Teach Kids Baseball

Teaching kids how to hit a baseball is no easy feat. It takes time, dedication and lots of patience. Here are seven hitting tips for kids that can really help them in their youth baseball league this season.

1. Youth Baseball Hitters Should Use a Light Bat
   One the best hitting tips for kids is use a light bat. Many parents and coaches think that a heavy bat will make the ball go further, but at the Little League and youth baseball level, you want to focus on the kids making contact and not hitting for power. Using a light bat increases the quickness of the swing, helps keep them balanced, provides control over the swing and allows the young hitter to “check” the swing.
2. Teach Kids To Hit By Rotating their hips
   One of the best ways for kids to drive the ball is to use the whole body. Many kids will stand in the batters box and swing the bat without moving the torso or lifting a leg. Teaching kids to rotate their hips while they swing will help them hit the ball with more power and, with practice, will lead to a fundamentally sound swing.
3. Balance at the plate
   Try to teach youth baseball hitters to stand correctly in the batters box. At the Little League and early youth baseball levels it is important to establish a consistent and fundamentally sound batting stance. In general, the batter’s legs should be about a shoulder length apart, with the feet straight down from the shoulders. The batter should have bent knees and they should be loose, not rigid, so they can react to any pitch. Another good habit for youth baseball hitters is to keep the back elbow up and eyes focused on the ball – all the way from the pitcher’s hand until it either hits the bat or crosses the plate.
4. Follow the ball with your eyes
   You can’t hit the ball if you don’t see it. Instructing kids to follow the ball from the pitcher’s hand to the bat is essential part of teaching kids to hit.
5. Use a hitting Tee
   The best tip anyone can give to youth baseball hitters is to practice, practice, practice – and the hittting Tee is a great hitting tool for it. I recommend that young hitters use whiffle balls off batting Tees when not at the youth baseball practice . It is safer and the balls are easier to fetch.
   Using a batting Tee is used by many major league baseball players on a daily basis. Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn used to use the batting Tee with whiffle balls. If the whiffle ball “whistled” and “knuckled” off the Tee, he knew he was swinging correctly.
6. Use The Soft Toss Hitting Drill
   The Soft Toss Drill is a great technique for teaching kids how to hit. Simply have the batter stand a few feet away from a fence – with a batting stance faced toward the fence. You gather a few balls and stand a few feet away from the batter. With one knee on the ground, lob the balls underhand so the batter can hit the ball. Have the batter focus on hitting line drives into the fence. Have about 10 balls available and keep the drill going until you run out of balls.
7. Videotape the hitter
   Bring a camcorder to the practice and record the players at the plate. Use the videotape as a way to explain your instruction – a picture is worth a thousand words.

If you employ these seven simple hitting tips, you kid will definitely become a better hitter.

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You might think that teaching kids to hit a baseball is easy to do. But it really isn’t. It takes effort, time and patience from you and the kids.

Youth baseball parents need to understand that kids expect to hit a baseball the minute they pick up a bat. So you need to set expectations. Explain that learning how to hit a baseball will take time and needs to be taken in small steps.

Before you can teach kids how to hit, you need to find the right bat (a batting helmet too!). At this level it really doesn’t matter what brand or type of aluminum bat it is so a cheap bat is probably the way to go. The average length for a youth baseball player is between 26 and 28 inches. But the most important thing in selecting a bat is the weight – make absolutely sure the bat isn’t too heavy.

How to you tell if a baseball bat is too heavy? Use this simple test.

With the top of the barrel of the bat touching the ground, have your child wrap the index finger and thumb around the very end of the handle, just above the knob end (the rest of the hand will cover the bottom knob of the bat). Next, attempt to lift the bat with either hand, with arm stiff, straight out, chest high. If he/she has trouble doing so, then the bat is too heavy.

The next thing to do to teach your kid how to hit a baseball is to get a Batting Tee. Batting tees allow kids to get comfortable with swinging a bat and using the correct batting stance. Always have your child wear a protective batting helmet any time they are swinging a bat – even if the ball is not being pitched. Believe it or not it is not uncommon for kids new to baseball to swing the bat wildly and hit themselves in the head on the backswing.

A batting tee is basically an adjustable rubber pole attached to a rubber stand. A baseball is placed on the top of the rubber pole and the batter swings at the ball. Believe it or not, many major league baseball players use a batting tee regularly to keep their swing consistent. The batting tee teaches your kid the essentials for hitting a baseball – a level swing and watching the bat hit the ball.

Once they have gotten used to the batting tee, proceed to the “soft toss”. The soft toss is a technique to help develop the hand-to-eye coordination needed to hit a ball in flight. Start by having the hitter stand in a batting stance, facing a fence, about 5 to 10 feet away from it. You then kneel down about five feet away from your child (off to the side) and lob the ball in the direction so the batter can hit it. (If the batter is righty, knell on the left side and vice-versa for lefty. You want the batter to see the ball come out your hand so they can follow it all the way to the bat).

For this baseball hitting drill you should have as many baseballs as possible to keep the drill moving along The objective of this drill is to get your child used to “stepping into the pitch” and coordinating the timing of the swing so the bat hits the ball. This baseball exercise will also help to keep their eyes on the ball. Once the batter is hitting consistently, move on the next step.

Now it’s time to lob pitches from 25 to 30 feet away. Make sure to throw slowly, but try to keep the pitches on a line drive. Try to avoid throwing it like an arch-softball pitch. Again, get all the baseballs you can and put them in a bucket next to you. Make sure you have a backstop to stop the balls from getting away on missed swings. This baseball hitting drill should be done for as long as it takes for your child to hit the baseball consistently. You will both probably spend most of your time on this baseball hitting drill.

The final step is to move back to a distance of around 45 feet (Little League pitching distance is 46′).

One thing to remember when teaching your kids how to hit a baseball is it’s supposed to be fun. When they get discouraged or get frustrated its time to take a break or stop for the day. One really good hitting tip is to start each session with either the batting tee or soft toss technique – repetition is key to learning how to hit a baseball, and it’s a great warmup exercise. And always, always remember to have the hitter wear a protective helmet!

One final word about teaching kids to hit a baseball is that baseball hitting are a great tool. Baseball videos provide visual instruction that cannot be replicated in print. Baseball instruction videos are inexpensive and the good ones have tips and techniques that can are applicable for beginners – all the way up to high school and college level. Baseball instruction videos are perfect for young kids because they can lean visually without getting frustrated. They simply watch, visualize it in their head and do it on the field.

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Being a youth baseball parent can be so rewarding. Nothing makes a parent prouder than watching their kid get a hit, catch a fly ball, score a run and win the game. But having your kids demonstrate good social skills like sportsmanship, discipline and positive behavior are as rewarding, and a more important aspect of teaching kids baseball.

Participating in youth baseball leagues not only teaches kids about baseball, it is a platform for learning social skills, especially how to act in difficult and stressful situations. Some baseball parents could learn a lesson too! Improper behavior by a baseball parent should not be tolerated.

Parents who yell and berate others from the grandstand don’t realize the negative affect it has on their kids. Youth baseball parents should take a good hard look at the things they say (and the tone) during the game – to the coaches, the players, the umpires, the other baseball parents, and especially, to their kids.

Parents expect good behavior from their kids at the baseball game. Shouldn’t kids expect good behavior from the parents? I know from my youth baseball coaching experience that kids hate when their parents yell during the game. They also hate it when their parents scream at the umpires, coaches or other parents.

Here are the things that baseball kids wish their parents wouldn’t do:

1. Don’t yell out instructions
   I’m trying to concentrate on what the coach is saying and working on what I need to do. It’s easier for me to do my best without hearing you yelling instructions and reminders. It’s better if tell me things before the game. When you give me instructions during the game you distract and confuse me.
2. Don’t put down the umpires or league officials
   You embarrass me and I sometimes wonder if the umpire is going to be tougher on me because my parents yell. Everyone makes mistakes, and do you want everyone to yell at me when I make a mistake?
3. Don’t yell at me in public
   It will make things worse because I’ll be upset and get embarrassed, or worried that you’ll yell at me the next time I do something wrong. I respond better to positive feedback and encouragement than nagging criticism.
4. Don’t yell at the coach
   When you yell out who you think should play and what position, it just messes things up and takes away from the fun. Don’t gossip about what the coach does or doesn’t do, he is giving of his time and energy and needs our support.
5. Don’t put down my teammates
   Don’t make put down remarks (even in private) about any of my teammates who make mistakes. It takes away from our team spirit.
6. Don’t put down the other team
   When you do this you’re not showing a good example of sportsmanship and we don’t learn about being “good sports”. You are supposed to be a role model.
7. Don’t lose your cool
   I love everything about the game, but there’s no reason to get so upset that you lose your love for the game. Relax and enjoy the game.
8. Don’t lecture me about mistakes after the game
   Those car rides home from the game are not a good time to tell me how I messed up – I already know. We can talk later, but don’t mention the things I did wrong.
9. Don’t forget how to laugh
   Sometimes its hard for me to have fun during the game when I look at you so tense and worried.
10. Don’t forget that it’s just a game
    It’s not like I’m going to make a career in sports. I know I may get upset and I also know I’m usually feeling better after we get a pizza. I need to be reminded sometimes that it is just a game.

Youth baseball is life’s learning playground for kids – and baseball parents too.

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If you think you can do something to stop an umpire from making bad calls – you can’t.  Since you don’t have control over the situation it’s imperative to control your emotions and layout a guideline on the players should act.

It’s important for a youth baseball coach to teach players the appropriate behavior for dealing with umpires.  Coaches should discuss his expectations in a pre-season meeting. It should be made clear what the standard behavior when interacting with umpires.

Here are some youth baseball coach guidelines for dealing with umpires.

Player Behavior
Players are taught to never question the umpire or any coach.
Players are not to yell or scream at the umpire or any coach or player.
Players are not allowed to confront an umpire or coach.

Handling Umpires
I recommend becoming intimate with the rulebook for the youth baseball league you’re in.  Many umpires work in different leagues with varying rules. It’s the coach’s job to make sure the rules of the league are applied accurately.

If you are going to confront the umpire verbally, do it in a firm voice and not in a rage away from the young players.  Discuss it with the umpire, make him feel the pressure – but keep it clean and keep it business.

You have to be aware of player(s) making comments or threatening remarks whatsoever against the umpire or other players and you must be ready to intercept any player who is about to confront the umpire.

The bottom line is – you can’t beat the umpire.  Umpires will continue to make bad calls.  It’s up to the youth baseball league coaches to control the situation.

Remember when handling umpires, keep your composure – the kids are watching.

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