Seven Hitting Tips For Kids
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.
- 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. - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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.







