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Showing posts with label baseball hitting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baseball hitting. Show all posts

Thursday, May 27, 2010

How to Hit a Baseball Correctly


By Jeffery A Wise

When first learning the proper way to hit in baseball you want to educate yourself the best you can as to how to hit a baseball correctly. My dad played and coached baseball so I was blessed having someone fully knowledgeable to teach me. He taught me the most important hitting fundamentals first. Then, after I learned those, he taught me more.

The first item you need to consider is what type of baseball bat you're going to use when hitting. Don't select one too light or heavy. Select a bat somewhere in the middle. A bat that will let you swing your bat through the strike zone but still make solid contact all at the same time.

Stand shoulder width apart in the batters box with both feet pointed in the direction of home plate and the other side of the batters box. Hold the bat just below your chest, five to eight inches away from your body. If you are left-handed then your right hand should be holding the bat at or just above the knob on the bat handle with your left hand holding the bat just above your right hand. Right-handed hitters should do the opposite.

Once your feet are set, bend forward at the waist and bend your knees so that you are in a slight crouching position. Hold the bat in a vertical position and keep your front shoulder tucked and not open.

Always keep you head towards the pitcher and keep your eyes on the ball from the moment the pitcher releases the baseball to the time you swing and make contact. Your head should be turned and looking at the pitcher but your hips and shoulder should remain closed until it's time to swing.

As the ball is being pitched you should use a trigger to get your swing going. Some people slightly lift their front foot right before swinging and others use their hands. The purpose of a trigger is to start the transfer of your weight to the back leg in order to shift all your weight up front when you swing. This is what generates the power in your swing.

Try to have a consistent and smooth swing at the ball. You don't have to swing as hard as you can. Your whole point is to swing consistently at the ball and get solid contact. As you swing, your head should tilt down so you'll see the ball hit the bat. Don't jerk your head around. Your eyes see the ball and since you're already looking towards the pitcher you don't need to move your head anywhere else.

Those are some things for you to practice as you learn how to hit a baseball correctly. Practice swinging alone in the backyard, practice hitting off of a tee and have your father or coach pitch you some batting practice. You should come to feel comfortable in the batter's box as you practice as much as you can.

Jeffery A Wise invites you to learn more on how to hit a baseball correctly. Start learning today at http://www.baseballhittingtipsonline.com by reading our information and downloading our free report.

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

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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Best Baseball Hitting Techniques For Beginners



Best Baseball Hitting Techniques For Beginners
By Peter S. Smith

If you are a beginner, then learning from the start the best baseball hitting techniques is mandatory, since this will help your game tremendously. This article is intended to do just that, so you will be able to learn the right techniques right from the beginning.

The first thing you want to do is to have a good batting stance. This means the position of the bat and body while waiting for the pitch. You will want your feet to be shoulder wide apart, and the foot closer to you should to be lined up near the front edge of the home plate.

Your knees will have to be slightly bent, and you should also have your waist slightly bended.

The way you hold your bat is also very important. You will want to hold the handle as close as possible to your back shoulder, and the barrel of the bat should be just above your head. Needless to say, you want to grip in the right way. This means that you shouldn't squeeze the bat, but rather keep it loose.

When the ball comes at you, you should keep your eyes solely on it, until you hit it. Remember that your head shouldn't follow your body as you hit it.

These techniques will help you tremendously in bettering you game, so take great care in mastering these basic baseball hitting techniques. Once you do that, you will be able to master more and more advanced techniques, but always remember that baby steps are needed before you get to be good at this game.

More comprehensive information on hitting techniques can be found here, so you should check it out.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_S._Smith

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Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Hitting Did You Knows

Hitting Did You Knows

By Todd Thomas

Did you know...

...a baseball and/or softball bat is one of the few retail products of significant value that comes with no directions on how to use it?

...hitting is at the very least 50% from the neck up and very few hitters are taught the mental side of the hitting equation?

...most hitters and coaches will say on average that a player's mental game of confidence, focus, and composure make up 80% of how they perform in game situations over and above their mechanics. Yet, those same people will readily admit that they spend 2% or less of their time practicing their mental game while practicing 98% on the other 20% of the game. Hmmm???

...there are only TWO hitting techniques? A hitter either comes forward or stays back. If he weight-shifts forward (continuously moves his vertical plane forward out over the top of the front foot)as he swings, the hitter is linear. Rotational hitters also weight-shift, but once they reach the balance point in their stride, they rotate around a stationary axis as they swing. Simply put, hitters that "stay back" are rotational. A hitter CANNOT stay back and be considered linear.

...good hitting mechanics incorporate BOTH linear and rotational movements? A "hybrid" swing is nothing new. Good swings have always been "hybrid".

...that despite all the talk of what "linear" hitting is and what linear hitting isn't, it barely resembles what it was 25 years ago?

...there is no such thing as the one "perfect swing?" The perfect swing is the adjustments a hitter makes to the pitch each different pitch they see. As a result, the "perfect swing" constantly changes!

...that parents and too often even coaches are confusing young hitters by telling them when they are in the batter's box to get their elbow up or down? Having the elbow "up" or "down" is a "style" issue--NOT a mechanics issue?

...the major league average bat speed is 78 mph?

...that bat "speed" and bat "quickness are two distinctly different things?" Bat speed measures bat velocity or the actual speed of the bat; bat quickness measures the time lapse from launch-to-contact. If a hitter has good bat quickness (major league average is .16 seconds), they will have high bat velocity. However, a hitter can have high bat velocity and NOT have good bat quickness. Good bat quickness is a product of good torque in the swing.

...to get the "same" performance/production from a wood bat that hitters get from aluminum, the wood bat should be two inches longer and two ounces heavier?

...there is no "proper" batting stance? It's different for each hitter and is a product of the hitter's "style"--not his technique.

..."no stride" hitting can make it easier for a hitter to focus on the pitch better because of less body/head movement?

...that Rogers Hornsby when asked what he did during the winter when there wasn't baseball said..."I stare out the window and wait for spring." Don't we all!

Now you know...if you didn't already.

Todd Thomas is a Baseball Coach and Professional Hitting Instructor for Mike Epstein Hitting. Coach Todd's personal hitting website is http://www.HitItHere.net . Coach Todd also enthusiastically endorses http://PlayMyBestBaseball.com as a place where baseball and softball hitters can master the Confidence, Composure, Focus and Consistency of their game so they can reach their full potential.

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

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Tips For Hitting In Youth Baseball


BaseballCoachingDigest.com

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/topics.html

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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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

The 4 Things That Make a Great Hitter


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The 4 Things That Make a Great Hitter
By Todd Thomas

There are 4 things that make a can make a GREAT baseball or softball hitter. FOUR CRITICAL THINGS. Leave just one thing out and you can forget about greatness. Be absent of two or three or all four and your going from Good, to Average, to Poor, to finding another easier athletic endeavor.

These 4 things are...Potential, Technique, Work Ethic, and Mental Approach. Let's discuss each and their importance in being a great hitter.

1. Potential: This one a coach has no real control over. If a hitter does not have the potential to hit like Alex Rodriguez, then I dont' care who their instructor is they cannot make him/her hit like Alex no matter what they are taught nor no matter how bad they or their parents want that. No more than Hank Haney (Tiger Woods swing coach) can teach any given golfer the same stuff he teaches Tiger and turn that golfer into Tiger Woods. It can't be done. The only real control an Instructor has is to help a hitter to hit to their own potential whatever that is. It may be an outstanding Rec player. Maybe that's your potential. OR Maybe a really good select player or a top high school player, a top College prospect, or maybe a pro prospect. Potential does come in varying degrees that is for sure. Some may even seem to have the ability to stretch their potential, but I would submit to you that the potential they reach was always within their own God given potential. Part of a player's natural ability to fulfill their own potential shows in their ability or lack thereof to "take it between the lines". Some players are great batting practice hitters but when they step into the batters box, they just can't seem to hit(consistently or at all) like they do in the cage or at practice. It's a frustrating and perplexing phenomenon, but it's real. The bottom line fact, and it's hard for most if not all players and their parents to accept this, is that some players just don't have it "built in" to their natural ablility/potential to perform between the lines to a high level or to the level they expect they should. Some players have the desire to be great and I'll talk more about desire later in this article. However, if the potential is not there then I'm sorry neither will be greatness.

2. Technique: When good technique is put together with good potential, good things definitely will happen for a hitter. Some players with tremendous potential and natural ability can have horrible technique and still do very well. However, in my opinion, even though they may be good they are NOT reaching their true potential without good technique. Players with average to below average potential with bad technique certainly shouldn't expect much. Conversely, players with average to below average potential can expect to be much better and have the ability to make great strides toward their own personal potential with good technique. So what technique can help hitters reach their personal potential? It is the technique used by the best Major League and Collegiate hitters. What technique is that? That depends of what you call it. Mike Epstein calls it Rotational Hitting. Some people have a problem with that term for whatever reason. Mostly because they haven't a clue of what it really means or what we specifically teach from the beginning of the swing to the end. But they "assume" and are wrong. Okay, so call the technique what you want if it makes you or someone else feel better. Call it The Big League Swing. Call it a Hybrid Swing. Call it whatever you want, but it simply is the technique of the best Big Leaguers and Collegiate players. It should be noted that some current and former players from these categories have no clue what their true technique is/was and have no clue how to actually teach it either. For you or any hitter to reach their potential, a hitter must have good technique/mechanics.

3. Work Ethic: Along side work ethic is something I mentioned earlier and that is desire. Without desire, there is no sustainable work ethic within a player. A hitter MUST have the desire to be great and because of that they MUST work hard at reaching their potential. I have seen many players with loads of potential. They have learned the best technique and yet they don't work at it. They wonder what's wrong with them, or the technique, or maybe even with their teacher. I say this to every hitter... There is no SHORTCUT to being good(and certainly not great). It takes work and it takes it for an extended period of time. In fact, it takes work until the day they stop playing the game. The best hitters in the world are Major League ball players and the top college softball players. My question to you is... How often do they take batting practice? If you answered "Every Day", you are pretty much right on. Is there a day off here and there? Sure. But for all intents and purposes, they take BP EVERY DAY! Why do they do this? They are already great. What do they need to work on it for? I'll tell you. Because hitting is a lifelong pursuit. One never has "it" figured out permanently. If the best players practice every day, then why do some hitters want to take a "lesson" and then just show up for games and expect to be good?!? It's inexplicable. Yet I see it all the time. I believe that the One Who Works The Hardest, HITS The Hardest! Work, work, work. Take a break and then work some more. Only then should a hitter expect to be their best.

4. Mental Approach: Without a solid mental approach going to and at the plate, a player can only ever expect to be good, but not great. How a player thinks in the batter's box and prior to getting there is what can make a good hitter a great hitter. There are several schools of thought on this. I say subscribe to one and APPLY IT! One side of the mental game is confidence and focus. The other side of the mental game is being prepared and thinking along with the pitcher. Mike Epstein believes the best mental approach lies in anticipating pitches. Having a plan, using acquired information (either from observation or from teammates), and anticipating pitches. Now I am not going to get into the specifics here on this. There is much more to it and to cover than I want to go into here. Mike Epstein's book "The Mental Side Of Hitting" is a good resource. I know one young hitter who has read this book SIX times and guess what, IT SHOWS! There are others resources out there on having a quality at-bat or being a thinking hitter. There really is some good information on this and those hitters that want to reach their potential are the ones who will seek it out, dive into it, and apply it. Many hitters short change themselves by selling short how important it is to have a solid mental approach at the plate. They hear it and it goes in one ear and out the other. Meanwhile, they want their instructor to just help them to perfect their technique to make them better and to reach their potential. They won't and their coach can't if their technique is already solid. Get into the mental side of hitting if you DESIRE to be GREAT.

In closing... As the title to this article would indicate, in order to be a great hitter and/or to reach YOUR maximum potential, you must have all 4 of these things. Think about it. What good is any one of these things without AT LEAST one other element? Without one, you can only expect to be good. Absent of two, a hitter will be average AT BEST. With only one element, it's all but hopeless. Do we even need to consider none? Not really. The good news is that 3 of the 4 are simply a decision. All any player has to do is to decide to have good technique, a good work ethic, and a good mental approach. Only potential/natural ability is out of your control. If God has blessed you with natural ability, then fulfill you're potential by deciding to apply yourself in the other areas. Finally... if you DECIDE to leave out one of the 3 areas that are under your control, now you'll understand the results you'll get.

Todd Thomas is a Baseball Coach and Professional Hitting Instructor for Mike Epstein Hitting. Coach Todd's personal hitting website is http://www.HitItHere.net. Coach Todd also enthusiastically endorses http://PlayMyBestBaseball.com as a place where baseball and softball hitters can master the Confidence, Composure, Focus and Consistency of their game so they can reach their full potential.

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

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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

How to Use the Batting Cage For Better Hitting


By Jack D. Elliott

Your baseball hitting can be improved by using batting cages and batting practice to develop your timing. One thing to keep in mind while hitting in BP or the cage is to know when you are getting in good hitting. This is important b/c hitting the ball hard is only a starting place for good hitting. One way to improve your hitting is to focus on hitting line drives and hitting the ball on the ground. Over time, this will result in a higher hitting average because there is less of a chance for the ball getting caught in the air.

A technique to help adjust your swing in the batting cages is to score your rounds at BP and batting cage sessions. This is very easy to do as you just need someone to do the scoring while you hit. This can even be done by yourself in your head with a little practice. Here, are a few tips on how to do the scoring:

1. Hit using a three point system. 3 points are given for line drives, 2 points for grounders or low line drives, and 1 point for fly balls.

2. Make three scoring zones. You will need to make some arbitrary zones whether in the BP or the batting cage. The goal should be to make them about even and each zone should be about 6 yards in length. For example, the grounders or low hitting zone would be a horizontal range from the ground to 6 yards up. Line drives would be in the next zone (6 to 12 yards up) and fly balls would be any the final zone for everything 12 yards high up to 18 yards in the air. Anything over this height should not be scored.

3. Use Landmarks at Batting Cages For Zones. If you are hitting in the cages, use any landmarks that exist to help make the zones. For example, you could say the top of the pitching machine begins the middle zone. Bottom line: don't get too caught up in the exactness of the zones. Instead, use the landmarks as a guideline and being scoring your rounds.

4. Score each session. Habitually, score and record each session. This will give you a target to shoot at for your next round and encourage you to out-do your last performance. By making each session a competition, you will get more out of it as you try to get a higher score each time.

5. Scoring Rounds By Yourself. If keeping up with the scoring in your head gets to be too challenging during your hitting. One trick you can do is simply the scoring. By only scoring how many times you hit the ball in the middle range, you can get a pretty good measurement to test your hitting. Once you get your score, you would use this in much the same way as other scoring, you would try to top it on your next round. The focus during all these sessions would be to develop consistency in hitting this middle zone.

Be sure to let your team and coach know about this strategy. If adopted by your team, the whole team could benefit by using it in there regular BP. The scores of each session could even be posted in the locker room to add a little competition and more interesting into your team's batting practice sessions. Just think with a little time your team could be getting more hits and runs by using one simple technique.

Jack Elliott, is a former player and fan of the game. To read more tips and techniques like the ones in this article, please click here: http://www.baseballtrainingtechniques.com/Baseball-Hitting or Baseball Hitting Tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_D._Elliott

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Monday, January 25, 2010

Tips For Improving Baseball Or Softball Bat Speed


By Jeff LeRiche

While there are plenty of softball and baseball players out there who will claim to have hit a home run, there are just as many who will truthfully admit that they have never hit a home run. Whichever club you find yourself in, hitting the ball over the fence will always require significant bat speed.

Okay we all know that chicks did the long ball, go big or go home and all that. But how about winning games? Facing a team that consistently utilizes the entire field effectively while stringing together hit after hit, coupled with smart base running applies pressure to a defense with the added benefit of frustrating the opposition too.

That said every softball or baseball player should strive to be as complete as player as they can be. Why limit yourself to being just one thing or another? Do not put limitations on your ball hitting potential. Putting one over the wall should not define your value to your team or you as a softball player. Many will tell you there is nothing better than absolutely destroying a ball and sending it to where it deserves to go. If you are ever fortunate enough to hit a few out of the yard, you will most likely still vividly recall that first bomb you hit in a game.

No matter what you are trying to accomplish at the plate, your plan should include hitting the ball hard every time you swing. The best hitters in any game will be trying to crush the ball every time. Sometimes the result is a 400′+ bomb other times a laser in the gap or screaming humpy in front of the outfield. The fact is that you don't get anything positive done at the plate without bat speed.

Here are a few tips, which with practice should help you to improve your bat speed:

Keep your hands loose. Maintaining a loose grip on the softball or baseball bat will gain you 5 mph of bat speed and 5-10 mph of ball speed. Tension in your hands will cost you bat speed.

Push with your back hand while pulling with your front hand. The push will increase your power and improve your follow through.

Release your top hand off the bat. Doing this will allow you more extension which translates to more power.

Keep your hands out in front of the bat. Throw your hands at the ball so that the bat head is the last thing that comes through the zone.

Hit the bottom half of the ball. This creates back spin which will carry the ball farther.

Shift your weight. Make sure you are shifting your weight from your back foot to your front foot.

Make contact slightly in front of where you are standing. This point is where you will be generating max bat speed. Too far in front and the bat will be decelerating when you hit the ball. Too early in your swing, and you will not be generating enough speed and leverage.

Adjust your grip. Drop your pinky finger off the knob to get more leverage.

Choose pitches in your "power zone". You have a zone where you hit with the most power. Learn it in batting practice, be patient & really work on pitch selection.

Head on the ball. Start your swing with your chin on your front shoulder, and end with your chin on your back shoulder. This will keep your head down on the ball and prevent you from opening up too soon & losing power.

Range of motion- Start with the bat back as far as you can. That complete range of motion will allow you to create as much momentum as you can prior to contact.

Each improvement or piece of knowledge that you add to your arsenal can mean one, maybe two, maybe even five mph to your bat speed. It is those incremental gains that you make to your bat and ball speed that gradually make you a better softball or baseball player. Nobody ever knows the limits of their potential. You will be surprised what you are capable of if you apply proven techniques and practice hard. If you desire to hit with more power and consistency, you can and will. It is up to you!

Jeff LeRiche is the President and Founder of OTC Sports, a premier baseball and softball bat retailer. With deep passion for the sport, Jeff managed and played on his own team traveling the country for the better part of a decade. He has served on various softball associations and boards including several years as the State Director. After years as the ultimate baseball/softball road warrior, Jeff held the position of DeMarini National Manager of Slowpitch Softball and during this period he became the voice of DeMarini slowpitch. Having recently ventured out on his own with OTC Sports, LeRiche strives to bring the best baseball and softball bats and accessories to players of all types and levels. Jeff continues to bring his passion and love for the game to OTC Sports everyday. For more information, see http://www.otcsports.com.

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

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