Advanced Youth Baseball Training Tips and Techiques

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Showing posts with label youth baseball drills. Show all posts
Showing posts with label youth baseball drills. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

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

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

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Sunday, July 7, 2013

Are We Raising Cry Baby Athletes?

Are We Raising Cry Baby Athletes?

By Guest Author Jim Bain

Unfortunately, with my age and schedule I don't have the time to watch little league baseball like I wish. So when the neighbors invited my wife and I to go to their twelve year old grandson's baseball game, we both jumped at the chance.

I almost wish I hadn't went. It'd be totally unfair to judge the state of our young athletes by what I saw at one ball game, but I was shocked at what I witnessed from the players of both teams.

By twelve years old players should be coming to terms with the basics of fielding, hitting and running, but that is not what I saw. Although the opposing team seemed to be the better coached team, most of their quality efforts were the skills of the individual players.

You're probably thinking "lighten up buddy, these teams may have been thrown together from the remnants of non-drafted players." I wish that were true, but this was a playoff game between undefeated and once defeated teams.

I was not impressed with the quality of coaching from either dugout, as there was little coaching to be impressed about. In order to give the coaches the benefit of the doubt, I can see the reasoning, although I strongly disagree, with being a hardnosed coach during practices, then sit back at the game and see how well the kids have learned. Idiotic reasoning.

If you're thinking "I thought this was an article on the players, not lousy coaches," you were not wrong. Just wanted to set the scenario for you.

We all know the regulation strike zone called out in the rule book, but we also know each umpire has his own strike zone. This particular home plate umpire had a low strike zone, which I agree with, but that doesn't matter. What matters is the zone was called consistently and equally for both teams. You can not ask for anything any better from a plate umpire.

I guess it was the bottom of the second inning when what I began seeing astonished me. Despite a strike zone being firmly established, most players would stand and watch two called strike pitches go by without attempting a swing, which is not necessarily unusual.

What was unusual, and in my opinion totally unacceptable, was the players would either argue the call, or clearly demonstrate their disagreement with the call with their body language. These are 12 year old kids arguing with, or trying to show up an adult umpire over called strikes and nobody did anything about it.

I was stunned, but the worse was yet to come. If the batter swung and missed the third strike, he'd stand at the plate showing his disgust. Then he'd walk slowly to the dugout with an assortment of different actions from different players.

Some would jog back to the dugout and sit down, some would throw their batting helmets to the ground, some mumbled under their breath, and by this point I was convinced they were curse words. If this had been an isolated incident it'd be no big deal, but this type of situation played out at least a dozen times during the game.

My wife recognized I wanted to leave, but vetoed the idea as not polite. Then... then the ultimate shock. I had to do a double take because I'd never seen anything like this before, but I saw several batters, these are twelve year old players, returning from striking out with tears running down their cheeks.

I noticed a player sniffling returning to the dugout after being thrown out attempting to steal second base, which bled into another issue. I stood there, I could no longer sit, and watched one runner after another either be thrown out on the base paths, or end up at second on a ball hit off the fence and misplayed by the outfielder.

I turned to my wife and asked her if it was me or did the runners appear to be running in slow motion. Seeing some rabbits round the bases from both sides I decided it wasn't me, these kids literally didn't know how to run.

My wife knew I was confounded by my silence in the truck and answered my unasked question. We are raising a generation which success is not only expected, but owed them. Their game playing, by whatever medium, has replaced or hindered the development of basic skills, such as running.

I truly believe I'm over-reacting and this is not the general state of little league baseball. Disrespect and the throwing of tantrums by players can not be the norm. Coaches acting like they're... I don't know what, but not coaches, is not the norm.

I felt like Rip-Van-Winkle awaking to an entirely different world. I do hope this was only a dream.

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player and member of "Baseball Coaches of America" shares his advice on baseball coaching baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com

Be sure to check out his 2 books on Amazon, "The Pitch" and "Season of Pain". Great reading about baseball.

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

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Unique Baseball Drills

Unique Baseball Drills
By guest author: Jim Bain

While observing an advanced skill level team practice have you ever noticed a metal folding chair setting somewhere around the dugout, bull pen or other area adjacent to the practice field? If you have, you've probably either noticed it, but it didn't register or raise any questions in your mind, or you just figured it was for a coach to sit and take a break.

Did it ever occur to you that you were looking at a very important training tool? You heard me right... a baseball training aid which is utilized for rather unique and skill specific training.

We teach hitting mechanics in a systematic building block process which includes, but is not limited to the legs, core, hips, shoulders, wrists and starting mechanisms. Sometimes a player will develop a problem, or bad habit, with one or more of these elements which must be corrected.

The use of the metal folding chair, or a similar chair devise, as a coaching tool begins here. For instance:

1. If a player develops a bad habit of opening his hips too soon while swinging, he will either hit an excessive amount of foul balls to his left, if a right handed hitter, or to his right if a left handed hitter, or pull off the ball, which shortens his bat length and prevents him from being able to reach a pitch on the outside of the plate.

In order to correct this problem, it is imperative you remove the legs and hips as part of the swinging process. By having the player sit in the chair, with his ankles wrapped around the front legs, you accomplish this goal. The coach will soft toss a ball to the player and the player will swing, attempting to hit the ball solidly, but will only be able to utilize his core, shoulders and arms.

Repetitive use of this drill will retard the impulse of opening the hips too soon, as the muscle memory of the core will over ride, yet work in conjunction with the hips and legs, resulting in a quick bat and power generated from the entire body.

2. On the defensive side of the coin, the chair is utilized for drills which increases hand speed and fielding ability. Obviously the legs are an integral part of fielding just as they are with hitting, but there are times the legs will get a fielder where he wants to go, to the ball, in time, but a bad hop occurs which tests the fielder's ability to quickly adapt with his hands and glove.

The player will sit in the chair slightly bent over in a semi-fielding position. The coach will position himself about 10 foot away, facing the player and throw tennis or rubber balls at him in various ways.

The reason tennis or rubber are used instead of a regular baseball is they bounce better, can be made to bounce and skid erratically and for safety as the player is restricted in his movement.

The fast paced drill requires the fielder to react quickly with only his glove and upper body, which replicates the identical situation presented by a bad hop. Repetitive use of this drill will increase the players' hand speed and agility.

So next time you're at a practice field, don't just look...actually see what's going on. There's no telling what you might learn.

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player, who since retiring has dedicated his life to teaching baseball to youth, shares his advice on hitting baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com

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

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Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Baseball Drills For Youth - Baseball Throwing Drills

Baseball Drills For Youth - Baseball Throwing Drills
By guest author: Peter S. Smith

Youth baseball tends to be a serious sport, so the young ones are required to master some basic skills before entering the field. There are quite a lot of baseball drills that parents can teach their kids even when they can hardly keep a ball in their hands. It is known that if any progress and performance is to be expected, the training should start early ( nobody who's ever been any good at baseball started playing in high school).

So, what are the best baseball drills for kids? Well, the first and most important thing is playing catch. Even if this sounds boring, it's a very important step and a proper technique needs to be learned. Batting cages are perfect for practice, no matter if it's throwing or pitching. Let's talk a bit about throwing and pitching.

The proper throwing technique is this: the child should always fully stretch his or her arm when throwing, and the arm should always be warm. When throwing the ball, it's important that the glove shoulders point straight to the target. Also, the child will want to step toward the target when throwing the ball, and always follow trough. The arms should be bent at the elbow and up above the shoulder when throwing the ball.

Playing catch and practicing throwing should be done daily and it's best if you just have a bucket of balls ready and watch your child how he or she throws at the batting cage. This way, you will be able to correct his or hers position. That's it for this first part of baseball drills for youth. In the next part you'll find tips on batting - the proper technique.

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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Little League Baseball Drills - Coaching Your Team to Success

Little League Baseball Drills - Coaching Your Team to Success
By Guest Author Jack Perconte

It is easy for little league baseball coaches to get overwhelmed with all the baseball drills available at their disposal. Using too many drills can lead to confusion and the feeling that players are getting a little taste of everything but not enough of one thing. To prevent this from happening, little league baseball coaches should choose three or four drills in the areas of hitting, fielding and throwing and stick with them until players have mastered the drills, or until the players become totally bored with the same baseball drills.

Some drills are difficult for young players because they may not have the skill level or strength necessary to perform them. It is important that little league coaches pick baseball drills that are challenging but achievable for the little league ball player. Coaches should pay strict attention that the prescribed drills are done as correctly as possible. It is also advised that little league coaches explain clearly why the drills are necessary and the results that will eventually occur when players stick with the drills.

Following are 3 little league baseball team drills that I would recommend for each of the areas of hitting, fielding and throwing.

Little League Hitting Drills

1. Place an object to the opposite side of home plate that a hitter stands and a couple of feet forward of home. Have hitters see that object after contact and before looking to see where their ball was hit.
2. Alternate fast pitch and slow pitches throughout batting practice. Overtime, this method will help hitters understand that they must stay back, see the ball but also be quick and maintain the same swing on all pitches.
3. Play an occasional team intra-squad game using the batting tee. Hopefully, this use of the tee will emphasize the importance of using it and spur more practice with the batting tee.

Little League Fielding Drills

1. Have the first baseman raise a number up with their non-glove hand after a fielder catches the ground ball. The fielder of the ball is required to yell the flashed number out as they are preparing to throw. This fielding drill will help players concentrate on the target and begin to eliminate throwing errors.
2. Take infield practice using any extra players as base runners so fielders get a better sense of the time they have to throw batters out at first. Runners should be allowed to advance on errors and overthrows. This will also give players a chance to run the bases more. Of course, runners should wear helmets.
3. Work on drills for calling fly balls and pop ups as often as possible, requiring players to yell and not whisper when calling for balls. Learning how to communicate on the ball field is essential for winning games. Teaching players which position takes priority on balls that are called for by two different players is also essential to avoiding injuries.

Little League Throwing Drills
1. Having relay throwing drills is a great way to teach throwing accuracy under pressure. Additionally, players will learn how to catch the ball and turn correctly when performing relays, which can help teams win games.
2. Around the horn throwing (4 corners) seeing how long group can keep ball going without missing. Players can learn inside turns, double play turns and throws after tag plays, etc...
3. Line up players in outfield with a base runner tagging up from third and work on long toss by having fielder throw the ball home on caught fly balls. Have a cut off man in line is also helpful. Once again, this is a multi-purpose drill because other players are working on base running at the same time.

As mentioned, there are numerous baseball drills for the little league coaches to use. Above are just a few that I like because they often involve more than one player at a time and have a competitive factor in them, which makes them more fun and challenging to the little league 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

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

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Thursday, April 29, 2010

Tips For a Great Youth Baseball Batting Practice


Batting Practice Training Bats

Article Title: Tips For a Great Batting Practice
By Mike Posey

Batting practice is an important ingredient to every practice, but it can also be a time waster. Many players at a young age accomplish little during an ineffective BP session. Here are a few tips to help every coach run a quick paced, exciting, BP session.

Batting Practices that Rock!


Stay in Small Groups. Divide your team into groups of 4 or 5. One group can hit BP, one can be in the field shagging balls, and one group can be with another coach in the batting cages working on tee drills or toss drills.
Good Batting Practice Pitchers Throw Strikes. A good BP pitcher must throw a lot of strikes and keep the pace moving. We also use a hack-attack pitching machine twice a week to supplement our pitching. Use coaches to throw BP when possible and let the players throw in scrimmages.
Take Quick Short Rounds Hit in quick short rounds of no more than eight (8) swings. Keep the hitters moving in and out. Usually hit 3-5 rounds.
Have a Goal for Each Round Each round must have a purpose. First round can be to the opposite field, second round can be hit and run, third round can be moving runners over from second, etc.
Use a Lightning Round at the End. Lightning rounds can be fun as the last round. The concept of a lightning round is every hitter gets one pitch, if he hits a line drive then he gets a second pitch. Every line drive will result in another chance. If they miss, then the next player jumps in. Keep them moving in and out.
Use a Roll On Batting Tunnel A portable roll on tunnel will help BP move much faster. Every league should invest in a good roll on to use every day at practice.
Hustle make sure everyone is busy and hustles when changing groups. Group in the field can rotate to the cages, the cage group rotates to the field BP, and the BP hitters go to the field. Use a stop watch or field timer if needed (you can even use an air horn when its time to change groups, train them to hustle)
Running the Bases If you have enough players for a fourth group, then add a base running group. If not, you can have groups of four or five, with two base runners while the others hit. But plan to practice base running at times during BP.
Take Ground Balls If possible, have fielders rotate into short and second. A coach (or volunteer) can hit fungo ground balls in between BP pitches.
Situational Hitting Some BP sessions can include a round of situational hitting. The coach calls out the situation for the hitter to execute (if you have runners on base, put them in a situation). For example, runners on third with no outs. (hit a ground ball in the infield or outfield fly ball) Runner at second base with no outs (hit behind the runner to move him up to third base)

Batting practice should be fun. Keep them moving and throw strikes.

Mike Posey "CP"
Expert Baseball Tips
Baseball tips from a championship coach's perspective and experience, offering creative insights into helping others learn the game of baseball.

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

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The Categories they have are: BatAction Hitting Machines, Hurricane Hitting Machines, 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, NEDCO Bataction Replacement Parts, Baseball Training Equipment, Youth Baseball Training Equipment, Training Bats, Pitching & Throwing Trainers, Defensive Trainers, SKLZ Hurricane Replacement Parts and Much Much More! Visit Baseball2U.com today!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Baseball Drills - Creating Bat Lag Vs Bat Drag


Baseball Drills - Creating Bat Lag Vs Bat Drag
By Nate Barnett

Baseball terminology should be a class taught in college. Maybe I'm more aware of all of the different terms because it's a game I'm most familiar with, or maybe there is just an extraordinary amount of verbiage to learn. Nevertheless, I'd like to discuss a couple important hitting terms that should be understood as you're working on your various baseball drills. The difference between bat lag and bat drag are immense. And because of the similar sound, they ofter get mixed up. Bad mistake. Let me help explain them both by developing a definition for each.

Bat Lag:

Bat lag is what all good hitters look to develop while hitting a baseball. As the hands move into the hitting zone it's important to throw the knob of the bat at the baseball. You may be familiar with that concept as it's a common phrase (throwing the knob). Doing this produces a result of the hands leading the barrel of the bat which creates whip and bat speed in the baseball swing. When looking at a picture of a hitter nearing the contact position, look for the hands to be in front (more towards the pitcher) of the elbows of the hitter. The barrel of the bat will be remaining significantly behind the hands and enters the zone last.

Bat Drag:

Bat drag has the opposite effect on the hitter's swing as compared to bat lag. This is a common problem with younger hitters who lack strength or proper training. Bat drag is easy to spot when looking at a picture (from a side angle looking at the hitter's chest) as you will quite likely see the hitters elbows "dragging" the hands and bat behind into the hitting zone. In this case, bat speed will be minimal and a sweeping action with the bat will occur. This problem often is accompanied by a collapsing back shoulder.

What's unfortunate about the bat drag problem is that it can be years before a young hitter gets this mistake corrected. Reason being is that some success can be achieved at the younger levels as pitching is slower and the bat has much more time to enter the strike zone and connect with the baseball. The problem occurs when the hitter advances into junior high and high school where pitching velocity is greater. The mechanical failure created by bat drag becomes exploited and often hitters find their batting averages and consistency dropping very quickly.

There are thousands of pictures and video clips of MLB hitters all over the web. The best way to learn what this bat lag and bat drag look like is to observe what big leaguers are doing and compare their hands with those of a younger and less experienced hitter. Then, go to work solving the problem with a focus on some good baseball drills on the topic.

Nate Barnett is owner of BMI Baseball designed to improve the mental game of baseball in athletes. Learn how to help your game by improving the skill of mental baseball.

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

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Thursday, April 8, 2010

Top 5 Baseball Drills to Improve Your Baseball Game


Top 5 Baseball Drills to Improve Your Baseball Game
By Kendra L Fagan

Open professional baseball tryouts are designed to help scouts determine the physical talents and abilities of aspiring baseball players.

Though many of the drills that young MLB hopefuls are put through might seem random. This is because different drills are put to people to test their skills level. While one person trying out might have a killer pitch and he knows it, a scout might want to see what the person's skill level is with other types of baseball maneuvers.

Scouts look for speed, arm strength, glove skills, and hitting skills and overall mechanics. The tryouts are grueling and not like any version of American Idol you've seen. There is no "nice" judge. Instead, baseball scouts simply call out the names of those they like. The rest of the players go home, and many of theme eventually give up on their dream.

But not unlike any talent-based industry, hearing "no" is just part of the game. It is up to you and your trainers to make sure you are getting all the necessary drills and skill-building exercise to take you to your goal of becoming a professional baseball player.

I have compiled some of the best drills for cross-skill development that will give you a leg up in the competition and hopefully win you the interest of a baseball scout.

AROUND THE WORLD DRILL

The "Around the World" drill is a great conditioning exercise that will help any baseball player develop physically.

Here's how it works.

Take the players to the foul pole in left or right field. Then time them from foul pole to foul pole to get a good accurate base time. Then have a set time that they should complete each of the laps. Some choose seven laps, some others. The number should be based on the number of innings one would play professionally. A good hint is that coaches should remember to adhere to is to not let a lap count if it is under time. This will help the player push himself to get it right. There is no "almosts" in pro baseball.

DIVE BACKS

Besides basic conditioning, this drill helps to build the players speed and quickness back to the bag. Also, it is helpful to work on quickly leaving the bag as well as helping the players to recognize how big of a turn they can make around a bag to make sure that they get back in case of a throw. Here's how a good Dive Backs drill is set up.

The players start out at Home Plate and run around first base, making an aggressive turn, and then dive back into the bag. After diving back they get up as fast as they can and head to second base to do the same thing. They do this also at third then slide feet first into home plate to end their round.

A good way to prove the get back theory is to have an outfielder and a second basemen trying to get a player out every couple of times through. This exercise works wonders for agility and speed skills which is an absolute necessity to play in the major leagues.

THE GLOVE BASEBALL DRILL

Conditioning is a grueling task, so some fun elements need to be used as well. A good fun conditioning drill is great because you can make them the hardest and the fun elements makes it not so bad.

The glove drills starts off with separating players in groups of 4 or 5. (If you are just with yourself and your coach, find a friend or two to help.) Line the people up and put their gloves in the outfield at about 25 foot intervals apart, away from them. They start the drill with a ball in their hand and run to the first glove and set the ball on it and come back to the line and go back and get the ball and come back to the line and go to the second glove and set the ball down and go back to the line and so on and so forth, until all the players have gone through and the winners get out of laps at the end of the practice.

SPEED QUICKNESS AND POWER

In any good baseball training program, player development is a primary concern. As players get older they also raise their level of function in the game. One of the areas to try to improve is the physical or talent area. If you are at all seriously about playing professionally you must first be in the talent pool of players. If you can't do the physical levels, no one will look at the skill or playing abilities.

A well rounded pre-season conditioning program starts when the players get back from Christmas break. Work should be focused on 3 areas essential to playing baseball at a professionally competitive level - speed, quickness, and power.

The first day should be spent testing the components of each skills set that are vital to an overall skill matching assessment. Test items can include:

· 40 yard sprint
· 10 yard sprint
· Standing 2 footed vertical jump
· 30 second dips
· 30 second sit-ups
· Home to 1b
· Bench press
· Dot jumps
· Diamond push ups

After the testing is done, you should have a good two months dedicated to a program that incorporates exercises, running, and strength training. Once this part is done, practice the test points listed above again. This will help you accurately measure your progress and where to improve.

THE 60 YARD DASH DRILL

This is used to determine sheer sprint speed, and it is chosen to determine the athlete's ability to run from the length of two bases. If you decide to incorporate this for your child, do so sparingly and make sure that your child is warmed up. Also reduce the length from 60 yards to only twice the distance from home to first. Of course, make sure that your child is medically approved to do sprinting. Keep the number of such dashes very low and GRADUALLY build up over time.

Here is a good pointer:

When asked to hit, scouts do not look at the end result of whether the ball was a hit, home run, foul ball, etc. Instead, they look at mechanics in order to determine if there is a "loop" in a batter's swing, weight transfer, and the batter's overall approach to the plate appearance. If you are able to introduce your child to one of the scouts during a break at the tryout, ask the scout to give you a minute to understand what he likes to see in his ideal batter. You may learn quite a bit.

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

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