The most valuable advice that a youth baseball coach can give a young hitter is to think about hitting the ball up the middle. If you think about hitting up the middle, you can adjust to hit the ball wherever it is pitched. If you go to the plate hoping to pull the ball, you will struggle hitting an outside pitch. Your front side will have opened up too soon and you will not be able to drive a pitch on the outside part of the plate. You have to have balance in everything that you do in baseball, especially in hitting. Your body is going to move, but you must keep your head still. The only way to do that is to have good balance. Youth baseball bats are no different than adults bats, they need balance.
Concentration at the plate is critical, and positive thinking helps. You have to walk up to the plate saying to yourself, “I’m going to hit the ball. A hitter needs rhythm. Try to watch the pitcher’s hand and keep your eye on the ball be aggressive at the plate, but also remain loose and relaxed. If you let your arms get too tight, you will lose the advantage of having good wrist action for your swing, as well as your power.
You should have a purpose to each swing in batting practice. In your first round of batting practice you might concentrate on hitting every pitch to the opposite field. In the next round, try to make sure that you are swinging down on the ball. Prepare yourself for game situations, or the practice will not be as helpful as it could be If you find yourself in a slump, try to concentrate on defense and possibly save the game with a good play. Slumping hitters should remember that it does not always take a home run to help the team.
Youth baseball players and coaches should look to improve the mental outlook of the whole team with positive comments to all players.Negative comments will not bring anything good to the team morale.Hitting is so much about confidence.Hitting a baseball is very difficult skill that sometimes gets overlooked by coaches,players,and parents.Sometimes we take for granted how skilled these youth baseball players are and want even more out of them.Let’s just have fun and enjoy this great game of youth baseball.
