Tips From Coach John Peter:  Fall Baseball Hitters Work on your weak points. For example, this is a great time for the older players to learn to hit to the right side, behind runners (that is the 2nd baseman's side of the diamond). Or, for the younger or older players, why not improve your bunting? It may just be worth 30-50 batting average points next spring. Remember, what you are trying to do is to commit the flanks (1st and 3rd basemen). If they stay back, bunt! If they come up expecting bunt, swing away and hit it hard. Pitchers This is a great time of year to develop or perfect that new pitch...and the courage to throw it! Fielders Ask to play and learn a new fielding position. You never know how many other players on your spring team will be looking to play your current position. Make yourself more versatile and know how to play more than just one or even two spots. It makes you a much more valuable player to your coach! Coaches Decide whether this is a great time to either set your defense for the upcoming season (making your players more familiar with each other for the spring) OR give all players the opportunity to try other positions they are interested in. Decide which way to go based on what you are trying to accomplish in the fall, the level of competition, and your coaching interests and style. Remember, Fall focus is not necessarily on winning, just as Pro Spring Training and NFL Pre-Season is not always about winning. An Extra Tip For Hitters Remember, you cannot control getting a hit but you can control hitting the ball hard. So, as Ted Williams said, "First you've got to find a pitch to hit." Along those same lines...remember, you should try and hit the ball just as hard on a ground ball as you do a massive home run!

Baseball Bytes
Basic Hitting Fundamentals & Swing Mechanics
  David Altopp, Lee University (TN)
Excerpts from the video Hitting Skills & Drills for Youth Baseball Players

Where to Grip the Bat on the Handle Think of the bat as being a lever. The shorter the lever, the greater the bat control, but the less power. When a hitter holds his bat on the end, he gets more power but less bat control. Obviously with a young hitter you want him to have more control. We are not interested in a young player worrying about his power, so have him choke up on the bat. Position of the Bat This is the one thing where you have a little bit of freedom, in terms of position of the bat. You can have a little slant back or up, whatever feels comfortable to the hitter. The one positioning of the bat you want to avoid is behind your head, because when he starts his swing notice how far away from the contact zone the bat has moved and you want the bat to get into the contact zone as quick as possible. And if he's taking the bat further away, then obviously it's a lot further to come into the hitting zone. Hands Atop the Strike Zone Where do you want to hold the bat? This is an important thing. I like to recommend that the hands are at the top of the strike zone. The reason for this is that a pitch above a batter's hands is going to be a ball and he should not swing at it. Obviously the pitch below his hands and above his knees is in the strike zone and he is going to want to swing at it. So his hands should be about even or at the top of the strike zone. Keep Your Head Still The head is an important part in hitting because you see with your eyes. You want to keep the head as still as possible because you have a projectile (the ball) coming at you and it's moving. If your head is moving and your eyes are moving it presents a problem. So it is very important that the hitter try to keep his head as still as possible and his eyes focused on the incoming ball. The Trigger The first move of the swing is called the trigger, which is a slight movement of the hands backwards. The way to think about this is you have to go back to go forward. You don't start the swing from a dead stop. In other words, the hitter is going to want to have some hand movement back to get the swing going. Again, to repeat, you have to go back to go forward, with quickness. The trigger is going to quicken the swing. Now a lot of different hitters have different triggers. Some have gone down and up; there are all kinds. What I personally recommend for young hitters is to take the trigger and basically go straight back with his hands. The Stride You don't want the weight to go forward during the stride. In fact, you don't want the stride to be very long. You stride, then hit. You don't have to stride to hit, but you stride and hit. It's sort of a timing mechanism, but you want to keep your weight back with very little movement of your head. Send this page to a friend   Hitting Skills & Drills for Youth Baseball Players by David Altopp Basic hitting fundamentals, swing mechanics, bunting, and drills are packed into a comprehensive overview aimed at teaching youth baseball players the mechanics of sound hitting and bunting. Recommended for coaching players aged 7-14.  40 minutes, includes numerous drills for coaches "David Altopp is the president of the American Baseball Coaches Association. His double video collection, the Youth Video Coaching Combo, should be considered as a set to maximize their effectiveness. You'll use them year after year!"   - Coach JP Questions & Answers Coach JP Answers Your E-Mail I have an 8-year old going into kid pitch and it looks like he is not generating good hip rotation. He is not getting around on the ball to pull it. What can he do? Coach JP 1st off...forget pulling the ball. Hit it up the middle. Too many bad things can happen to pull hitters and they become one-dimensional hitters. Your problem is typical. Here are some checkpoints: 1.   His hands are too far away from his body when swinging. Walk him over to a fence and place the bat handle on his stomach with the other end touching the fence. Pull it back to the ready position and swing. If he hits the fence he is incorrect and is swinging slow and maybe late. 2.   Check his back foot when he swings. If it is not fully rotated and if he doesn't end up on the toe he is not engaging the larger muscles of the lower half. If you're looking for a training aid to help, I'd recommend the Stay Back Hitting Tee, which teaches a player to lead with his hips and turn into the ball, making it easier to catch up to the fastball while staying ready for offspeed pitches. The Stay Back Hitting Tee teaches the proper stride, which results in improved bat speed, and comes with a Training CD. Questions for the Coach Do you need advice on coaching your son or team? Are you a player that is struggling with some facet of your game? Why not ask an expert? Send an e-mail to coachjp@baseballtips.com

Send this page to a friend  

Featured Products at Baseball Tips.com

Order online in our secure shopping cart or call me toll free at 1-800-487-7432 (9-6 EST). Dave Altopp Youth Video Coaching Combo - Save $9.95 Hitting, Pitching, & Fielding Drills and Fundamentals David Altopp provides a visual overview on how to teach and coach youth players ages 7-14. Hitting Drills and Skills for Youth Players covers the mechanics of sound hitting and bunting, while Pitching Drills and Fielding Skills for Youth Players focuses exclusively on drills and demonstrations for pitchers, catchers, infielders, and outfielders. Coach JP:   You'll find yourself using this double video collection year after year! Iron Mike Arm Style Pitching Machines 60 Free Dimple Balls With Any Machine Hitting is all about timing. An arm-style pitching machine is the only type where you can see the release of the ball, which lets you know when to start your swing and shift your weight. The Iron Mike pitching machine line allows you to practice the same fundamentals in the batting cages as you use on the field, which is why they are the choice of professional baseball and used everyday by Major League Baseball. Coach JP: If you are serious about baseball, are in charge of your high school or college program, or need a "top of the line" machine for your indoor facility, check out our completely weatherproof Iron Mike pitching machines, which hold up to 600 baseballs.

Send this page to a friend  

Baseball's Believe It or Not

When Keeping A Foul Ball Ran Afoul of the Law All professional baseball teams have a policy on foul balls, something akin to:  Fans are welcome to keep any foul ball hit into the stands. At no time should a ball be thrown back into the field of play. Foul balls may be dangerous and fans should remain alert to on-field activities at all times. But 80 years ago no such policy existed. At that time, the "Dead Ball" era of baseball was just becoming a distant memory (courtesy of the Herculean feats of Babe Ruth) and fans were not allowed to keep a foul ball that was hit into the stands. But the history of the game was again about to be altered. One afternoon in 1923, 11-year-old Reuben Berman refused to give back a ball that was hit into the stands while attending a game at Philadelphia's Baker Bowl. This angered the owners of the Phillies, who detained him overnight and pressed charges. When a judge threw the case out of court, Berman became the first fan legally entitled to a foul ball, and thus began a baseball tradition that remains intact today. As for MLB team owners, they have Berman to blame for the short average lifespan of a Major League baseball, which now lasts just seven pitches before becoming a souvenir.

Baseball Quotes, Wit & Wisdom

Baseball is like church. Many attend but few understand.   Wes Westrum There's nothing bad that accrues from baseball.   Bart Giamatti Looking at the ball going over the fence isn't going to help.   Hank Aaron

It's Free
The price is always right, so take advantage of our free services:

Instructional Articles - There are currently 101 articles available covering all aspects of baseball. Message Board - Become a part of our baseball community by asking your questions here. Receive answers and different perspectives from the many coaches and players who take advantage of the Baseball Tips.com Message Board. Stat Calculators - Use our calculators to compute your batting average, earned run average, and slugging percentage.

Baseball Instruction: Coaches & Players

Benefiting players and the coaches who instruct them, our Instructors Section is a FREE resource for baseball and softball players who are interested in personal instruction in all aspects of the game. Any coach or instructor can simply add their credentials and specialties to our database, which can then be viewed by all visitors of Baseball Tips.com. States/Provinces Currently Available Alabama Arizona California Colorado Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Illinois Indiana Iowa Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Nebraska New Mexico New Jersey New Hampshire New York North Carolina Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Texas Utah Virginia Washington Wisconsin Washington DC Quebec For those that wish to be added, please fill out the form below. Entries without these details cannot be added to this free database. Instructor Form Name: E-Mail: Type of Instruction Offered: Phone: Cost: City/State: Web site URL (if applicable): Comments:  What do you want parents and players to know about you. Tell them what's in it for them. Be direct and to the point.