Youth Baseball
What are the best teaching methods for hitting and pitching in youth baseball?
I don't want to pay for imformation so feel free to dicuss in detail if you wish.I'm all ears and love to learn so I can teach others.
Thank you for the question. I am a instructor and my goal is to teach people that want to learn more about the fundamentals of baseball and I am glad that you do. I will provide you with some of the material that I use. And let me tell you that it took 20 years. I use this to teach parents/kids to improve their general knowledge but hopefully also to teach others around them. I didn't have someone teach me the correct mechanics and it took me to long to figure them out. If I would have know this 10 years ago I wouldn't have gotten hurt and would still be playing baseball
Instructor: Chad Sadowski
The Goal: Fundamentals
The Fundamentals of Baseball
Hitting
1.Stride and Separation- a short step forward with weight going slightly back on back leg. 40-60 split. Also hands separating back as you take the short stride. Make sure hands go back about 3-6 inches, keeping a flex in your front elbow, don’t lock it out. Hands should go straight back not up or down. Head doesn’t move forward, key to stay still! (Practice by dry work, soft toss and T-Work.)
2.Backside turn- the swing starts from the ground up, and back foot must lead before anything else. Get on the toe, only a slight turn—not too much. Hands do not move forward stay going back. Make sure front hip, shoulders do not move as well. (Practice by dry work and soft toss or also t-work.)
3.Front Leg Straight, Knob of Bat inside Ball-. At this point you recognize pitch and location. You start by continuing to turn back foot then bring knob of bat inside ball, wherever pitch is. Both hands should be close to body as possible. Shoulders rotate across no dipping. At impact, front knee is straight, front elbow is straight, back elbow is bent close to body and underneath, and you are finishing behind ball. Back leg at impact is a L and Head is directly inline with back knee. Practice by, t-work and follow-through drill in mirror.
4.Finishing the swing and balanced- Full turn with back foot, and weight should be back and finish balanced “behind the ball”. Bat finishes through as well balanced!
Little keys:
T-Work is the easiest way to practice the four steps. Middle pitch line up tee in line with front leg and outside pitch with back leg. Practice no stride to give the feeling of balance and stride. Always think inside half of the ball by attacking inside (think taking knob of the bat inside the ball.) Outside pitch nothing changes, except where you hit it and just have to wait longer. Inside pitch, recognize and turn a little more on back foot before hands come forward. Off speed, recognize and keep weight and hands back (step 2) taking the pitch up the middle or to opposite field.
Training: dry work; practicing the 4 points mentioned above.
Soft toss; another person tossing the ball about waist high (in, mid, away)
T-Work; using a tee and practicing inside, middle, and outside pitches
Our Goal: To successfully teach these basics to take into the game. Only going to be done by practicing these 4 steps repeatedly over time and by doing these steps correctly. Perfect practice makes perfect.
Hitting: Off-speed and opposite field
1.Think fastball first and then recognize- Always be ready for the fastball and then adjust to off-speed. Key is to keep hands back with back leg still turning to create torque.
2.Nothing changes when hitting off-speed - The only thing that changes is that you must wait a little longer and hit the ball back in your swing. Stay behind the ball-taking knob of bat inside the pitch. Don’t Extend arms to ball make sure back elbow is still close to body. Practicing T-work with ball back in stance, line up tee with back leg.
3.Front hip and front shoulders must not fly open- hitting the outside pitch and off-speed, you have to keep everything back and don’t open up too early. This takes practice and patience at the plate. Practice taking pitches. In Bullpen or batting practice.
4.Always go with the outside pitch and not trying to do too much with it- if the pitch is outside don’t try to pull it.
Keys
·Always stay inside the ball; whether its an inside pitch or outside pitch, fastball or off-speed
·Always make sure you keep everything back especially front hip and hands when hitting off-speed.
·T-work and soft toss will help you practice outside and off-speed pitches
·Think fastball and then adjust to off-speed
·Ability to read where the pitcher is throwing from is key as well. Pick up his arm slot. Sometimes pitchers pitch off speed from different slot.
·Look for clues from pitcher—Many pitchers keep their finger out of glove, when pitcher keeps it straight-usually fastball, when bends it toward himself, off-speed. Look if he is digging in—off speed does something different than fastball.
Perfect practice makes perfect.
Instructor: Chad Sadowski
Pitching
1.Balance position-straight up and down with no bend in back leg and front leg at its highest position. Make sure front leg is crossing over back leg. No leaning, all weight over back leg. Head is directly over back foot--Balance on ball of foot not on heel or toe. (Practice by holding position for intervals of 30 seconds.)
2.Hand separation before momentum- Take the ball with thumb down, it should only be about 6inchesout of glove before you start going forward. Glove hand starts to move up--elbow pointed toward target. Pick up target and then onto step three. I like to use reference points. I try to look at a piece of dirt or something and line it up to my catcher’s target, (like bowling lines on lane). Practice step one then right into step two. Make sure no momentum toward plate at this point.
3.Rotation with arm at its highest but strongest position- First lead with front leg keeping torso back and closed onto target. Front foot should land comfortably right in the middle (not on ball or front) at 45 degree angle. Also front knee at a great bend. Front glove hand should be up pointing to plate with no shoulder turn. Back leg is straight with foot still in contact w/ ground not on toe. Fingers are on top of ball and arm is parallel with ground at highest but strongest position. Make sure you have a good arm arc--you started with the slight separation then continue back with thumb always down and fingers pointing toward second base. When landed arm should be strong not completely straight and fingers toward third base on top of ball.
4.Finish explosive/transfer of weight- glove hand is thrusted down, fingers still on top of ball releasing the ball over the front foot. Key to velocity is the transfer of back leg weight to front foot. Front knee was bent on land but now should be straight with front foot flat (never on toe!) Finish through the front foot flat! Don’t collapse back leg. Then pitching arm should finish to the ground and touch your back lat. Your back is parallel with ground. Back leg should not drag but should be thrust into air. End with back leg parallel with front foot in a ready field position. Important that you don't follow-through by thinking finger toward target but rather down and through your target, don’t aim the ball. Make sure you use your entire body to decelerate your arm--For instance--watch major leaguers on their follow through. They aren't off-balance and rarely falling off-either way.
Little keys-
·In Practice, pitch with a purpose- 6 out, 6 in, 2 doubles (same side), 2 hard in- soft away (fb in, ch away or sl away). Follow a routine to get results.
·Always practice slide step. Make sure you use your lower half.
·Practice picking up spot on dirt then target. (Step two)
·Sometimes with two strikes set up next pitch, hard in then soft away or hard in and hard away, soft away hard in. etc.
·Throw with a purpose, 20 pitches at a 100% is better than 50 pitches at 75%
Goal: Practice fundamentals right, which will lead to better game performance. Practicing these steps at home each day getting the correct muscle memory. Perfect practice makes perfect.
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