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 Coaching A Hitter's Stride: Hands and Elbows
The force with which a hitter can "throw" the bat at the ball is directly related to the degree of relaxation maintained in the hands, wrists, and forearms.
A hitter's hands and arms should be relaxed before each pitch. Stress and muscle tension can produce rigidity, which reduces flexibility and restricts bat speed and control.
The position of the hands and forearms before the bat moves through the ball can determine a hitter's effectiveness. Young hitters often have problems keeping their hands back and above the plane of the ball as the bat starts through the ball.
Hitters with weak hands and arms often drop their hands down low just before the stride, which leads to sweeping the bat upward toward the ball. A fitness program can develop strength in the hitter's hands and forearms and may alleviate the problem. Choking up on the bat also could help.
The Hitter's Triangle Method
The hitter's stance may need to be adjusted to compensate for weak hands and arms. The hitter should start with the lead forearm basically parallel to the ground and the front shoulder slightly down while taking the stride.
The "box" and "triangle" are effective coaching aids for keeping a hitter's body in the correct position during the stride. Using posterboard, each player should cut a triangle which matches the position of his front shoulder, front knee, and back hip. A posterboard box should match the position of the lead forearm, lead upper arm, bat, and shoulders.
Hitters should practice in front of a mirror using the box and triangle in order to establish a mental picture of the proper body position during the stride phase of the swing.
If the hitter's lead elbow straightens behind the plate during the turning phases of the swing, the bat will follow a slow and uncontrolled sweeping arc.
If any of the three body parts in the hitter's triangle move away from the positions during the stride, the hitter will have slow hips and poor bat control.
The proper position illustrated by the box and triangle allow the hitter to maintain proper weight distribution, bat control, and quality bat speed, thus decreasing the number of ground outs, strikeouts, and pop-ups.
Hitter's Checklist
 Keep hands relaxed
Keep hands above plane of the ball prior to contact
Keep hip weight back during stride
Do not permit front shoulder to move up during stride
Do not permit front knee to turn out during stride
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Baseball Wisdom
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Hitting Advice by Ted Williams
- Hit only strikes.
- Never swing at a ball you're fooled on or have trouble hitting.
- After two strikes, concede the long ball to the pitcher; shorten up on the bat and try to put the head of the bat on the ball.
Ted Williams trained himself at a young age to never go after a bad pitch. He became the last player to hit over .400 in the Major Leagues when he batted .406 in 1941. Considered by many to be baseball's all-time greatest hitter, Williams finished his career with a batting average of .344. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966.
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Featured Article for Youth Coaches
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Plan To Succeed
Coach JP
If you are a dad or are coaching a team, you are your kids' best chance of learning about the game. Coach JP describes what you need to do to have an organized playbook and avoid the pitfalls of the unprepared.
[ article excerpt ]
In my years as a player and as a coach, I can tell you that my opinion of poor coaching can be simply boiled down to: A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE AND A LACK OF PREPARATION! Simply stated... NO Game Plan! The great news is...both can be taught and both can be learned! And please don't say that you don't have the time. You do!
Get a plan...save your sanity... NOW! It will flat out save you time, not cost you time. It will reflect positively on your kids and your team's play, and as a byproduct, coaches, parents and players will see a better coach who is having a better time!
Read the full article
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