Here’s another question I received from a player:

Q - Dear Coach Brockhoff, 

Each batting cage needs a net to catch the balls that are hit.  There are a couple of things you will need to consider when deciding which batting cage net will best suit your needs.  Some of the things to look at when buying a batting cage net are knots, mesh, and color.  This article contains information that can make it easier to purchase a batting cage net that will meet your requirements.   

One thing to look at when buying a batting cage net it the kind of knots that are used in its construction.  Some batting cage nets will employ a platted knot while others will employ a twisted knot.  Nets which are created using twisted knots are usually harder while styles made using platted knots are less vulnerable to erosions.  The mesh is another significant thing to take a look at when buying a batting cage net.  Most batting cage nets will have holes of about 1.75 inches in diameter.  This is a good size to contain the baseball.  If you’ll be using the batting cage net with smaller balls,eg balls, you will need a net with a smaller diameter mesh.   

Batting cage nets can be discovered in a selection of colors.  The best choice in most circumstances is a batting cage net which is dyed black.  These will keep their color for a longer period and will be more immune to damage from UV rays.  It is also good to think about the strength of the batting cage net.  It makes sense to get the strongest net that your position will allow.  They are sometimes a better value since they can last longer than weaker nets.  When buying a batting cage net you could also need to consider getting a baffle net to protect the area behind the strike zone. 

Here is where you can get the #1 secret to hitting for power and average. I walk you thru the #1 secret in baseball hitting, and where you can get a copy of my most popular baseball hitting drills DVD, shipped right to your door for free.

When our baseball players were not hitting well, I would ask the question, “How do you feel at the plate?”  And often, they would say, “Coach, I’m not seeing the ball.”

So in teaching our kids on hitting the baseball, how do we help our players to see the ball better? Because if a player is not “seeing the ball”, he is usually not hitting well. 

The ability to read the pitch and make proper judgment is as important as anything in becoming an efficient hitter.  This also decreases rushing and increases confidence.

Let’s imagine that the ball is a target.  If we want to hit the bullseye on a target,  then it is necessary to aim for the bullseye.  If the outer ring will give us 10 points, and the bullseye will give us 100 points, what part do we focus on?  The bullseye, of course.  It gives us the highest reward. 

With this in mind, let’s do a few hitting the baseball drills, using either regular batting practice or a pitching machine.

Drill #1.  Loose Body, Full Take:  Stand in the batter’s box.  Take a deep breath.  Stand tall with a soft body, soft in the hinge joints.  As the ball is pitched, keep eyes horizontal, and place a quarter size imaginary red dot in the center of the ball.  Read the pitch all the way to the catcher, using just the swivel of the head.  Move nothing else. Repeat several times.

Drill #2.  Stride-Take:  Begin as in Drill #1.  This time when the ball is pitched, load and stride, and read the pitch back to the catcher.  Continue to see the bullseye. Important:  DO NOT move hands from the starting position.  The front heel remains up in the stride with 30-40% weight now on the front side.  Hips remain closed.  Repeat several times for optimal baseball hitting success.

Drill #3.  Drive-Take:  Add the pivot.  Begin as in the first two drills.  This time,  add the pivot of the hips at the completion of the stride.  Important:  The hands rotate with the body, but they DO NOT commit to the pitch. The hitter is now taking the pitch in what we term the “Drive” position.  He will now visualize where his “cut” or cutline on the ball would be.  He reads the ball to the “contact zone” in front of the plate. 

Drill #4. Take and Stroke.  Batter reads the pitch in loose body.  He visualizes the proper cutline and takes the pitch.  He then takes several full swings, using the same cutline.  Each time he visualizes a positive hit.

Consistently doing these read drills, will be a great help for increasing the batter’s ability to see the pitch and apply the proper stroke.

For a youth baseball coach, one cannot emphasize enough the importance of a little bit of planning prior to a game or practice; it makes all of the difference for a smooth running event. A little bit of advanced planning for practices makes the time fly for the players. A little bit of good planning also makes it more fun; the players are kept busy and are not bored. Baseball practices are infamous for one coach and one player going through a drill, while the rest of the team looks on in boredom. A little planning prior to a game keeps players from being short changed on playing time and overlooked for the positions they might want to play. It also speeds up a game; coaches no longer have to gather the team outside the dugout to divvy up the positions every time they take the field.

Don’t be shy during practices – draft as many moms and dads as you can to be assistant coaches, then put them to work. Give each assistant a drill and teach them the way you would like it taught. Break the team up into groups that will visit each drill station. Keep the stations busy and keep the players moving between stations. Usually coaches will see plenty of parents standing around watching their players practice. But, there are drills even the most inexperienced mom or dad can run. And face it, the parents are probably bored also by just sitting around watching.

You will need two full time assistant coaches in addition to your practice parents. The three of you will have distinct and special roles: one coach will be the hitting coach, one coach will be the pitching coach, and the third coach will be in charge of teaching team defense, base running, and defensive scenarios. It is very rare a coach does not have two parents capable of filling those roles. As the head coach, assign each assistant to the duty he or she is most comfortable with, and take on the remaining duty, yourself.

To help keep games organized and running smoothly, buy two dry erase boards (8.5 X 11) to hang in the dugout. One board will have defensive positions for the upcoming inning and the other board will have the batting order, substitutions, and the score, by inning. It is hard to overemphasize how much this helps keep things organized and running smoothly. It gets rid of the delays that occur when coaches change the defense. It also gets rid of the confusion regarding the player that batted last. Merely put a mark next to the next batter and the confusion is alleviated when your team returns to the dugout to bat.

I think that the head coach belongs in the dugout. That is the only way he or she can truly control the game. Educate your assistants on how you want them to coach first base and third base. Delegate and put some faith in some of your parents; they won’t let you down and on the flip-side, the more your parents are involved in practices, the less complaining you will hear from the crowd at actual games.

We will include more details concerning game and practice planning in upcoming lessons.

This is the third lesson, of many, contained within the article “Lessons from a Youth Baseball Coach”. Upcoming lessons will include detailed planning for practices and games, choosing the right glove and bat, fielding, base running, philosophy, and a myriad of baseball subjects. All of the lessons can be found at Baseball Armory – “The Baseball Blog”. Baseball Armory sponsors Baseball Armory – “The Baseball Blog”. Baseball Armory is an online store that contains quality Akadema baseball and softball gear. Akadema produces high quality softball and baseball equipment, including outfield and infield gloves, catcher’s mitts, metal and wood bats, cleats, turf shoes, youth batting gloves, sunglasses, apparel, equipment bags, glove care products, and miscellaneous baseball and softball accessories.

Hitting a baseball is acknowledged by many as the most demanding skill in sports. It is brutal because even the most successful baseball player, fails most of the time. That’s why it is important to let the kids play and allow the game be fun. During games, there might be opportunities to teach the mental aspects of the game. Mechanics, though, should be taught and corrected at practice (unless, of course, there are safety concerns). We’ll cover pre-game, soft-toss, and cage work, which should be considered an extension of practice, in future lessons. When game time rolls around, let the players concentrate on what they have learned and try to put them in a position to succeed. Praise them on attitude, hustle, “keeping their head in the game”, and determination. Don’t be engrossed in the mistakes. Help the players get past the mistakes; help the players have a “short memory”. Most mistakes in baseball are obvious to the players and the fans. As a coach, create a mental note of the mistakes and work on the solutions in practice. Every player knows when they have made an error or struck-out. Pitchers do not need to be instructed to throw strikes. Every pitcher wants to throw strikes; that’s what they are trying to do on every pitch.

Baseball relies heavily on the concept of muscle memory. The more player’s practice their mechanics, the more they become second nature. They become part of the player’s muscle memory. Baseball players use repetition to hone their mechanics. Things happen quickly in baseball and a player will revert back to whatever mechanics are set in their muscle memory. That is why it is crucial to save mechanics for practice and fun for the games. The absolutely worst time to be coaching mechanics is when a player is up to bat during a game. At that point in time, muscle memory is going to take over. If a parent or coach tries to correct mechanics, it only distracts the player and destroys their concentration. I have had to control many a parent that tried to change mechanics while their son or daughter was at the plate during a game. I only try to convey positive expressions while a player is at the plate. My favorite saying is “it only takes one”. It means that out of a possibility of six, or more, pitches, it only takes one pitch to make contact and get a hit.

After making a mistake at the plate or on the field, players will punish themselves. It is the coach’s responsibility to keep a positive attitude. It is a coach’s duty to let them know that strike-outs and errors happen in baseball and all players have to have a short memory. Coaches need to be aware that baseball is very much a game of momentum. Proficient hitting and proficient fielding are contagious; mistakes are also contagious. The more a player dwells on past mistakes, the more they will be affected on future plays. It is crucial to let the players play and have fun; if players play not to make a mistake, then mistakes will happen and the fun will disappear.

This is the third lesson, of many, contained within the article “Lessons from a Youth Baseball Coach”. Upcoming lessons will include planning, choosing the right glove and bat, fielding, base running, philosophy, and a myriad of baseball subjects. All of the lessons can be found at Baseball Armory – “The Baseball Blog”. Baseball Armory – “The Baseball Blog” is sponsored by Baseball Armory. Baseball Armory is an online store that contains quality Akadema baseball and softball gear. Akadema produces high quality baseball and softball equipment, including infield and outfield gloves, catcher’s mitts, metal and wood bats, cleats, turf shoes, batting gloves, sunglasses, apparel, equipment bags, glove care products, and miscellaneous baseball and softball accessories.

You want to improve your pitching with a pitching machine, but not sure where to start? Well, it’s inevitable isn’t it? After all, there are quite a few brands to choose from. In this article we’ll focus on different types of pitching machines that will really help improve your baseball swing or even your slow pitch softball pitching techniques.

Here are the major types:

(1) Real Ball Pitching Machines

As the name suggests, Real Ball pitching machines throws out real balls, basically the same softballs you see at your local commercial batting cages.

For these types of Pitching Machines, you are looking for an Arm Styled Wheel Machines or the Compressed Air Machines. Because the force of the pitch, it’s wise to have a batting cage when using this machine. Invest in an auto feeder and remote control if you’re opting for a one player mode and you’re good to go!

(2) Wheel Style Pitching Machines

Ever seen those pitching machines used in high schools or even simply someone else’s backyard that runs with a spinning wheel that spits out the ball? One of the most popular choices, wheel style pitching machines can be used for baseball or softball or even slow pitch softball!

The rubber wheel pushes out the ball with a motor propelling the wheels’ movements. Most machines come with mechanical pieces that control speed and direction. The machine stands on a metal frame attached to a tripod and run on 110v power. They run on electricity so you’ll always need to have the machine close to a power source.

(3) Single Wheel Machines

These are basic machines used to throw a slow pitch or throw a fast pitch in a speed ranging from 25-70 mph. Priced usually above $900, these are one of the more expensive options. Some of these machines even are equipped to throw out a slow pitch curve ball. But this upgrade will cost you at least $300 more than the base

All in all, the single wheel option can still end up being less expensive and still very portable. However, if you prefer higher speeds or a greater variety of pitch throws, you may want to consider the Wheel Style machines instead.

I was a youth baseball coach for many years. I became a coach because my son’s first coach did not give him enough playing time to increase his skill set. I was also frustrated by the way his first coach ran practices. I found that he was only making progress when he worked directly with me. So, in his second year of baseball, I became a head coach.

I knew how to play the game, but I didn’t know how to teach the game; the first thing I realized, very quickly, was my inability to transfer my knowledge to the players. I began to attend all the coaching clinics possible. Coaching clinics can be a little frustrating because you will find they are not consistent in the mechanics they teach. I found that simple mechanics, with the least amount of movement, helped alleviate frustration for both the coach and the player. In addition, simple translates into success faster. Success translates into fun.

The second thing I learned very quickly was the age group you are coaching determines the coaching style. The younger players have a shorter attention span than older players. For example, a coach should not spend more than 5 minutes on any one drill for 7 or 8 year old players. Demonstrate the proper technique, let them practice that technique a few times, and then move them onto another drill. Don’t let frustration lead you to think that there is no way they can pick up any technique that quickly. The progress of your players will constantly amaze you if practices are organized, fast-moving, and fun.

The importance of having fun, yourself, was the third thing I realized very quickly. The more fun you have coaching, the better coach you will be. Fun is contagious; players will learn quicker if they see the coaching staff having fun teaching them. A coach should strive to teach baseball, make the game fun, so players will stick with the sport, and to be fair with playing time. Youngsters practice to play; so, reward practice with playing time.

Fairness was the last thing I learned, very rapidly. Be fair with the players and be fair with your own son or daughter. Attempt to treat your son or daughter no differently than you would treat someone else’s son or daughter. The best way to accomplish this is to have someone, not attached to coaching staff, observe, and give you feedback. I was lucky in that respect. At least one grandparent and my wife were always at the games. After every game, I had immediate feedback. If I was too hard on my son, I heard about it after the game. Please remember, getting your son or daughter a college scholarship should not be goal. It is important that your son or daughter stick with the sport because they are having fun. In addition, be fair with playing time for all of your players. The reality of baseball is that mistakes happen. The only way to alleviate mistakes is playing time. So be fair. Remember that it is not where a player starts that is important, it is where they finish.

This is the first in a series of lessons from “Lessons from a Youth Baseball Coach”. All of the lessons can be found at Baseball Armory – “The Baseball Blog”. Baseball Armory – “The Baseball Blog” is sponsored by Baseball Armory. Baseball Armory is an online store that contains quality Akadema softball and baseball gear. Infield and outfield gloves, catcher’s mitts, metal and wood bats, cleats, turf shoes, batting gloves, sunglasses, apparel, equipment bags, glove care products, and miscellaneous baseball and softball accessories are some of the equipment in the Akadema product line.

Hitting for power has always been associated with the big strong player.But in our research, we have discovered it is not so much the size of the player, but rather the strength of his hands.

If strength needs to be improved, it is in the hands and wrists. The ability to use the body is also imperative.From the biggest player to the smallest, if you use your body you will hit for more power and distance.Big guys and little guys can both use their hips (1st) and hands (last), with a forceful snap motion.  

It is imperative that the batter develops a quick pivot and quick hands.

Many young players never develop power because they are taught to just “meet the ball.” It’s a common phrase from baseball coaches. As a result, many hitters stop their hands during baseball hitting drills on contact and they never hit through the ball.

A hitter must be aggressive. Hitting is controlled aggression, while maintaining balance and control

Another problem young hitters have comes from watching baseball on TV.Baseball hitters will let the top hand go too early.Tip - you should be finishing with both your hands. This will further incorporate hitting through the ball.

Add to this the problem that many players are taught how to hit a baseball by getting their hands out over the plate on contact. Some times this is as a result of being taught incorrectly to get extension over the plate.Extension does not occur on contact, but rather after contact.When hitters try to extend on contact, it is like sawing wood, using too much arms and shoulders.This technique will not help you hit for more power.

In order to learn how to hit for power in baseball the hitter has to get his hands out in front of the body to contact the ball, with the top hand over the bat, and the bottom hand under the bat.The top hand is then like a hammer on contact.

Using the hands like this will increase bat speed at least 30-40% more than the arm swing. 

Baseball Hitting Tips:

1. A strong body
2. Quick hips
3. Especially quick hands, out front on contact
4. Hitting through the ball
5. Being aggressive 

Former Tulane Hall of Fame Baseball Coach, Joe Brockhoff, fully explains his baseball hitting tips with the Super 8 Hitting System, completely demonstrated with videos and hitting drills to help you hit with more power and raise your batting average.

There are many different attitudes concerning the stride.  They all address one or more of these questions:

1.       How much weight?

2.       Which direction?

3.       How high and how wide ?

4.       Should we stride at all?

An instructor during my pro days who was teaching me how to hit in baseball  told me that if the pitch is straight down the middle, step forward.  If the pitch is outside, step toward the outside, and if the pitch is inside, step inside.    The problem is that against good velocity, there is absolutely no way for a hitter to wait until after he determines the direction of the pitch before he takes his stride.  He will always be late getting to the pitch and will have extreme difficulty with his timing.

Another method made famous by Kirby Puckett, is to raise the front foot in an exaggerated hop-step stride.   Many hitters who try this method struggle because they cannot get the front foot down in time to start the stroke.

Our Super 8 Hitting System techniques are simple, easy and repeatable. 

Here is a very important principle:   THE STRIDE DOESN’T HIT THE BALL.  It merely gets us in position to hit the ball.  This means the hands are still back at the completion of the stride.  The stride overcomes inertia and supports the hitter against the fastball.

If the pitch is a fast ball, the action would be “stride-stroke”.  If the pitch is slower, there would be a momentary pause.  Example:  ”stride-(pause) stroke”. 

The stride is initiated by the large muscle in the upper leg (hip thigh area), which keeps it consistent.  

Here are the rules:

1.       The stride travels only 6 inches, directly forward, in the same place every time.

2.       It occurs at the time of pitcher release.

3.       It distributes approximately 30-40% of the weight to the front side, and lands on the ball of the foot, which remains closed, open no more than 45°, which usually happens during the pivot.   Some players stride in a “toe tap”, with no significant weight on the front foot.  If a player places only 10% of his weight down on his stride, how will he get 90% more of his weight off his back side when he rotates to the pitch?  He can’t. 

4.       It happens quickly, getting the batter into position to hit.  

Finally, never underestimate the importance of a good stride.  It is part of the hitter’s timing.  When he’s striding, he’s deciding.

The hitter must work on his stride in his baseball batting drills, using either live or pitching machine  practice,  so that he can drill “stride and take”, just concentrating on technique.

These techniques are fully explained in our baseball hitting tips web site for the “Super 8 Hitting System”, completely demonstrated in eight baseball hitting videos, which include many tips on how to hit in baseball.