One problem both my children have is keeping their eyes on the ball when it is their turn in the batters box. The result ... well a lot of strike outs. If you want to help your child become a better hitter earlier rather than later, follow these simple tips.Tip 1: Explain what keeping your eyes on the ball means. What does this mean and how do you get your little hitter to actually do this. If you have ever examined a still photo of a baseball player actually hitting a home run ball, you will notice the ball is already mid air heading for the upper deck and the batters eyes are still focused on the point of contact where the ball met with the bat. Keeping you eye on the ball as it makes contact is imperative!
Tip 2: Holding your eyes focused on the contact point where the ball hits the bat is just as important. That is "Head Down" and eyes fixed "On The Ball" at contact and keep it there until you are through your swing! Why you ask? If you do not do this your lagging shoulder will drop (while you are trying to see where you hit your ball) resulting in the body shifting instead of rotating which will result in pushing the ball instead of hitting with the greatest potential velocity. What you get is usually a pop fly. If you want to see your ball sail KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL AT CONTACT AND STAY FOCUSED ON THAT CONTACT POINT UNTIL YOU GET THROUGH YOUR SWING!
Tip 3: A good friend told us to do this with our first son, but it is a lot harder to get your young hitter to cement in this idea of watching the ball all the way into the catcher's mitt. Whenever your child has trouble making contact with the ball, do this simple drill with your child to re-train their eyes to stay on the ball. Here is the exercise our friend told us to do. For older children you can simply have them stand in the batters box ready to hit the ball. Have the pitcher pitch to the catcher without the hitter hitting the ball. The hitter must follow the balls path from the point of release from the pitchers hand until it is in the catcher's mitt. (Thanks Randy!)
Tip 4: To ensure that your child is not simply standing there pretending like mine do, have he/she tell you what kind of ball was thrown ( curve, two seam fast, four seam fast, knuckle, slider, change up etc..) and whether it it would have been a strike or a ball. It is important for the hitter to watch the ball until it is in the catcher's mitt. If your working with a younger child say 7 or 8, put some colored markings on the ball with a colored marker before you do this exercise. Ask your young hitter to tell you what color polka-dots were on the ball and if it would have been a ball or a strike. They will think this is a fun game and with out even knowing, they will build muscle memory with their eyes to watch the ball. Graduate to balls to which you have colored the seems with thick permanent marker of various colors. This will help them start to recognize the ball and rotation of the ball.Once they have mastered doing this exercise without actually trying to hit the ball, add them swinging to try and hit the balls. Once they are making consistent contact with the ball stress the importance of holding their eye at the point of contact through their swing. This method of ball striking gives your hitter a much better chance at a home run.
It is frustrating and sad to watch your child struggle with hitting. I have been in that seat long enough until now. I will admit, I knew nothing about baseball until my children started playing. I want them to succeed at what ever they do so I do my part by reading a ton about what ever it is they are struggling with so I can have constructive conversations with them. There is unlimited information about baseball hitting on the Internet available to anyone willing to take the time to search for it. Hopefully this will start you off in the correct direction. Don't wait for someone (a coach or the right coach) to come along and teach your kids these basics. I wish I had known these few tips when my first son was starting to play. Oh well, as Canadian Man (my husband) would say...Better Late Than Later!
