are taught to swing at all pitches. With a pitching machine or an unskilled pitcher this can work. As pitchers get better, they will stop throwing strikes when they know the hitter is going to be swinging at every pitch. That's when batters need to begin to watch pitchers and learn how to judge pitches. Pitchers try to psyche out hitters, be a hitter that psyches out the pitcher.

BATTING TIP NUMBER TWO: Watch and evaluate your performance.

When you are not able to work with a professional trainer, have someone videotape your batting practice. You can look at your performance in slow motion to evaluate what you did right (when you hit the ball well) and what you did wrong (when you missed).

PITCHING TIP NUMBER ONE: Watch Major League Pitchers.

When watching major league baseball games, play close attention to the form of the pitchers as they wind up and throw. Especially note the movement of their arms, legs and body. If you have a DVR, record games and watch top pitchers over and over and in slow motion. Slowly practice their movements in front of the TV and a mirror until these movements become second nature to you.

PITCHING TIP NUMBER TWO: Train all year long, not just during baseball season.

Being a good pitcher requires work all year. During the teenage years, a boy's body is growing and changing very quickly. Training all year will help you adapt to your body as height and arm length change. When a formerly good pitcher goes through a growth spurt, he may have to relearn pitching with his longer limbs. Also, training all year will help keep the core strong, which is vitally important for good pitching.

In order to be the best baseball player you can be, 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.

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How To Develop A Balanced Hitting Base For Youth Baseball Players!

How To Develop A Balanced Hitting Base For Youth Baseball Players!
By Chip Lemin

When I see a youth baseball player shooting line drives all over the field, there are certain things I look for in their swing. The first thing I usually notice will be that the player is balanced during the entire swing. Balance in a baseball swing is something that will deliver consistent results for the hitter. The balance in a baseball swing begins with the stance. The player's weight should be evenly distributed on both feet to start. When the player begins the trigger, or start of the swing, some of the weight will then shift to the back leg. These subtle movements were not always clear to me. I learned most of this from watching our team take hitting instruction from a professional instructor.

Some people will groan about paying someone to help a youth baseball player learn to hit properly. I must say years ago I was not a believer in hitting lessons. I thought I already knew all about hitting. My child has always been able to hit well, mostly due to natural talent luckily. My child was asked to play in a tournament with a travel team. This team used hitting instruction. As I watched how much it helped my child improve, I wanted to know more.

The best baseball swings are usually short and compact with a smooth follow through. Most parents teach their kids to take a long stride. I was guilty of this this. I also let their arms drop down too low, developing a long slow swing. Most of my mistakes were at the tee ball and coach pitch level with my first child. My eyes were opened at these hitting instructions that I had a lot to learn. Taking a wider balanced stance is the beginning of a solid base to hit from. The first thing the instructor did was widen up my kid's stance. This improved the balance right way. It also makes it harder to take a long stride to the ball. I am in favor of hitting instruction as early as the player will accept it. Don't ever force them to go. My child was a little hesitant until watching other kids having fun doing it.

My early ideas about keeping the elbow up, and the long stride, did not lead to a balanced powerful swing. I quickly learned to accept a new way of thinking. The earlier a youth baseball player learns to develop a balanced swing the better. A balanced swing makes it easier to hit to all fields. A balanced swing is much easier to repeat over and over from a good balanced base. The first move to the baseball from the trigger position will be with the hands. This is difficult for young players to learn at first. The are many drills to help instill this important part of the swing. I will share some of them with you soon in an upcoming article.

We have covered the very basics of the balanced hitting base of the swing. Most players will have to widen their stance to at least shoulder with. Some players even a little more may be needed. My child has a wide stance. This helps keep the toes on the ground during the beginning of the swing. If a player is lifting up the toes during the swing, they are shifting their weight improperly. The hands should be held as high as the player feels comfortable with. They should not be buried up against the body either, We are trying to eliminate movement that is not needed in the swing. When there is less movement, it is easier to stay balanced. So go find a quality hitting instructor that both you and your child feel good about. Get some references from others if needed. Go to lessons with an open mind. You will both learn a lot about balance in the baseball swing.

Thanks Coach Chip

Chip Lemin has been a promoter of youth baseball since they started using aluminum bats. That's a long time. I have witnessed many good people get into coaching without solid coaching skills and it is not fun for them or the kids.Today's newer coaches are also being shortchanged on sportsmanship, like there is none. Visit my site to sign up for a insightful, informational, free coaching e-course at http://www.baseballecourse.com

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Baseball - Ball Hitting Tips For Kids

Baseball - Ball Hitting Tips For Kids
By guest author: Sameep Shah


Like a lot of other things in life you tend to get better at those which you do regularly. It is the same with baseball game and you can get perfect with baseball hitting. Therefore the best baseball hitting advice for kids or anyone can be practice and keep practicing. It is said that Mickey Mantle the professional baseball player is said to swing the bat nearly 100 times in a day left handed and the same when right handed. However, there are some modern day professionals who swing the bat nearly 500 to 1000 times in a day. This is a basic strategy that works for lot of professionals and can also work for you.

There are some tips for helping your kids achieve great baseball hitting techniques. If your child wants to learn and play baseball but they are not the best hitters then you can follow these simple instructions and tips to help your child swing the bat like a professional. The first step to take for a great swing is your stance. This means that you should strain to the player that the stance should be something that is comfortable and not something that looks best for the player of team.

There are some basic things that you should always remember when you teach your kids the basics in baseball hitting.

1. Keeping the feet shoulder width separately regardless if the child has a closed or open stance. This means the feet should always be apart from shoulder width

2. Place the bat back with your hand where it should be nearly 6 inches away from the ears and make sure you keep your elbows upright so that you can easily handle the high heaters.

3. When you stride away with your front foot make sure it is 5 to 6 inches away, you must also keep your back foot firm in the ground as it helps in gathering power to get a strong a straight swing.

4. When you are striding, you need to keep your eyes entirely focused on the ball all through its way in the box. Then firmly twist your legs and hips when also taking the bat to directly snap into the ball. Make sure you snap the bat consistently when the ball is in the box and also ensure that your child does not up cut the swing over the ball when hitting.

As always keep in the mind that practice makes perfect.

For more information visit Sportscapers University at houston youth baseball - You can also find more information and online training videos to help you improve your skills at katy youth baseball.

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Baseball Hitting Practice Is Fun

Baseball Hitting Practice Is Fun
By guest author: Jeffery A Wise

During my 14 years of baseball, my favorite part of practice was the baseball hitting. For some reason, all my coaches followed the same order for practice: stretching, warming up, fielding drills, running drills, game situation and ending with hitting practice. Because my favorite part of practice was last, it built up anticipation to get me through the other things I didn't care for as much. Here's what I loved so much about hitting practice. You rush up to the plate, take a few deep breaths and the hitting pitcher starts throwing you some balls. Even though it's not a game, the adrenaline is still pumping. You want to get the best hits you can. But here's a question to consider. Should you just start hacking at everything thrown or should you be selective and only hit the good pitches? I think the latter is the better option. You should treat practice like it's a game. If only five out of 50 pitches are good, then you should only hit five pitches. Since this is your own personal time to work on hitting with a live pitcher, here are some tips you should consider.


Bunt the first two balls. One down the third base line and one down the first base line - Really focus on good form. Don't get lazy!
Look for pitches to drive into the outfield.
Hit five balls to left field, five to center field and five to right field - Spreading it out will help you during games especially when you need to hit the ball to a certain part of the field to move a runner over.
Know the strike zone. If the ball is way too high, low, outside or inside, don't swing. Don't swing at bad pitches! It won't do you any good.
Remain confident and be ready to attack each pitch. Let your coaches know that you take batting practice seriously.

You will be a better hitter and more prepared for games if you follow these baseball hitting practice tips. Have fun but take it seriously. Work hard and be open to learning new ways to be the best you can be.

Jeffery A Wise invites you to learn more about baseball hitting practice so that you can hit a baseball better. Start learning today at our baseball hitting blog and by reading our information and watching our videos.

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Hitting Mechanics Tip - Work More - Think Less

Hitting Mechanics Tip - Work More - Think Less
By Guest Author Nate Barnett

I texted a senior in high school who I work with on hitting mechanics, "How's the swing doing"? After a couple minutes his reply was, "I'm hitting.509 on the year... leading the state in doubles with 10... and 20 RBI's. Pretty good. In my response I asked him how he was able to stay so consistent this season. (His power numbers were inconsistent last season.) His answer was, "I don't know. Just hit everyday and work to the right side." I told him that was an awesome answer because in this case, "I don't know" is exactly where you want to be mid-season! Here's why.

If you are thinking about your hitting mechanics and what is making your body work, you cannot think about how your swing feels at the same time. In baseball, you play multiple games during the week and it's probable that your swing begins to change without you knowing it changed IF there isn't focus placed on repetition and feeling of your swing.

So when I asked him how he was able to keep consistent, his answer let me know that he wasn't spending too much time on how the movements should be (hitting mechanics) instead his focus was on how his swing felt (muscle memory). This is why he didn't really know since he was just hitting daily and working on seeing the ball deep into the strike zone. The key for him will be to remain consistent throughout the remainder of the season.

Awesome!

Nate Barnett is co-owner of The Pitching Academy. You can find The Pitching Academy's articles, blog, and videos on baseball hitting mechanics, pitching mechanics, pitching grips, and more when you visit the website.

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Baseball Hitting: Basic Hitting Mechanics

Here is a pretty good video on hitting mechanics. I hope that your find it useful Have a great day.



While the baseball swing has many complexities, these are fundamental basics that young hitters can learn and benefit from. To become a BetterBaseball player, go to TeachingBetterBaseball.com!

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The Perfect Baseball Hitting Drill?

The Perfect Baseball Hitting Drill?
By Guest Author:Jack Perconte

The sign of a good baseball hitting drill is one that forces the correct hitting fundamentals and that over time, causes the correct hitting action when a hitter goes without the drill. With that in mind, some drills are obviously better than others. The drill below does just that. It forces the correct action and works on all the important hitting fundamentals of staying back, compact swing, weight shift, hips opening and follow through.

Because this drill combines all the correct baseball hitting fundamentals into one drill, it makes teaching hitting easier and quicker, as long as it is performed correctly. It is a little complicated and requires some hitting tools that one does not usually have in the basement, or backyard. The local batting cages though will have the things needed - balls, protective screen, batting cage.

Here is the perfect baseball hitting drill:

1. The hitter stands very close (within six to 10 inches) from a net, facing the pitcher with the net being behind the hitter where the catcher stands. The hitters rear foot and hands should both be this distance away from rear net. Make sure a home plate is set and hitters stand their normal distance from the plate.

2. The coach sets up behind a protective screen with a bucket of balls in front of the hitter, beginning at twelve to fifteen feet away.

3. The coach flips balls to the outer half of the plate - firm underhand flips are best from this distance, trying to keep the ball level with no rise or drop on the flipped ball.

Result you are looking for? Because the ball is on the outer half of the plate, hitters should drive the ball to the opposite field by missing the net on the initial portion of the swing but hitting the net on the follow through.

Note: Hitters may graze the net on way forward and come up a little short of hitting net on follow through and this is acceptable.

Why is this the perfect baseball hitting drill?

1. One of the main fundamentals of hitting is "staying back" - if the hitter jumps forward (lunges or over strides) they will not be able to hit the net on the follow through.

2. Another goal of hitters is to have a compact swing - when a hitter's swing is long, in anyway (upper cutting, casting, dropping barrel behind them) they will be striking the net on the initial portion of their swing.

3. Another objective of a good swing is to have the hands in a power position (palm-up, palm down) at contact. By hitting the ball to the opposite field on this outside pitch, this drill will guarantee that the hitter is in this correct contact position.

4. Another component of the perfect baseball swing is that the hitters' weight transfers while their hips open - missing the net on the way forward will promote weight shift and the only way to hit the net on the follow through, or get close to it, is to open the hips.

5. Another ingredient of good hitting is that hitters' keep their eye on the ball; thus, the reason for working on the outside pitch. It is further recommended that hitters keep their eyes in the direction of where they ball is hit, while trying to hit the net on the follow through as hard as possible.

As hitters begin to perform the drill with some consistency (frequent line drives with back-spin to the opposite field), the coach can begin to back up until eventually doing the drill from regulation, hitting distance.

Is the drill the perfect hitting drill? Maybe not, but if done correctly, it works on all the necessary hitting fundamentals all at once. Finally, I am sure that I have not been the first one to discover this drill, but it is one of my favorites while teaching hitting over the last twenty-two years.

Former major league baseball player, Jack Perconte gives baseball hitting tips and batting practice advice for ballplayers of all ages. His baseball playing lessons, books and advice can be found at http://www.baseballhittinglessons.com/baseball
Jack is the author of two books, The Making of a Hitter and Raising an Athlete - his positive parenting advice and books can be found at http://positiveparentinginsports.com

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Helping Hitters With a Positive Mental Outlook

Helping Baseball Hitters Improve
By Jack Perconte

Having worked with thousands of baseball hitters over the years, I have noticed that many of them become upset when they hit foul balls, especially in batting practice. I try to have hitters feel good about fouling balls off. In that way they keep a confident, positive outlook for the rest of the at-bat. Once negativity enters a hitters mind, they may lose the confidence and the edge they may have had. Additionally, I do not believe it is good to show the pitcher that you are upset or ever give the opposition the feeling that you are less confident.

When I notice a hitter become upset over fouling off some pitches, I say, "Wait a minute, that was a good thing. It is better than a swing and a miss. Hitting is not that easy so just making contact is a positive thing." I follow that up with "Hey, that foul ball kept you alive for another pitch, and your pitch is coming." I strive to convince hitters that fouling a ball off on a tough pitch is a total victory because, "Even if you put that one in play, it would have probably been for an easy out." I follow that up with, "The chances of the pitcher throwing the next pitch in the same tough spot are very slim."

Of course, fouling a pitch off that was very hittable (right down the middle) can be demoralizing but I never want my hitters to feel negatively at home plate and, as mentioned, I never want them to give the pitcher the mental edge.

From a coaching stand point, good coaches should never give batters the impression that they do not believe in the hitters or that they (batters) may have missed an opportunity. Coaches often do this by looking disgusted or showing disappointment when a player fouls a good, hittable pitch off. Any negative feelings in sport generally lead to failure. Additionally, there are many words that coaches can use so hitters stay positive, optimistic and confident. Here are some of those that will help hitters keep a positive mental outlook:

1. "That wasn't your pitch anyway" - this is good to say when a hitter takes a borderline pitch that was called a strike or when the umpire makes a questionable call.
2. "Be ready, your pitch is coming" - always good advice and better than saying "Protect the plate," which puts the hitter in a defensive, negative mode.
3. "I know you can do this," which is always good advice, especially for less confident players.
4. "It only takes one," which is good to say to get hitters to stay positive and not dwell on past missed opportunities.
5. "Now you're ready" - good to say after a hitter did not swing at a pitch that maybe they should have swung at.
6. "Way to hang in there" - good advice after they foul off a pitch on a 2-strike count.
7. "Good at-bat" - good to say after the batter made an out but either hit the ball hard, had some good swings or battled the pitcher for many pitches.
8. "Nothing you can do about that at-bat, it's over and you will get him the next time" - always important advice suggesting hitters have short memories and a positive mental outlook in the future.

Of course, there are hundreds of positive words coaches can use, with the above being examples. The key is that athletes and coaches remember, "Negativity rarely brings out the best in a ball player."

Former major league baseball player, Jack Perconte gives baseball hitting tips and batting practice advice for ballplayers of all ages. His baseball playing lessons, books and advice can be found at http://www.baseballhittinglessons.com/baseball Jack is the author of two books, The Making of a Hitter and Raising an Athlete - his positive parenting advice and books can be found at http://positiveparentinginsports.com

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Little League Digest - Proper Baseball Swing Mechanics and the "Belly Button" Rule of Hip Turn

Little league Digest: Baseball Batting Coaching Tips: Teaching Hip Turn Mechanics and Using the "Belly Button" Rule to Improve Baseball Swing Quality

The hips play an important part in the baseball swing process. The turn of the hips helps to generate power and bat speed. There are several important coaching points about the involvement of the hips in the swing. The "B B" rule is one good way to teach young players the degree of hip turn on various pitch locations. This article presents several coaching points and explains the "B B" rule.


By Nick Dixon



Here are 10 Coaching Points related to Hip Movement Mechanics:

1. The degree of hip movement is determined by the location of the pitch.

2. The hips must turn more when hitting an inside pitch.

3. The hips will turn less when hitting a pitch away.

4. The hips should not move before the hands and bat.

5. To free the hips, the back foot must spin, rotate or turn onto the toe.

6. The hips follow the barrel. The hips should open behind the barrel, not before it.

7. Premature front side or hip movement will cause a batter to pull the head and to pull of pitches.

8. The correct hip movement is a spin. Lunging or sliding the hips forward is not acceptable.

9. The hip movement should be a thrust or fast rotation. The faster the rotation of the hips, the faster the bats speed.

10. The degree of hip rotation can be taught by teaching the "Belly Button" rule as explained below.

The "Belly Button Rule" is explained as the following:

The Belly Button should follow the barrel of the bat through the baseball swing process. The location of a pitch determines hip turn. The degree of hip turn determines where the belly button is pointing when the batter finishes the baseball swing. The belly button should always finish in a position that points toward the direction in which the baseball was hit.

For example, when a ball is hit to the opposite field, the batters "Button" should point or be directed toward the opposite field when the swing is completed. If a batter pulls an inside pitch, the belly button should follow the ball and point toward the direction in which the ball was hit.

Coaching Point: For right and left handed batters, if the ball is hit through the box, up the middle, the belly button should "shine" or point toward second base when the swing is complete. For right handed batter, is a ball is pulled, the belly button should finish pointing toward third base. If a right handed batter hits the baseball down the right field line, the button should point toward first base when the swing is completed. If a left handed batter pulls the baseball, the hips should turn completely and the button should finish pointing at first base. If a left handed batter hits the ball to left field, the hips should turn less and the belly button should finish the swing pointing the 5-6 hole or between 3rd and 2nd base.

I hope that you found this article to be informative and helpful. Thanks for taking the time to read it. I wish you and your team good luck this season! Have a great day, Nick.

The CoachesBest Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.

Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Dixon

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Tips For Hitting In Youth Baseball

By Brian McClure

How did Babe Ruth, Micky Mantle Blast the Ball farther than Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa?

Batting drills can be fun, practice has to be done but in the long run hands, wrists, and forearms need to be strong to develop a quick swing and result in hitting the ball hard. This will not only help your child or team hit the ball harder with more control of the bat , but also prepare them for high school baseball. Here is a simple inexpensive way to do just that.

1) Tennis Ball - Have some tennis balls around the house and especially in your childsroom. While your youth baseball player is watching t.v. or waiting on his turn to play a video game he can be squeezing the tennis ball building the muscles on the hand , wrist , and forearms .

Sure you can buy exercise equipment for this but don't waste the money. This will provide enough resistance for what your child or team needs to develop.

(Bonus) Wrist roller - You can also take a rod (old broomstick handle will work) The rod needs to be 15 or 16 inches long with a hole drilled in the middle. Take some thin rope, run one end thruough the hole and tie a knot or two in it so it will not fall through. Leave a few inches past the rope for adjustments later. Take the other end and tie to a brick or weight. The rope should be long enough the weighted object rests on the ground but will lift when the youth baseball player rolls his wrists. The youth baseball player will hold the rod palms up and rolls his wrists. This mechanism is adjustable with the rope as the child grows
or you can tie on different weights.

2) Repetition - Simply put, It takes swings. Hitting off the tee, Soft Toss and some live batting practice. These three can be done at home or at off practice times to increase hitting performance. As a coach of youth baseball practice it would be great to set up one day just for hitting and have some volunteers help and move kids from stations. A tee station. A soft Toss station, a live free hitting station.

Coaches, be sure and tell your kids and parents about the tennis ball. Several will do it. And if you do a repetition station day and tell the parents this is what they can work on at home..many will do that. After all everyone loves to hit the ball, or at least see their son do it. This will be a great step toward the coaches team (or your child) hitting the ball.

For more free Free youth baseball tips & drills

Author- Brian McClure
More about helping your child in youth baseball as a parent or coach?
http://www.coaching-youth-baseball.com/

See our complete list of Topics and articles on youth baseball here
http://www.coaching-youth-baseball.com/topics.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_McClure


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Baseball 2Day Coaching Journal; 12 Batting Flaws and How to Correct Each

Baseball 2Day Coaching Journal; 12 Batting Flaws and How to Correct Each

How to Correct Baseball Hitting Flaws is your guide to identifying and correcting baseball hitting flaws at every level of play inlcuding youth baseball, travel baseball, high school baseball, and college baseball.

We all know that coaching hitters involves many actions:
1. Careful analysis of the the present swing's quality.
2. Correction or elimination of incorrect mechanics.
3. Practicing the desired swing with correct execution repetitively.
4. Instilling patience, confidence and agressiveness.

The following are common mechanical errors
that should be quickly identified and eliminated.
There are many more and we will
continually add more.


1. Improper Stance Width
2. "Wrapping" The Bat
3. Looking At Your Nose
4. Poor Grip
5. Overstriding
6. "Hitch" In The Swing
7. "Locking" The Front Arm
8. Opening Up Too Soon

Click here to read this article at the Baseball 2day Coaching Journal.

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Baseball Tips on Hitting - Practice is Essential For Your Baseball Hitting Success!

Batting Tee for the Perfect Swing - AdvancedSkillsTee.com

Baseball Tips on Hitting - Practice is Essential For Your Baseball Hitting Success!
By Larry Cicchiello

Real good hitters are not born that way. They have worked very hard and spent countless hours to reach that status. There is simply no substitute for hard work and practicing your baseball swing. Are you willing to pay that price?

You've got to go out and hit, hit, hit and then hit some more. Some professional players take 500 swings a day in the off season. It's not by accident or good fortune that some of them bat.330 or hit 45 home runs. Maybe that's why they are professional hitters, because they pay the price and work very hard at it.

Back in the 1970's, I heard about a golfer who just won a major tournament. Do you know what this golfer was doing after the final round of golf? He was practicing for a couple of hours hitting balls out of the sand trap because he had a poor shot out of the trap late in the tournament. Need I say any more? This player won the tournament and was practicing for several hours after his victory!

Good hitters are usually always practicing something. If you've had problems at the plate for a couple of games, it's not a big deal at all and "welcome to the club." Go out to the field or the batting cages the next day and work on the specific pitch and or location that's giving you trouble.

It is very important to practice your swing often. The only way to get good habits is through repetition. Unfortunately, a very common problem is players have a strong tendency to practice what they already do well instead of practicing on the areas that they need work on. Avoid falling into this trap. You will be well rewarded for practicing on areas that you need work on.

Let's say you are a hitter that "eats fastballs for breakfast" but low and away breaking balls give you problems. If you spend 90% of your baseball hitting practice working on hitting the low and away breaking ball, you will become efficient at hitting that pitch also. So now, you have become a very good hitter of both the fastball and the low and away breaking ball. Do you have any idea as to what a problem that presents for opposing pitchers?

You have now become a feared hitter because you no longer have a glaring weakness for a pitcher to exploit. Oh sure, even the great baseball hitters handle some pitches better than other pitches. But the point here is that they do NOT have glaring weaknesses. And it's all because they practice what they do NOT do well at the plate. It took a fabulous M.L.B. hitter two years to learn how to hit a "slider." Do you know how he learned how to hit the "slider?" By spending countless hours of batting practice hitting the "slider."

About five years ago a reporter was interviewing one of the best hitters in M.L.B. She mentioned to him about his God given talent. He very politely told her he's not so sure that he was born with any special talent. She looked at him with a look of puzzlement on her face. He told her that when he was about 12 years old, he and about ten friends decided to practice every day at the ballpark. About a week later, only about five of them were showing up at the ballpark. A week after that, only himself and one friend were showing up.

Maybe that's one of the reasons this player makes about 20 million dollars per year. I'm not implying for a second that if you work hard and practice frequently you have a good chance to sign a contract like that. What I AM implying is that if you work hard you will be rewarded. That I will guarantee.

Are you willing to pay that price?

Larry Cicchiello is the successful author of several very user friendly eBooks covering 320 topics on playing or coaching excellent baseball. ANY player, coach or parent who wants to help their child will be fully equipped! Check out some FREE baseball tips on hitting and FREE baseball pitching tips at LarryBaseball.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_Cicchiello

=================
The 4 Best Batting Tees in Baseball:
Advanced Skills Tee
Stay Back Tee
Hands Back Hitter
5 Position Batting Tee

Teaching Young Baseball Batters to Have Better Eye Focus and Visual Concentration

Teaching Young Baseball Batters to Have Better Eye Focus and Visual Concentration
By Nick Dixon

The eyes of the batter are his greatest asset. The batter must "see and think" with the eyes. A batter can know the count, know the situation, know the pitcher, and know how to swing, but if their eyes are weak or fail them, they will more than like suffer defeat at the plate. How many times have we heard a successful batter say that "I am really seeing the ball right now" or an unsuccessful batter say "I am not picking the ball up. I am not seeing the ball". There are many factors that affect the ability of the batter ability to see the baseball.

Factors and conditions such as the pitchers motion, the amount of sunlight or field lighting, the angle of the sunlight as to the time of day and the background in center field all can hamper or affect the ability of the batter to see the baseball. These factors we have little ability to change. However, we can minimize their affects by improving the ability of the batter to focus or see the baseball.

How should a batter use the eyes during the batting process? Does a batter simply step in the batters box, tap the plate with the bat, and start looking for the ball? Or is there a recommended process or procedure of using the eyes during the batting process? What should the batter focus the eyes on prior to the pitch? If you ask 10 batters, most likely, you will receive 5 different answers. Batters can be taught a technique that can increase the effectiveness and sharpness of eyesight during the batting process.

Batters should use two types of eye focus when batting. Batters should start with a "soft eye focus" to ease tension on the eyes, and then go to a hard eye focus when the pitcher starts the pitching motion. The batter begins the soft focus by looking at an area around the pitchers head and shoulders. The batters may soft focus on the pitchers cap. As the pitcher begins the pitching motion, the batter when then converts to a hard eye focus on the pitching arm shoulder area and the pitchers release point. During this crucial segment of the swing, the batter uses an extreme hard eye focus technique to pick up the ball. Using the soft to hard focus technique, batters tend to not lose concentration, suffer eye strain, and get too up-tight.

Coaching point: good teams and players read and identify certain tendencies by pitchers. The opposing pitcher should be observed and studied to determine his "arm slot" and "ball release point". Players should be doing this "observation" from the dugout and in the on-deck circle. Knowing the delivery motion, timing, and release point of the opposing pitcher allows batters to "pick up" or see the ball much quicker out of the hand of the pitcher. The ability to see the ball earlier increases the chances for a successful at-bat.

The CoachesBest Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.

Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Dixon

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The Categories they have are: Baseball Training Equipment, Youth Baseball Training Equipment, Training Bats, Pitching & Throwing Trainers, Defensive Trainers, Batting Cages, Pitching Machines, Jugs Equipment, Game and Practice Baseballs, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, Portable Pitching Mounds, Baseball DVDs & Books, Clearance Items on Sales, BatAction Hitting Machines, Hurricane Hitting Machines, NEDCO Bataction Replacement Parts, SKLZ Hurricane Replacement Parts and Much Much More! Visit Baseball2U.com today!
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Hit a Baseball With Power and Crush More Home Runs

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Article Title: Hit a Baseball With Power and Crush More Home Runs
By Rob Bucher

Imagine having the power at the plate to launch prodigious home runs the largest parks in your league can't contain.

If you're a player, coach or parent and are ready to discover the secrets to hit a baseball with power. Stay glued to every word in this article.

It's all possible you know...

...You can pad your power stats and become a complete power hitter, even if you've never hit a dinger before.

Let me explain by revealing the three keys to hitting all batters can use to maximize their power at the plate.


Loading up - In order to effectively add more power at the plate you need to build up kinetic energy. The only way to build it up is by separating the lower half from the top half. As you begin your stride, you should turn your front shoulder in about one or two inches and push your hands back into a good hitting position.
Hips lead the hands - Your swing begins by turning the hips towards the pitcher and pulling the top half of your body into the hitting zone. Most coaches teach players to take the hands to ball first, this is a power draining motion. The hips must fire first and then pull the upper body and hands into the hitting zone.
Contact position - Maximize the kinetic energy in the body by making contact with the baseball at a ninety degree angle. The barrel of the bat must be on the same plane of the pitch at contact. When contact is made you want to have a the correct ball and bat angle to release the energy your body has built up from a proper load.
How to hit a baseball with power happens when you incorporate all three of these mechanics into your swing.

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Because your current mechanics are zapping your power at the plate.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rob_Bucher

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Sports Psychology and Baseball Hitting Tips - How and Why to Relax at the Plate

sychology,
59 Minute Practice DVD at CoachesBest.com


Article Title: Sports Psychology and Baseball Hitting Tips - How and Why to Relax at the Plate
By Jay Granat

The baseball season is about to begin and I already getting calls from parents, players and coaches who are concerned about hitting slumps.

Anyone who has played baseball for any length of time has experienced the frustration of an extended hitting slump. And there are many causes of these performance valleys.

Some of the causes are physical. A breakdown in mechanics, poor balance, poor technique, a moving head, a tight grip on the bat or an injury can contribute to poor performance by baseball players.

Some of the causes of hitting slumps are mental. A batter who has been hit by a pitch can be scared in the batter's box. A player who has been hitting poorly can lose his confidence. A batter who is worried about impressing his coach, his parents or a scout can become quite anxious. A player who is conflict with teammates may find it hard to hit to his potential. Similarly, a player with stress related to his or her life off the field can have difficulty concentrating when he or she steps up to the plate.

Also, it is important to understand that there are many relationships between the mind and the body where hitting a baseball is concerned. For instance, a nervous player is apt to grip the baseball bat too tightly. Likewise, a tense player is apt have difficulty turning on a pitch.

Interestingly, some people believe that our vision gets worse when we are tense and that it improves when we are relaxed.

There are many ways to relax one's mind and one's body before you get up to bat.

Players can learn relaxation techniques, meditation, visualization or self-hypnosis. Some players benefit from listening to music in the dugout or before a game. Others do some aerobics before they take the field as they find that this helps them to relax when they get up to bat.

Tension will work against you at the plate, so it is important that baseball players learn how to get very comfortable when they face the opposing pitcher.

Jay P. Granat, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist and the founder of http://www.stayinthezone.com. He is also the author of 101 Ways To Break A Hitting Slump With Sport Psychology And Self-Hypnosis. http://www.stayinthezone.com/shop-stay-in-the-zone.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=21

Dr. Granat can be reached at 888 580-ZONE.

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How to Create Consistent Hitting Mechanics

www.BatAction.com

Article Title: How to Create Consistent Hitting Mechanics
By Nate Barnett

I'm sure you know from experience that hitting a baseball consistently for any length of time is one of the most difficult and frustrating things to do in sports. There are two areas of your overall baseball preparation you'll need to develop on a regular basis if you want the most consistency possible as a competitive athlete - the mental game of baseball, and proper hitting mechanics. If you're interesting in learning more about baseball psychology there are quite a few resources online as well as my blog. This article is reserved for teaching a little on the topic of hitting mechanics.

I get the chance to work with dozens and dozens of athletes individually each year. It's truly a rewarding experience much of the time, though at times it can be extremely frustrating to see such talented athletes fail to put in the necessary work to achieve some consistency in their swing. I never have a tough time getting the athletes to work hard when I work with them in the cage. It's when athletes have to motivate themselves to work outside of their practice days when their work habit breaks down.

In order to become a highly consistent and effective hitter, I prescribe the following "medicinal procedure" to be used away from practice:

1. Dry Drills: These are hitting mechanics related drills that are meant to reinforce muscle memory. It is impossible to only put in two to three days on a specific hitting technique and make it stick long-term. The problem you'll run into is that during a game your focus will be placed on the pitcher and not your mechanics. If you have failed to put in the necessary time to build quality muscle memory, you'll revert back to the problems you were initially trying to fix.

2. Mental Rehearsal: The mind is a powerful tool for good or evil. When you use your mind for positive imagery or visualization you will increase your effectiveness as a hitter. If your mind pollutes your body with thoughts of failure, your body will respond in a negative way. Lack of confidence and fear can destroy a good hitter. To make sure you are conditioning your brain in the right way, it's highly important that you replay mental video clips of yourself succeeding offensively. This is easy to do, many of you do it all day long in other areas. Sometimes your mind wanders in church or school and you lose focus as to what is occurring around you. If you can slip into this mode and daydream about your performances, you can truly become a master of the mental game of baseball.

Nate Barnett is owner of BMI Baseball. His website is devoted to teaching the mental game of baseball and hitting mechanics. After finishing a professional career in the Seattle Mariners Organization, Nate pursued his coaching and motivational training career.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nate_Barnett

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Two Ways to Develop Bat Quickness and Bat Speed

By Jack Perconte

There is a difference between bat speed and bat quickness. I once did a study of bat speed at a local college. To make a long story short, the player who had the fastest bat speed was not a very good hitter and rarely played. Once he had the bat moving, his bat speed was fastest, but he lacked initial quickness to the ball. This player had great power which is the result of high bat speed, but rarely made good consistent contact. Think of a running race where a runner is slow out of the blocks but eventually surpasses the quicker runner as the race progresses. Unfortunately in hitting, there is no time to catch up because the whole sequence of the swing happens in less than a second. Usually, when a hitter lacks bat quickness his bat speed is useless, at least when they begin to face advanced level pitchers. To become an advanced hitter, one who can play into their varsity high school years, hitters need both bat speed and bat quickness.

Many people think that bat quickness and speed are dependent on overall strength. If this were true than all huge football players should be able to swing a baseball bat unbelievably fast. This is not true and big muscles may even slow down their quickness and speed.

This is not to say that increasing strength will not help bat speed and bat quickness, but how this strength is developed is what is important. As I have written about before, there is no substitute for good fundamentals, which includes the development of a compact swing. All good hitters are fundamentally sound and have a compact swing. Once a player is fundamentally sound, developing their fast twitch muscles will allow hitters to swing the bat quicker and faster. The good news is that good fundamentals, bat speed and bat quickness can be worked on in two ways. Obviously, the more practice time put into these two drills the more bat quickness and bat speed that will be developed.

1. Have hitters put their fielding mitt under their armpit closest to the pitcher and swing until their hands get tired. Hitters should allow the glove to fall out on their follow through with each swing. This drill will promote good swing fundamentals as well as build up the hand, wrist and forearm strength necessary to increase bat speed and bat quickness. Remember, players should stop swinging when their hands tire to avoid picking up any bad habits. Hitters will notice after awhile, that they are able to swing more times with each subsequent practice session, which is a sign of increased strength.

2. Have hitters develop a quicker back knee and back hip action with the following:

A. From their hitting stance, hitters will see how many times they can turn their back knee in a specified time span. Players can begin with a five second time span and increase it up to ten or fifteen seconds as their endurance and balance build up. Hitters should be sure to let their rear hip open with knee turn and have their weight shift slightly forward with each turn of knee. This will work on developing faster hip action for the swing rotation.

B. From hitting stance, hitters fire their back knee and hip forward when the coach yells "now." This will work on the hip quickness necessary. This drill can be done with player holding a bat regularly but not swinging, with no bat or with bat held behind them with both hands along their hips. This is the same hip and knee turn as previous drill but done for explosive quickness on the yelled command.

Unfortunately, there is no magic formula, like weightlifting, to increase speed and quickness. Like anything, success only comes with correctly performing the desired skill over and over again. Developing strong hands and quick turns with these drills will increase bat speed and bat quickness.

Former major league baseball player, Jack Perconte gives baseball hitting tips and batting practice advice for ballplayers of all ages. His baseball hitting lessons advice can be found at http://www.baseballhittinglessons.com/baseball Jack is the author of two books, The Making of a Hitter and Raising an Athlete - his parenting blog can be found at http://positiveparentinginsports.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_Perconte

======================
If you are looking for great coaching articles, please consider one of our sites: The BaseballCoachingDigest.com, the YouthBaseballDigest.com or the BaseballParentGuide.com. Have a safe and happy season! Nick Dixon

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