Tips for Improving Baseball Swing in Youths

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Tips for Improving Baseball Swing in Youths
By Jake Wyatt

Probably the most practiced move in youth baseball training is the baseball swing. All players want to be good hitters. Ultimately, you need to be good in only a few outfield positions, but everyone needs to be able to hit the ball regularly.

Most baseball hitting drills focus on hitting off the tee or having the coach throw pitches while players take turns in the batter's box. Regular trips to the batting cages should be part of every team's practice schedule.

Youth baseball coaches can help improve their players' baseball swing by doing the following:

1. Practice with wood bats. There is significant controversy over the use of metal bats in Little League and high school baseball; currently they are allowed. They are NOT allowed in major league baseball for a reason - they make it too easy. Practicing with wood bats will better prepare your players to hit the baseball using metal bats during games.

2. Watch the mechanics. There are some basic mechanics that will help all players improve their baseball swing.


The player should have their weight forward, not backwards. They should be heavy on their toes, not their heels.
Their shoulders should be relaxed.
They should be swinging slightly downward.
Their stance should be just slightly wider than their shoulders.
Their head should not move through the swing.

3. Help them with their mental thoughts. Tell them they need to focus on hitting the ball, not striking out. Their baseball swing will improve if they are focused on connecting, not missing, the baseball.

By helping players improve their baseball swing, they will become more confident in the batter's box and more likely to hit the ball.

In order to be the best possible baseball player, training should happen year-round and be a joint effort between the coach, the player and the parents. Get more free tips to improve baseball performance, reviews of e-products related to baseball, and links to training resources at http://youth-baseball-training.com.

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


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Your Child Can Greatly Benefit From Little League Baseball Instruction

Your Child Can Greatly Benefit From Little League Baseball Instruction

By Anthony J Pensabene

Is your child ready to play little league baseball this year? Has your child been playing baseball but would like to benefit from added instruction? There are dedicated coaches available and ready to provide instruction on baseball fundamentals and advanced instruction. Private lessons, clinics and baseball camps offer ways to help your child improve skills while meeting others with similar interests.

Baseball instruction targets all aspects of the game of baseball including hitting, pitching, defense, and the mental side of the game. The following article provides insight regarding improving infield defensive skills. Such information is available to your child via enrollment to baseball instructional programs.

It is important to have the right mindset

Baseball fundamental learning focuses on producing and maintaining proper positive mindset. The little league player should realize that the ball may be hit to them on any given play. Many junior baseball players commit errors in the infield because they are not ready for the ball or have an apprehensive attitude. Youth baseball instruction teaches kids to have the right attitude and confidence inspiring them to want the ball on every play.

Baseball lessons, clinics and camps teach proper baseball awareness

Major league baseball players develop their baseball awareness to the point where they can almost anticipate where the ball is going to go based on a number of variables. Any ballplayer on the field must have the mental awareness to know that at any given time he can be involved in a play and must know exactly what to do at that time.

Learning to field ground balls

Fielding ground balls is an integral part of being a baseball infielder. Players must learn to time their approach towards the ball and utilize their mechanics in receiving and throwing the ball. These variables can be learned and practiced to the point that they become second nature when fielding ground balls; making being an infielder at any level easier and a more enjoyable experience.

Baseball lessons, clinics and camps are filled with a multitude of baseball drills. The drills range in intensity and speed. Baseball fundamentals are given to each young player with the hopes of increasing their skills with more practice until proper mechanics and motions become second nature during play. Most instructors call this "developing muscle memory".

Proper baseball lessons, clinics and camps improve skills in order to make kids better players. Becoming a better player promotes self confidence and teaches kids about the rewards of practice, persistence, commitment and concentration; attributes they can apply in other areas of their lives such as school work.

Infield coaching is just one area focused upon at lessons, clinics and camps. All areas of the game are addressed, improving your child's overall talents and self confidence. In addition, your child will learn good working habits while socializing with others their age in a positive environment. Think about enrolling your child for baseball instruction today!

Zoned Inc. ( http://www.zonedinc.com ) Sports Academy is committed to improving the baseball and softball skills of young players. Through training, hard work, and great discipline they teach kids to better their baseball skills and improve their habits to use throughout life. Come to our Web site and see what we have to offer your young players.

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

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The Five Elements of the Major League Little League Baseball Swing

The Five Elements of the Major League Little League Baseball Swing

By Nick Dixon

There is nothing more beautiful in sports than when a "major league" swing whether it be at the tee ball, little league, high school, college or Major League Baseball level of play. A "major league" swing is what I consider to be a perfectly executed swing. There is nothing more beautiful in sports than when you see a baseball batter, at any level, executes the perfect swing, and drive a line drive into one of the outfield gaps.

What makes a little league baseball swing become a "major league" swing? What are the 5 elements of the perfect baseball swing? The answer to that question is simple. The batter must have batting skill, good bat speed, a good eye for the baseball, perfect timing and a proper approach to hitting. Here I discuss all five of these basic elements and how each is improved:

The five basic elements of the "Major League" Little League Swing are:

1. Batting Skill - There is only one way to improve batting skill. That is making sure that the batter takes a high number of practice swings daily or at least 3 times a week year round. The younger the batter begins this practice routine, the batter. It is crucial to batting skill development that the batter receives proper instruction as to proper hitting mechanics.

2. Bat Speed - The grip must be perfect with the fingers aligned and the bat handle gripped in the fingers and not deep in the palm. The batter must have adequate strength to get the bat speed generated. The absolute best way to improve hand and arm strength is do finger pushups, weight roll ups with the arms extended and wrist curls with the arms on a bench.

3. Good Eye for the Ball - There are two things involved in having a good batting eye at the plate. First the batter must learn the strike zone and be able to determine quickly whether a pitch is a in the strike zone or out of it. The other thing that makes the eyes of the batter an asset at the plate, is when the batter has the ability to pitch the ball up very quickly as it is released from the hand of the pitcher. The batter must learn to identify pitches, the spin on the ball, the pitchers arm slot, and the pitchers release point. There are many drills that can help a better have a better eye. One such drill is a "tracking" drill in which the batter stands in while a pitcher throws his bull pen. The batter verbally calls out the type of pitch and its location. The batter will call the pitch in this order...strike, fastball, in or ball, curve ball, off the plate away.

4. Proper Timing - Good timing is something that all great hitters possess. They know when to load and when to launch. They are never late on the fastball. They are never early on the off speed pitch. They know exactly when to attack the pitch based on where the pitch is located. The always attack the inside fastball early. They always attack the fastball down the middle when it gets over the plate. And most important of all, they attack the off-speed pitch late when it gets just inside the back foot. One of the best drills to develop timing is the do a front long toss drill. The pitcher should vary locations, speed and pitch types.

5. Proper Approach - Having a good approach at the plate is a process that involves two aspects of mental concentration.

One part of having an approach is to know what your team needs from your at bat.This is known before the batter walks up to the plate. For example, if the team needs a deep fly ball, the batter looks for a pitch up. If the team needs a ball hit behind a runner, the batter will look for a pitch to hit the other way.

The other part of having an approach is the batter executing the perfect timed swing for the pitch thrown. The batter turns on the fastball in or the batter stays back and hits the curve ball to the opposite field.

The best way to develop a good approach at the plate is to have situational batting practice sessions. The batter takes batting practice swings under simulated situations specified by the coach. The batter practices hitting with the coach calling different numbers of out, different base runner locations or different offensive plays be run.

I hope that you found this article to be interesting and informative. I really appreciate you taking the time to read it. Have a great day. Nick

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

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

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3 Hitting Drills For Baseball to Build Correct Swing Mechanics

3 Hitting Drills For Baseball to Build Correct Swing Mechanics
By Rob Bucher

You've probably heard practice makes perfect, but if you're not using proper mechanics in your practice drills then you could build swing flaws into your swing.

Perfect practice makes for perfect baseball swing mechanics.

It's critically important when teaching players to hit that you break down the swing into tiny chunks. This allows the player and coach to identify the flaws in the swing.

I want to share three hitting drills for baseball to help you break down the swing and build better swing mechanics.


With both soft toss and tee work you should have the player swing to contact and stop. This will ingrain the proper contact position and allow them to feel the correct positioning of the body. Have your player take their normal swing but stop them at contact.. Some props you can use are old punching bags or a used tire.
Swift sticks and small whiffle balls can aid in in eye hand coordination. Stand slightly ahead of the player and to the side and toss the balls slowly overhand. Notice I didn't say underhand. Baseball players never see a live pitch underhand and your practice should always mimic live game action.
During batting practice have your pitcher stand at various distances from the hitter to simulate different speeds. Stand closer to give the action of a fast pitcher and stand further away for a slow pitcher. This allows the hitter to work on timing different pitch speeds.

These are a few tips to help you practice hitting and become more adept as a hitter and a coach.

It's important to pin point the flaws in the mechanics before maximizing repetitions. It bad swing mechanics are formed it will be harder to correct later on as the player develops.

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Because better mechanics lead to improved average.

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

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