Team needs help hitting

I've got a great group of 13/14 year olds. Good pitching, solid defense, speed on the bases but they are all struggling at the plate. There are a couple things going on...looking at good pitches, getting behind, and then making defensives swings to put the ball in play or they get out front then decelerate with no pop on the ball. We're trying to get them more aggressive and attack the baseball. We have pleaded with them to just let loose and come out of their shoes at one but can't seem to get them to do it. This is putting a lot of pressure on our pitching and defense so far and they've both held up but these 3-1 and 4-2 games are going to make me retire early.

Give me your best advice, drills, and whatever you can think of to help.

Thanks and I will let you know what works.

 

If they are getting out on front foot and trying to pull the ball, work on backside hitting. One of the drills I use for my kids to wait back is what I call 2 ball drill. I stole this drill from a coaching clinic I went to. It works just like soft toss with the coach on his knee tossing the ball to the hitter. But with this he has a ball in each hand and starts going back in forth with each hand and the batter has to sit back and wait to see which ball he tosses. The idea of the drill is just to get the hitter to keep wait back then attack when the ball is in the air. Then you can also do alot of T work which is good.

 

Hitting Drills

Purchase the team a Swingaway 2000 and a hammer.
Have the kids work on the swingaway, one handed with the hammer. If the kid is right handed, then have them swing with left hand first then with the right hand; all on the right hand side. Have them concentrate on technique. Do the opposite for left hand.

Then have them take full swings with bat for at least 15 minutes, three times a week. They should take time in between cuts, making sure they are using good technique. Bad technique the ball won't go into the net at the proper position or you won't hit the ball at all! This will take some adjustment but once you have it down pat...practice, practice and practice!

 

Welcome to TBR Chubbs. i like your comment "come out of your shoes". Certainly there are times when this mindset at the plate is worthwhile.
JMO, a 3B coach can do wonders for a hitter if he understands the game, situations, and what pitch might be coming next. Also he should be in control of his batting lineup to enable the team to runners on base, ie speed , bunters, power, hit for contact, etc.
Also you mention that your kids are watching good pitches that puts them behind in the count therefor maybe forcing them to swing at the crap in the dirt or off the plate, or the 'ol chin music thats hard to lay off of.
I'll throw this out to you and others can pick it apart if they choose to do so, but here we go,.................when I was in college we had a badass hitting guru named Charlie Lau, sorry about the spelling, edit my spelling please Braves, but anyway, 'ol charlie taught us this.
1. When at the plate , on the first pitch look for a fastball or "something else".

What that means is to gear yourself as a batter to turn on the pitch that is in your minds eye, if you get that pitch swing away, otherwise lay off everything else.

Sounds odd but it works.

2. Understand what pitch might come your way in ALL situations.
3. Relax, and don't overthink yourself at the plate,

Hope this helps, Fishman

Let your bat do your talking!

 

Take away the stride for BP, make them hit with no stride and just focus on balance and turning into the pitch. The balance should return once they quit moving. Balance should be the goal. Balance them both ways side to side and front to back. When they start thinking about staying still and swinging the thought process gets easier. Balance and swing- balance and swing.

When you reinstitute the stride just make sure they get their foot down early and repeat what they do in BP. Sounds simple and it is but it works.

This of course assumes that they start with a balanced approach to begin with.

I have studied many of the experts and watched many hours of video and watched guys who know what they are doing teach in person. I have come to the conclusion that while you need to know alot to build a swing and be a good teacher- when kids are in not hitting well get real simple. Get balanced, stay balanced and turn into the ball., think about the process not the result.

Foot down, siwng balanced have them think aobut just that.

 

Very nice!!!!!!

 

Know Your Pitch
Hit It Hard

 

Focus on

the mental approach and reinforce solid hitting mechanics. There are two parts to the equation. #1 Hitting mechanics. #2 Mental approach.

If a player is watching good pitches and swinging at bad pitches this is a direct result of a poor mental approach to hitting. If a kid is missing , fouling off , etc - good pitches to hit then this is a result of poor hitting mechanics.

When working in the cage , doing drills , taking bp live arm or by coach it is very important imo to incorporate the mental approach while your working on hitting mechanics. They go hand in hand in assisting a hitter have success. Many times kids get in the cage and start taking hacks. The person throwing the BP grooves it down the heart and they just T off. Put them in a game situation while taking bp. Give them counts , work them out , in , up , down , balls and strikes. Teach them to hit not to hack. Teach them to look for pitches to hit and teach them to be selectively aggressive in counts. And work very hard on teaching them to let the ball get deep and use the entire field. When they hook around an ouside pitch , stop and talk them about what they just did. If they swing at a pitch out of the zone ask them why?

In other words players need to be taught at an early age how to hit and how to work at becoming a better hitter. Ask them "When you get in the box what is YOUR game plan?" Are you sitting on a fastball 0-0? Then why did you swing at that first pitch cb? What did the pitcher start you out with last ab? Do you even remember? Why not?

Kids can have a flawed swing but a great mental approach to hitting and have success. Kids can have a technically sound swing and have a poor mental approach and they will never have success. Unless the pitching they are facing is poor. What happens is at the younger ages when the pitchers are just trying to get the ball over the plate many kids have alot of success without a very good mental approach. Why? They dont need a good mental approach because of the quality of the pitching they are facing. Now as they get older and the pitchers actually know how to attack a hitter and have the stuff to do it , the flawed mental approach will not allow them to have success.

#1- Work on a swing that will allow you get the bat in the zone very quickly , will stay in the zone for a long time , that will allow you to drive the baseball.

#2- Work on a mental approach that will allow you to see the ball deep , swing at pitches that you can handle , and allow you to consistently drive the baseball.

There is a reason some kids can mash in the cage and in bp but never hit in game situations. There are two types of BP imo. One where you are throwing cupcakes and allowing the hitter to just t-off giving them confidence and allowing them to duplicate their solid swing mechanics. And the other where you are actually teaching them how to incorporate a sound swing process with the mental approach.

Putting kids in a game situation while working on what it takes to be successful is what practice should be about. Wether its taking ground balls or hitting it is very important. There is nothing about taking BP cupcakes with no count , not situations , no location , all strikes , hack at everything that puts a kid in a game situation. It teaches them how to fail. It takes more time. It takes more effort. It takes some patience. But it pays off.

 

Coach27 is The Master

 

Coach27 is on.

I would like to meet you one day. The advice that I have read from you is gospel in my book. Always sound! Always dead on!

Reinforcing what you talk about.

BP in a cage, throwing meatballs down the trough develops only one thing. Confidence. This technique should be used to "groove" a swing. Letting the hitter get a feel for the sweet spot. Developing muscle memory of how his mechanics put the bat on the ball.

Developing hitters IMO is a process and it takes some patience, focus and time.

Once a hitter has confidence to put the bat on the ball via meatball BP then move to situational hitting. Hitting on differenct counts etc. Looking for different pitches etc. THIS TAKES TIME AND PATIENCEs. The swing should be grooved to perfection before moving into more advanced hitting. This takes months with one on one instruction IMO. I like the quote along the lines of letting the hitter find his swing. Note "his" swing.

Im over simplifying the process but just a few words to add.

Same thing you are saying Coach27 just differently said perhaps. I track exactly what you are saying and again it is gospel.