Youth Baseball Batting Tips
Youth baseball batting tips begin with the fundamentals of hitting and they should turn into skills that will stay with you for the rest of your life. The very batting tips that were first taught to me by my father have stuck with me to this very day and if you were to watch me hit you will see evidence of the proper fundamentals.
Whether you are a youth or a parent reading this article, it’s very important to be patient and learn the fundamentals one by one. Even major league baseball players still practice baseball batting fundamentals every day. Let’s touch on a few of these tips so that you can get started right away.
Have fun. Relax and play the way the game was first intended … to have fun. If batting becomes a chore or no fun then you definitely won’t be as successful hitting as you would if you were having fun. I find hitting a baseball to be one of the most fun things to do in the world. There is a sense of accomplishment as well.
Keep your head down and eyes on the ball. Many times youth will keep their eyes on the pitcher or somewhere else on the field if they are really young players. Something to instill in them early on is to always keep their eyes on the ball. From the moment it leaves the pitcher’s hand to the moment they make contact with the bat. One way to practice this from the beginning is to hit off of a tee. Borrow somebody’s or buy your own. You can go to any open ball field and practice. You can also practice by doing soft toss. Have your father, friend or coach get on one knee and underhand toss you the ball and swing into the protective net if your field is equipped with one or if you have one. You can do this in your backyard or at the ball field. These drills will help you focus, keeping your eyes on the ball.
Stand correctly in the batter’s box. Make sure you are standing in the box shoulder width apart with your feet square and in line with the pitcher. At this young age you don’t want to mess with open or closed stances. Bend at the knees some and hold the bat at or just below your chest and four to six inches away from your body. Make sure you feel comfortable in the box. If you don’t feel comfortable, you won’t be as likely to get as many hits as you want.
Have a smooth, never changing swing. You can practice your swing anywhere virtually. Make a goal of taking a few dozen swings every day. Your swing should be smooth from start to finish. It shouldn’t be jerky.
Always hustle. Whether you get a walk, ground out, fly out or a clean hit, you should always hustle to first base and wait for instructions from your first base coach. Sometimes that hustle will turn into an extra base or force the other team to make an error. Hustling will also impress your coaches. Coaches like to see players who hustle and work hard.
These are some of the most basic youth baseball batting tips and you should go over them each time you practice. As time goes on, these fundamentals will become second nature to you and will stick with you the rest of your life.
My years of experience playing and teaching baseball hitting will help you with the challenge of learning how to hit a baseball correctly. Articles such as the one you just read will inform and motivate you to a better understanding of proper baseball hitting whether you are a coach, parent or ballplayer. Check back here for upcoming
baseball hitting tips articles and e-mail us any questions or comments.
Jeff Wise
Facebook
Twitter
Youtube
LinkedIn
RSS