Thread: Batting Skills

Whats the best way I can teach my players how to inprove thier batting?...any stations...tips??

Any drill can be perverted if the goal is not understood. I'd suggest embarking on a study of the swing first.

Coach,

I would recommend purchasing the RightView Pro Hitting CD by Candrea and Enquist. That would be a good starting point and there are some good drills to get you going. His lead and top hand drills are pretty good, and he now believes in the importance of the hands in the swing...or "live and independent hands". Me, too.

Mike

I have access to a pretty good college level hitting coach. She told me never to teach anything to a player if you can't answer WHY you are teaching it. Why do we stride? Why do we keep our weight back? Etc. Especially with young players. So I agree with Mark, learn the swing and why it is done that way. I use her drills exclusively because she has explained to me why. I had to "unlearn" my baseball swing first and build my own swing to be able to show my team a sound softball swing.

That kind of scares me. If you use RVP. The question would be what difference is there watching a baseball swing and a softball swing? I have watched many in slow motion with 14 frames on each. Different Styles , but the swing is the same. Take Mark's advice. Go to coaching camps and clinics. I have been to many college camps and not everyone teaches the same. I believe in what we call the Elite swing that team USA uses. In our part of the country very few colleges know what that is.

Originally Posted by SBFAMILY

That kind of scares me. If you use RVP. The question would be what difference is there watching a baseball swing and a softball swing? I have watched many in slow motion with 14 frames on each. Different Styles , but the swing is the same. what that is.

I am assuming that you are referring to my post. I learned my baseball swing in the 1970's and last used it in anger in 1981, so my swing is indeed very different from todays softball swing. That is what I meant by "unlearn". Things as simple as the postion of the back elbow and the shorter stride are elements that I had to learn. It is also why I agree that a good hitting instructor can be invaluable.

Originally Posted by newsoftballdad

I have access to a pretty good college level hitting coach. She told me never to teach anything to a player if you can't answer WHY you are teaching it. Why do we stride? Why do we keep our weight back? Etc. Especially with young players. So I agree with Mark, learn the swing and why it is done that way. I use her drills exclusively because she has explained to me why. I had to "unlearn" my baseball swing first and build my own swing to be able to show my team a sound softball swing.

Well I was cheering you on till you talked about the baseball swing being different from the fastpitch swing.

Right View is one of the better options. I appreciate Don Slaught getting Candrea and Enquist on video saying the fp swing is the MLB swing. I'd combine Englishbey's stuff with the RightView comparison software but I'll not quibble if you went RightView. Better option than many IMO. Drop the rock skipping cue part though if you use Right View and careful you don't create hip slide with their demo's and methodology. Hip slide being when the front hip joint continues forward during shoulder rotation/bat swinging into the plane.

I think the coach we use gets a lot of her drills and info from Cindy Bristow. Is it worth looking into Candrea's methods? The girls I work with are all 10U (7 to 10 YOA) I want to be able to give them the best information possible so that I don't screw them up. You know have me doubting our hitting coach, since she gave me the basis to teach the girls.

I would say Mark and I agree more than we disagree . I like Englishbey's stuff and combine them. Doesn't matter how old they are, you can still teach them the correct way. If they are teaching Squish the Bug, Swing Level or Down on the ball, throw your hands at the ball find a new person to learn from. There are some good posts on this site in the hitting section that are free on web pages.

Originally Posted by newsoftballdad

I think the coach we use gets a lot of her drills and info from Cindy Bristow. Is it worth looking into Candrea's methods? The girls I work with are all 10U (7 to 10 YOA) I want to be able to give them the best information possible so that I don't screw them up. You know have me doubting our hitting coach, since she gave me the basis to teach the girls.

Just my humble opinion, but at the 10U level I would make sure to not give them anything more then get in an athletic stance, keep the barrel up, take a small step and swing - keeping your head still and your eyes locked on the ball. Too many drills at this age suck the athleticism out of them...You can never screw them up by letting them develop athletically and be a gentle guide. Too much instruction at this age is counter productive - again IMHO...