This article will explain different hitting tips to use when training that will help improve your baseball and softball game.
Five keys to success are the longer the wait on a pitch will make him a better hitter, line drives and ground balls will improve a hitters batting average, a plan at the plate, patience, persistance, and poise, and training drills.
Stance is very important to the swing as is load position, stride, launch position, rotation forward, shoulder rotation, weight transfer, brace off, bat arc, straight to the ball, bat speed, extension, seeing the ball, and putting the ball in play.
Hitting drills with or without baseball training aids are strike zone swings which you learn to hit in all areas of the strike zone. Dummy swings develop a proper swing when working with an object that does not move. This can be done with a batting tee which is a very valuable baseball training aid. Soft toss another great baseball training aid can be used for angle tosses, one-knee toss, with two balls at one time, and short toss.
Baseball pitching machines are training aids that are great to help your improvement in hitting. They can throw at different speeds with an assortment of different pitches. There are many baseball pitching machines available.
Try different drills for hit and run, leadoff hitter, man on second in a nonforce situation with no outs, man on third with less than two outs, and two strike swings.
It is very important to use different training drills and with baseball training aids will help your game to go to a higher level.
This article went over different basics and situations that will help make you a winner with practice, practice, and more practice, and the will to succeed.
These baseball tips can maybe help you think of ways to keep your baseball training and drills productive in the off-season.
This is especially important for catchers who may have just put in a very long summer season behind the plate. Catchers have a greater number of skills that they need to practice compared to other players on the team. This can be a problem if there is a long layoff between the end of the summer season and the beginning of the High School season. The catchers now have to do a lot of training in a short time to get sharp on the throwing, blocking and footwork skills that catching requires.
It's never too early to start the catching training and drills. The trick is trying to keep a young mind and body motivated for most of the year if this is their only sport. The summer season for our team was long last year. It went right into fall ball. Some of the guys also started a conditioning program. There was not a lot of spare time left for our catchers to practice what they needed to and when I did start with them, there was a quick sense of general fatigue and I could tell the guys were "just not into it". I couldn't blame them.
I initially started getting some of the catchers' time after their conditioning, batting, tee work, etc. Bad news. I next tried to find some time for just catching drills and training...no bats. But with their busy schedule, an hour here and there still was too much. I'd hear stuff like, "You said it would only take a little bit last time and we were still there almost an hour." This in itself was the problem.
Here is the baseball tip for this article…I call this little idea, or training method, "20 Minutes And Out." I used it for catchers but obviously you can adapt the idea to anyone. The whole thing is strictly psychological, and it worked great! All I did was set a time limit…I just picked 20 minutes because I knew that I could get a ton of footwork reps done in 20 minutes. I'd only work one catcher on any given day or night and work only one type of drill in that training session, whether it was some type of footwork, blocking receiving or throwing.
I'd tell them something like, "Look, meet me at the training center and we'll do footwork only, and only for 20 minutes. Guaranteed. Twenty minutes and we're out of there. The thing is, you gotta work hard, be focused, no messing around and we'll get some good work in and leave."
Well at first, some of the catchers didn't believe me. But I did this, stuck to it and the results were great.
Sometimes they didn't even realize how fast 20 minutes would go. They'd be ready to do some more and I'd say, "Five more good ones, and we're done." And sure enough, we'd leave…no matter what. That's the key. Promise 20 minutes and get out. If they think they want to stay longer, don't. Tell them you have things to do.
Here's what I see happened and why I think it worked so well.
The time limit guaranteed an ending, always. That's big to teenagers.
As soon as the catcher saw me sticking to the 20 minute rule, he believed that he would truly be done soon and not only didn't mind going and doing the drills, he actually looked forward to it…all because he knew that it wouldn't drag out.
Since the time limit was relatively small, a catcher would really work hard in those 20 minutes and because of the "believable" guarantee he really didn't mind.
The end results were great because of the focusing on one drill each session. It was always a pretty good, intense workout and yet it wouldn't kill them. One catcher in particular improved his footwork tremendously because that's what we'd do each time. Tons and tons of reps for 20 minutes a shot. He really worked hard and got into it. Consequently, his throwing improved a great deal also.
Think about these baseball tips, try something like this and see what happens. This will make the short workout more enjoyable and at the same time you'll get a lot done. And it's all because of the "20 Minutes and Out", really. It's all psychological. Stick to the 20 minutes, no matter what. You'll be amazed how your players respond and what they can get done. You'll appreciate the short workouts too!
Chico Reese has been closely involved in youth baseball, softball and High School Baseball over the last twelve years and enjoys working with young catchers.
For excellent Catching instruction, drills, training and other valuable baseball tips, consider the following sources:
If you have what is referred to as a "quick hip," please forgive my bluntness but you will have no chance of being a successful baseball hitter.
Only on an inside pitch, can you get away with opening the front hip a little bit early.
A "quick hip" is when the front hip opens a fraction of a second early. It is a common hitting problem and a very serious one for many hitters at all levels of play. The swing itself should force the front hip open.
If the hip is a fraction of a second too quick, it forces your front side to open too early and this is a recipe for disaster for a baseball player at any level of play.
Three Major Problems Occur if You Have A Quick Hip:
1. You will not see the ball well. Your head will go along for the ride with your "quick hip" and you will be looking at the ball out of the corner of your eyes when the moment of truth arrives and you attempt to actually hit the ball.
2. Your power will be lost. You will be leaning toward third base if you are a right-handed hitter or toward first base if you are a left-handed hitter. That is NOT where the hitting is taking place. The hitting is taking place in front of you, not to the left or right of you.
3. Your plate coverage will be POOR. The only pitch you'll be able to hit with any success at all is the inside pitch and low and away pitches will cause many problems for you as a baseball hitter.
I wonder how much young players who are struggling at the plate would improve considerably if they made this fairly simple adjustment at the plate.
Keeping the front hip closed is one of the best baseball tips on hitting you will ever hear.
How common is the hitting problem of having a "quick hip"? You can check it out for yourself.
When watching a game live in person or on TV at any level of play, observe the weaker hitters. (The ones who are batting .220, .230 or .240) Keep an eye on their front hip. In almost all cases, it will be opening too early.
On the other side of the coin, you can also check out the better hitters. They will be keeping their front hip closed!
Larry Cicchiello is the author of "Excellent Baseball Coaching: 30 Seconds Away." His site offers many FREE baseball tips on hitting, baseball pitching tips, baseball coaching drills, baseball fielding tips, etc. You will be FULLY EQUIPPED! You can visit his website at http://www.larrybaseball.com/.
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"Finally a fun batting trainer that teaches the correct swing." - Mike Epstein, hitting instructor
"We use the Hands Back Hitter to teach separation between stride and swing." Coach Woody Hunt, (Cumberland University) 2004 NAIA National Champs
More Customer Testimonials:
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HBH is a great training tool.
It is paticularly useful in separating the stride from the swing (it does not encourage the dreaded interruption feared by PCR "slop eliminators") so kids can practice getting a good lower body foundation beneath themselves to support the swing instead of trying to stride and swing at the same time. Epstein and Peavy also find it very helpful.
Kids can get some brief instruction, then amuse themselves for hours with the device in a way that fits with the principles of the mlb swing. the mlb swing.
"TG" ----------------- I bought the HBH when it first came out, and I must say that I was more than pleased with the results. It soon became the most popular by far of our hitting stations, and with very few exceptions, at least the problem of swinging while striding quickly ceased to be a concern. It also seemed to be as effective for the less motivated as for those who really worked to improve.
There is no shortage of information on baseball instruction within the millions of pages on the internet. Before the web days, baseball instructional information itself was greatly more valuable than that same information today. Why? Because the supply has increased dramatically. I can do a search for "baseball instruction" on Google and today I get 440,000 pages that contain pages that may have the information I'm looking for. The challenge now for the athlete, parent, or coach looking for training information is not where the information can be found, by what information should be accepted and used. Here are some general guidelines.
1. Look for credibility. Anyone can post information online. Looks for some playing and coaching credentials. Be careful however, many prior professional athletes who are no longer playing, turn their attention to coaching. The title of former professional baseball player holds little weight if that individual cannot relay information correctly. I'm just suggesting that you look past the title and look more for content. See if the person supplying training has invested some time communicating the game.
2. Cross-reference content. To avoid being sucked into some sort of baseball philosophy that is on the fringe, always cross reference your baseball instruction with other sources. Start with those whom you already trust, local coaches, athletes, etc. Next turn to online forums, article sites such as this one, and other reputable instructors to see if they are teaching similar skills and techniques.
3. Become a learner. I know quite a number of people who have not played baseball past the high school level who are outstanding coaches. They attend clinics, read books, listen to other successful coaches, and do all they can to make sure their baseball information is current.
4. Find an instructor or information that communicates within your style of learning. Many enjoy reading their information; others hate learning by reading and would much prefer to have information relayed audibly. Many love to learn by watching videos, or viewing DVD's. Whatever your style and preference, there is a good chance an instructor with the same communication style is out there. You'll just have to search some.
In short, the best instructors I had throughout my playing career were those who relayed information in a clear and concise manner. It was easy to understand and the concepts were not complicated. Seek out information that fits your learning style and you'll love the baseball instruction learning process.
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 your baseball psychology.
Baseball Dealz Ebay Store 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.
By Todd Thomas Here are some of my favorite lesser-known stats that can show why a player might seemingly be "slumping" and should inevitably be breaking out of it OR shows that a player who seems to find every hole is about to make an apparent about face and regress back to the pack:
Batting average on balls in play: The average major leaguer's BABIP (or BIPA) hovers around .300. If someone has compiled a significantly higher or lower BABIP (and doesn't have a track record of doing so), some regression to the mean can be expected. For example, Chipper Jones'(Braves) at an early point in the 2008 season had a .385 BABIP which was 65 points over his career average. Consequently, we saw that his flirting with .400 didn't last. Chipper did have a very nice year though, but many of those balls that had been finding holes starting getting caught and Chipper "seemed" to regress when in reality the law of averages was just working itself out.
Line drive percentage: Of the three types of batted ball types (fly balls, ground balls, line drives), line drives most often fall in for hits. Matt Kemp(Dodgers) led the majors well into the 2008 season in line drive percentage (32.3 percent); not coincidentally, he was hitting .315 at the time. At the other end of the spectrum, Jhonny Peralta(Indians) had only 9.1 percent of his hits were line drives and he was hitting .216. The moral of the story... Want a higher batting average?.. Then hit more line drives. Want to hit more Home Runs?.. Then hit more fly balls. Want to be turned into exclusively a pitcher or be called a "defensive specialist"(usually called that because the player can't hit)? Then hit more ground balls than anything else.
Isolated power: A .300 batting average is pretty and all, but it needs some extra-base hits to really help a team in runs and RBIs. Enter isolated power, which shows the difference between a player's slugging percentage and batting average. Mike Jacobs of the Florida Marlins and his somewhat pedestrian .271 batting average ranked 19th amongst first basemen, but he was a top-10 first baseman thanks in no small part to his .336 isolated power mark (third best in the majors behind Lance Berkman(Astros) and Chase Utley(Phillies). What does that mean exactly? It means that of all of Jacobs hits, a lot of them were going for extra bases(doubles & Home Runs). Think about this(as a coach)... Which would you rather have?... Your team lead your league in batting average OR your team lead your league in runs scored?? Last time I checked, runs win games.
Ground ball to fly ball ratio: Unless you're The Flash(or Ichiro), it's hard to hit a ground ball for a home run. Not surprisingly, pitchers who do well in GB/FB(more ground balls to fly balls ratio) tend to be successful -- Fausto Carmona(Indians), Brandon Webb(D-Backs) and Roy Halladay (Blue Jays) were among 2008 MLB leaders. Grounder-heavy pitchers don't strike out as many batters as their fly-ball counterparts, but they also tend to pitch deeper into games. How does this relate to hitters? That's easy. Scroll back up and read about Line Drive Percentage again. :-)
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.
Shop CoachesBest.com for your baseball coaching needs including baseball training aids, training videos, and other coaching supplies. Check out the Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting machine by SKLZ at HurricaneTrainer.com.
See the “Original” Rotational Hitting Machine at BatAction.com. Are you looking for the perfect trainer to teach proper timing and swing mechanics? You can stop looking and go to HandsBackHitter.com.
There are many valuable youth baseball conditioning techniques to increase your players' abilities by maximizing their strength, range of motion, and flexibility. Just as a car can only travel as fast as its engine will allow, in like manner, baseball players can only perform to the degree that their bodies will allow. If coaches, parents and mentors ensure that their players are involved in recommended youth baseball conditioning training, they will be increasing their players' chances to fulfil their maximum potential.
Here are some advised youth baseball conditioning techniques that are recommended for youth baseball coaches for the development of their players:
Pitching Better through Swimming - Swimming can actually strengthen the shoulder muscles and enable pitchers to throw the baseball harder while protecting pitchers from devastating shoulder injuries. It is recommended that pitchers swim in free style for two minutes with a series of 4 repetitions. If the player can not swim, then the pitcher can stand waist deep in water under adult supervision and push the water away from the body with a hard thrust and fingers spread apart. This should be repeated for 2 minutes at a time. Sprint to Success - One of the traditional youth baseball training programs remains the best. Players need to build up their endurance in order to play the entire game with strength and energy. Wind sprints are the best way for youth baseball players to build up their endurance and, at the same time, bond with their teammates. If your players run wind sprints as a team or in bunches, such as pitchers, catchers, infielders and outfielders, you will be building up their endurance and the team will become closer as a unit. Ten 60 yard sprints are a good way to start, and you can lengthen the distance and repetitions over time. Squeeze that Ball -Another simple youth baseball conditioning exercise can be done everywhere from the ball field to the schoolyard and even to bed. Baseball players can increase their wrist strength by squeezing a rubber Spalding ball. Yes, these pink balls are still of infinite value to baseball players - pitchers, to increase the speed of their pitch; hitters by increasing their bat speed and, therefore, the distance of their drives; and fielders by increasing the strength of their throws. Stretch Before Games - Stretching and warm-ups are a key element of baseball conditioning training protocols to prevent injuries. Prior to every game and practice, baseball coaches should lead their team in a regular series of stretching and warm-up exercises for at least 10-12 minutes. Before the players begin playing baseball, make sure to cover all major muscle groups including shoulders, legs, arms, hips, and back.
Of course these are just a few, simple youth baseball conditioning exercises among many. Baseball coaches should be familiar with a wide variety of exercises and should weave these into a more holistic conditioning training plan that is appropriate to the age of their players.
Combined with a variety of baseball drills that make the game fun and build the fundamental skills needed to play, a strong baseball conditioning training regimen will ensure that players reach the top of their game and avoid unnecessary injury.
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.
Nick Dixon is the President of Nedco Sports Products, Inc. Nedco Sports owns and operates several popular online baseball training product stores including CoachesBest.com, Baseball2u.com, Hit2win.com, Pitch2win.com, and BaseballDealz.com.
Dixon also owns the Baseball2Day Coaches Journal, BaseballCoachesDigest.com, Softball2Day Coaches Journal, American Baseball Directory, and the Fastpitch Softball Directory.
Dixon is recognized as an authority on baseball training and baseball training products. Dixon is also the creator of several popular brands of training aids including the Hit2win Trainer, BatAction Machine, Hurricane Training Machine, ZipnHit Trainer, and the StrikeBack Trainer.
Dixon is the head baseball coach at Boaz High, in Boaz, Alabama.
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