Baseball - Ball Hitting Tips For Kids

By Sameep Shah

Like a lot of other things in life you tend to get better at those which you do regularly. It is the same with baseball game and you can get perfect with baseball hitting. Therefore the best baseball hitting advice for kids or anyone can be practice and keep practicing. It is said that Mickey Mantle the professional baseball player is said to swing the bat nearly 100 times in a day left handed and the same when right handed. However, there are some modern day professionals who swing the bat nearly 500 to 1000 times in a day. This is a basic strategy that works for lot of professionals and can also work for you.

There are some tips for helping your kids achieve great baseball hitting techniques. If your child wants to learn and play baseball but they are not the best hitters then you can follow these simple instructions and tips to help your child swing the bat like a professional. The first step to take for a great swing is your stance. This means that you should strain to the player that the stance should be something that is comfortable and not something that looks best for the player of team.

There are some basic things that you should always remember when you teach your kids the basics in baseball hitting.

1. Keeping the feet shoulder width separately regardless if the child has a closed or open stance. This means the feet should always be apart from shoulder width

2. Place the bat back with your hand where it should be nearly 6 inches away from the ears and make sure you keep your elbows upright so that you can easily handle the high heaters.

3. When you stride away with your front foot make sure it is 5 to 6 inches away, you must also keep your back foot firm in the ground as it helps in gathering power to get a strong a straight swing.

4. When you are striding, you need to keep your eyes entirely focused on the ball all through its way in the box. Then firmly twist your legs and hips when also taking the bat to directly snap into the ball. Make sure you snap the bat consistently when the ball is in the box and also ensure that your child does not up cut the swing over the ball when hitting.

As always keep in the mind that practice makes perfect.

For more information visit Sportscapers University at houston youth baseball - You can also find more information and online training videos to help you improve your skills at katy youth baseball.

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

10 Baseball Fielding Tips Guaranteed to Help

By Jack Perconte

Baseball players usually love to hit and getting kids to practice their hitting is usually not difficult. Getting ballplayers of any age to want to work on their fielding skills is often a different story. Subsequently, many kids reach the high school team and get cut from the team. They are perplexed when they do not make the high school team because they have always been good hitters, with many of them being top notch travel team ballplayers. The reason for their failure to make the cut is that they are one dimensional ballplayer who can only hit. At some point in their young careers they failed to recognize the importance of fielding, neglected that aspect of the game and fell behind to the point where their importance to a team was limited.

As baseball followers know, there can only be one designated hitter in a lineup and coaches need to have nine defensive position players. Because of this fact, coaches look for kids in a tryout who are multi-dimensional, meaning they can hit, run, throw and field. With this in mind, parents and coaches should stress the importance of being proficient in every aspect of the game so they are not left out in the cold come tryout time. Following are some tips for parents and coaches to help players work on their fielding skills with the understanding that the earlier (age) they teach these the better:

1. Use a softer ball - this allows the coach to challenge players with more speed and game like balls.

2. Repeat, use a softer ball - this gives players the assurance that they will not get hurt when hit by the ball and will promote good fielding mechanics of getting in front of ground balls and under fly balls for the above mentioned reason.

3. Like everything in sports, development of skills is dependent on correct fundamentals. With fielding this involves good footwork. Practicing the correct footwork from approaching the ball all the way through the throw is necessary, with consistency of action the key to success.

4. Begin fielding practice with hitting or throwing slow ground balls so fielders. This will promote aggressive fielders by having to charge the ball.

5. Teach kids to catch balls correctly - glove hand only (one handed) for balls they reach for and two hands for balls within their body.

6. Avoid practicing ground balls on a smooth surface (indoors) whenever possible. Players can get away with incorrect fundamentals on a smooth surface because hops are always true and predictable. If a smooth surface is only option, roll many balls very low to ground to promote keeping glove and body low for good fielding mechanics.

7. During team batting practice, position non-hitting players and have them play balls off bat as if in a game. This is especially helpful for outfield practice to get the real feel for judging fly balls.

8. Teach players to get into the correct "ready" position according to the position they are playing.

9. Try to devote at least half of practice time on fielding drills and game like situation practice. Knowing what to do in a game (i.e. where to throw ball, what base to cover) on defense is very important.

10. Remind kids of the importance of throwing, both arm strength and accuracy, to fielding success. A play is usually only half over with a catch, completing a play with a good throw is necessary.

Former major league baseball player, Jack Perconte gives baseball hitting tips and batting practice advice for ballplayers of all ages. His baseball hitting lessons 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 parenting blog can be found at http://positiveparentinginsports.com

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



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Visit the Baseball Coaching Digest for daily post and articles on every aspect of coaching baseball. The Baseball Coaching Digest Blog. Check out the Bat Action Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty. Check out Baseball2u.com/Coachesbest.com for all of your coaching and training equipment needs. Visit the Baseball Dealz Ebay Super Store to purchase top quality baseball training equipment at discount prices.

What is the latest and perhaps the best new baseball trainer?

The Mauer Quick Swing Batting Trainer is the latest and perhaps best hitting training aid to come on the market in a long while. If you're looking to improve your hitting mechanics then this hitting trainer is for you.
The Quick Swing batting trainer has been endorsed by all-time MLB baseball great and future Hall of Famer Paul Molitor and by Joe Mauer, the number one pick in MLB'S 2001 draft.

"The secret of the Quick Swing is that its simple concept allows a player to take batting practice by himself/herself and still be hitting a moving ball," said Jake Mauer, II, inventor and developer of the Quick Swing. "The Quick Swing enables a player to improve on the fundamentals of sound hitting - bat speed, hand-eye coordination, and proper weight distribution - while training indoors or outdoors."

An adjustable dial allows you to increase or decrease the level of difficulty and develop a quicker, more compact swing as you improve your baseball or softball hitting technique. The Mauer Quick Swing batting trainer will help you improve reflexes, muscle memory and timing.


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Visit the Baseball Coaching Digest for daily post and articles on every aspect of coaching baseball. The Baseball Coaching Digest Blog. Check out the Bat Action Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty. Check out Baseball2u.com/Coachesbest.com for all of your coaching and training equipment needs. Visit the Baseball Dealz Ebay Super Store to purchase top quality baseball training equipment at discount prices.

Understanding the Baseball Swing

Derek Jeter Hurricane Batting Machine

By Nate Barnett

If I asked you to give a five minute lecture on hitting mechanics start to finish, could you do it? If the answer is yes, then you've undoubtedly done some research on the baseball swing. If the answer is no, then there is some work to be done, and you'll want to read on, especially if you're in a role where you provide any type of baseball instruction.

Coaches must be continual learners if they are going to stay in this game for long and attract some success. The most dangerous attitude anyone of influence can obtain is an attitude of arrival. Therefore, be a constant learner.

The baseball swing can be broken down into various parts and movements. The key for any good coach or athlete is to understand first what these parts are, and secondly, to understand the sequence of these moving parts throughout the swing. Without getting into depth on the specific parts in this article, my purpose in writing this is to introduce how energy is created within the baseball swing.

Much like other athletic activities the energy created to produce a quick swing comes from the back side of the body. The lower half of the back side of the hitter's body is responsible for generating momentum directed toward the pitch. This movement does not happen automatically, unfortunately. Most hitters begin their swing with the front side of the body or their hands which greatly reduces the speed of the baseball swing.

The two most common and incorrect swing starters are the hands and the front hip. Here are the drawbacks for using those parts to begin the energy creation process.

Hands: The baseball swing is a movement where energy is created from the ground up. The back knee turns first, back hip second, and hands third. While this sequence happens very quickly, it's important that it remain consistent. The reason is because this process creates torque. It is a core body movement that creates a whip action and propels the bat into the zone. If the hitter's hands are responsible for generating power, little power can be generated comparatively.

Front Hip: As explained above, the back side of the body creates energy. Therefore, if the front hip of the hitter begins to rotate at the same time of the back side of the body, momentum begins to move away from the play instead of being directed at hitting the baseball.

Consistent drill work should be focused on minimizing the above two movements. While Little Leaguers can get away with some of these mistakes and have relative success, athletes in high school cannot. Therefore, the best time to correct these incorrect movements is between the ages of 10 and 15.

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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Visit the Baseball Coaching Digest for daily post and articles on every aspect of coaching baseball. The Baseball Coaching Digest Blog. Check out the Bat Action Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty. Check out Baseball2u.com/Coachesbest.com for all of your coaching and training equipment needs. Visit the Baseball Dealz Ebay Super Store to purchase top quality baseball training equipment at discount prices.

Coaching Youth Baseball - 25 Common Baseball Terms and the Meaning of Each

By Nick Dixon

Coaching Little League or Youth Baseball requires a good knowledge of the game. Many good youth baseball coaches have never played the game before. They make it their mission to study and learn the game. This article presents a list of 25 common baseball coaching terms and gives the meaning of each.

There are certain terms and words that every youth baseball coach should know the meaning of. Here are a list of 25 and the meaning of each.

1. Ace -- Best pitcher on the team.
2. Alley -- The two areas of the outfield between the three separate fields; right, center and left fields. Also referred as a "gap."
3. Bang-bang play -- A play in which the base runner reaches about the same times as the ball.
4. Batter in the hole -- The batter after the on-deck hitter.
5. Batter on-deck hitter.-- The next batter in the inning.
6. Can of corn -- An easy fly ball catch made by an out fielder.
7. Caught looking -- When a batter is called out on a third called strike.
8. Cycle -- When a batter hits a single, double, triple and home run in the same game.
9. Dish -- Home plate.
10. Fungo - To hit balls to a defensive player during practice or during the game warmup.
11. Fungo bat - A bat used by the coach to hit balls to defensive players during practice or pregame warm-up.
12. Gap - The two areas of the outfield between the three separate fields; right, center and left fields. Also referred as an "alley."
13. Gapper - A ball hit into one of the two gaps or alleys.
14. Heat -- A good fastball. Also "heater."
15. Hot corner -- Third base.
16. Painting the black -- When a pitch is thrown on the edge of the plate.
17. Pepper -- A game or batting practice exercise where one player bunts brisk grounders and line drives to fielders who are standing in a row about 15 to 20 feet away.
Punch out - The plate umpire uses this motion to call a batter out on a strikeout.
18. RBI - Run Batted In.
19. Ribbie -- Another way of saying RBI.
20. Rubber game -- The deciding game of a 3, 5 or 7 game series.
21. Run-down -- When a base runner gets caught between bases by the fielders.
22. Seeing-eye single -- A weakly hit soft ground ball that finds its way between infielders for a base hit.
23. Southpaw -- A left-handed pitcher.
24. Texas Leaguer -- A weakly hit fly ball that drops between an infielder and outfielder.
25. Utility player -- A player who fills in at many positions.

I hope that this article help you prepare to coach youth baseball. Visit the Baseball Coaching Digest Blog for daily posts and articles on every aspect of coaching baseball.

The Baseball Coaching Digest Blog has a great selection of of baseball coaching articles.

Check out the Bat Action Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.

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


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Youth Baseball Coaching Tips

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By Trevor Sumner

There are many ways to ensure that your players perform better on the baseball diamond. It is important that baseball coaches are aware of coaching tips that they can impart to their players. You will see that these youth baseball coaching tips will make a difference in the performance of your team and your enjoyment of the season.

Here are a few youth baseball coaching tips that will improve the team's play:


Defensive Mentality -One of thepremier youthbaseball coaching tips concerns itself with your team's defensive mentality. You must ensure, as a coach, that your team is prepared defensively on what to do with the ball on every pitch to the plate. The best preparation is to instruct your players to ask themselves these questions prior to every pitch when they are out on the field, and the opposing team is up at bat. The question is: "What do I do if I get the ball on the ground, in the air, and on a line." Your players should also remind themselves about the number of outs, often talking on the field to make sure the team is on the same page. These defensive mentality questions will keep your players more alert and prepared to make the correct play if the ball is hit their way.
Pitch to the Target -One of the better youth baseball coaching tips concerns pitchers and their focus. One of the keys in pitching is to throw to the catcher's target. You must instruct your pitchers to key their eyes focused on the catcher's glove throughout their windup and through the release of the ball. Many pitchers lose eye contact with the catcher's glove, accounting for their inaccurate pitches. Similarly, a catcher should practice giving the right target for the pitcher and learn how to frame the pitch to help his pitcher be successful. Often catching technique is overlooked and it is wise to prepare a good array of youth baseball catcher's drills.
Focus on the Release Point - One of the best youth baseball coaching tips concerns itself with the discipline of hitting. A key to hitting is the ability to pick up the speed and spin of the ball as it leaves the pitcher's hand. As a coach, you must instruct your hitters to focus on the release point of the pitcher. The focus needs to concentrate on the ball as it comes out of the pitcher's hand. Batters must not allow themselves to be duped by a fancy windup or other deceptive attempts on the part of the pitcher to hide the ball from the batter until it is released. The later that the ball is picked up by the batter, the less time for the batter to identity the type, speed and location of the pitch as it travels to the plate.
While this is just a quick distillation of basic youth baseball coaching tips focusing on fielding, pitching and hitting, it is surprising how often baseball coaches lose focus of these basics. There are many elaborate baseball drill libraries on the Internet such as those at Weplay. While a coach should select a variety of age-appropriate drills for coaching his team, focusing on these basics and making them fun for the team will often lead to greater success.

By Trevor Sumner who works for Weplay.com, a youth baseball community dedicated to providing parents, coaches and athletes the tools and information they need to celebrate the love of the game. Weplay has one of the most comprehensive baseball drill libraries in its active baseball community.

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



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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

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Baseball2u.com/CoachesBest.com is the ultimate online baseball training and coaching store. With over 1400 products organized into categories Baseball2u.com makes finding that baseball training product easy and simple. Order securely online or by phone. Baseball2u.com is a fully licensed company and has a full time staff available from 8:00 to 5:00 CST. Their toll free customer service number is 1-877-431-4487.