I often get the question, why is it that a player seems to have correct hitting mechanics, and he practices well, particularly in t-drills and soft toss, where his form and technique are good.  And then when he gets into the game, everything goes wrong.  

Let’s understand three important principles when we talk about how to hit a baseball:

1.       Mechanics, which include form and technique

2.        Judgmental principles

3.       Confidence

When a player is hitting off of a tee or in soft toss, this involves only mechanics.  There are no judgmental or confidence factors at all involved.  Whereas, in the game, judgmental principles may be even more important than mechanics.  This involves reading the pitch and taking appropriate action. 

Here is one of my best baseball coaching tips.  The player who does only short-toss and t-hitting misses out on a major part of hitting, and that is judging the pitch in space (trajectory).   When we practice with soft toss, it is “pitch – hit”.  But when we hit in the game, the sequence is “pitch – trajectory – hit”. 

And no player can perform at his best unless he has confidence.  Tension forces a player to do things he would not do during practice.  So how do we make the transition from practice to the game?

Hitting is a conditioned reflex.  A  hitter must practice to “groove” his stroke, and then trust it.  In other words,  no stinkin’ thinkin’ at the plate.  it’s see-ball, hit-ball, have fun! 

Toss and tee hitting only provide practice of mechanics, and the hitter needs much more. Not only does he need to see pitching from a distance, but he also needs to have some pressure put on him during his practice sessions.   

In our baseball hitting drills, we can add a measure of pressure on the hitter in a batting cage by using a Power-10 series, where he works to hit 8 out of 10 pitches hard.  This puts pressure on him to get a high score.  He can also run a series of power-10’s.  This will also increase his confidence level.

There is an old saying that is so true:  

Play like you practice and practice like you play.  This was never more important than in the game of baseball.  So here are some ideas to help accomplish this.

        1. Batters should have some practice where they get some distance from the pitcher, either a machine or live pitcher.

2. Put some tension in the practice.

3. In every batting cage practice session, include a “Power-10”, 7 or 8 hard hits out of 10 to increase confidence level and a good feeling of performance.

4. Use practice that simulates game situations and encourages players to feel good about their performance.

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.

I often get the question, why is it that a player seems to have correct hitting mechanics, and he practices well, particularly in t-drills and soft toss, where his form and technique are good.  And then when he gets into the game, everything goes wrong.  

Let’s understand three important principles when we talk about how to hit in baseball:

1.       Mechanics, which include form and technique

2.        Judgmental principles

3.       Confidence

When a player is hitting off of a tee or in soft toss, this involves only mechanics.  There are no judgmental or confidence factors at all involved.  Whereas, in the game, judgmental principles may be even more important than mechanics.  This involves reading the pitch and taking appropriate action. 

Here is one of my best baseball coaching tips.  The player who does only short-toss and t-hitting misses out on a major part of hitting, and that is judging the pitch in space (trajectory).   When we practice with soft toss, it is “pitch – hit”.  But when we hit in the game, the sequence is “pitch – trajectory – hit”. 

And no player can perform at his best unless he has confidence.  Tension forces a player to do things he would not do during practice.  So how do we make the transition from practice to the game?

Hitting is a conditioned reflex.  A  hitter must practice to “groove” his stroke, and then trust it.  In other words,  no stinkin’ thinkin’ at the plate.  it’s see-ball, hit-ball, have fun! 

Toss and tee hitting only provide practice of mechanics, and the hitter needs much more. Not only does he need to see pitching from a distance, but he also needs to have some pressure put on him during his practice sessions.   

In our baseball coaching tips, we can add a measure of pressure on the hitter in a batting cage by using a Power-10 series, where he works to hit 8 out of 10 pitches hard.  This puts pressure on him to get a high score.  He can also run a series of power-10’s.  This will also increase his confidence level.

There is an old saying that is so true:  

Play like you practice and practice like you play.  This was never more important than in the game of baseball.  So here are some ideas to help accomplish this.

1. Batters should have some practice where they get some distance from the pitcher, either a machine or live pitcher.

2. Put some tension in the practice.

3. In every batting cage practice session, include a “Power-10”, 7 or 8 hard hits out of 10 to increase confidence level and a good feeling of performance.

4. Use practice that simulates game situations and encourages players to feel good about their performance.

Hitting for power in baseball 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.  Big guys and little guys can hit for distance if they incorporate body action in their strokes.  This  means they have learned to use their hips first, and hands last, with a powerful snapping action. 

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 in baseball.  As a result, many hitters stop their hands 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.  They let the top hand go too soon.  My suggestion—finish with both 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 method will not power the ball.

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. 

How to hit for power in baseball comes down to :

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