my 13 yr old nephew plays USSSA baseball and is having trouble hitting any help please?

Question

he just seems to have problems hitting the ball. he says he does not close his eyes and he does not pull his head or step out of the box. any suggestions.

Answer 1

There is no way to answer this question properly. Is he making contact at all? Is he making contact but not keeping it fair? Is he making contact and being put out? Are they always a weak grounder or always a pop-up? Is he swinging late or early?

There are so many variables to look at to even start to evaluate this. There is always a way to improve his hitting I just need more detail to even start.

Many of the answers suggest t-work, soft-toss, batting cages, etc. All of this work is fantastic when used with a program designed to correct whatever fault your son's swing as. That being said adding extra practice means you are only grinding the correct habit further into his muscle memory and not solving anything. You need to correct the faults with the correct drills to maximize his swing. Feel free to e-mail me and we can answer this properly. GOOD LUCK!

P.S. Remember hitting is like being over weight, it took considerable time to get overweight it will take time to correct the swing. Don't expect immediate results.

Answer 2

T Practice is fine and so is soft toss, short toss, etc. It can take up to 16 wks to develop a skill, muscle memory. This far into the season I would try not to overwhelm him with mechanics, but try to limit ANY thinking ESPECIALLY at the plate with live pitching in a game. Have him shorten his swing and practice as much pepper as possible for the rest of the season. Speed bag work will help with eye hand coordination and vision training software is extremely helpful. He'll improve with an aggressive approach(attitude) to hitting(a short hitting mantra he can recycle after each pitch), regular vision training, and hitting drills in the offseason.

Answer 3

practice helps the most. let him hit off a tee or at the batting cages . when he strides make sure he gets his foot down early (b4 the pitcher releases the ball) . it helps him see the pitch better and will probably help with balance. if he is a right handed hitter. make sure the left hand leads the bat to the ball . the right hand is basically there to help hold the bat. if the left hand is used as a leader it would help keep the swing short and more accurate towards the ball instead of a "long" swing that usually does no good.

also keep the stride and load seperate. get the foot down and then load the hands .

those tips helped me . hopefully that explains it good enough

Answer 4

The natural progression of hitting in most youth leagues is to start by being able to hit a ball off a tee consistently, then go to a slowly moving target (like a hit-away or a ball on a rope), and then underhand toss and eventually overhand pitchs at increasing speeds.

So I would try to have him start by trying to hit off the tee.

Answer 5

Start with a lot of work off they tee and through soft toss. One he gets comfortable with that-scoot back further and start increasing the speed.

It is possible that he may need glasses or contacts. He may be looking at the ball, but may not be able to see it. You would be suprised how common this is.

Also, find some drills to keep his body as "quiet" (still) as possible. If he has a big stride or moves his hands agressively before the pitch his head may be moving as a result.

Answer 6

Obviously he has missed having a good mother and now he disrespects all women because of one. "Busting him upside the head" is NOT what he needs. He needs to have a strong, morally upright, loving woman to show him all women are not like his mother. He also needs a strong male role model (a mentor) to guide him and teach him the correct way to treat people, especially women since that is the problem area. If he is living with you, you have an extremely important role to play. You must insist he treat you with respect and be sure you always treat him the way you want him to treat you. He needs a firm, loving, solid mother figure. He doesn't need to hear screaming, cursing, threatening words. He needs kindness, a calm environment and lots of affection. All behavior is learned and he needs to learn proper behavior now so his future will be solid. School counseling sessions would be helpful as would a "big brother" mentor. Ask your local mental health service what is available. Is there a YMCA in your area? Do you take him to church with you? All these things would help you as you attempt to help him.

Answer 7

there are a lot of item out there on the market that state they can help him hit...I have been a coach for 8-10yr olds for baseball for the past 6 years. Without seeing him actually trying to hit the ball, all i can say is get him out on the practice field to see what is is/isn't doing and correct the mistakes. practice practice practice Good luck!

Answer 8

my son is 11 and doing the samething we took him for private lessions and the guy put up a tee and sat a bucket of balls beside him and made him hit off a tee over and over again 45 min everyday. It teaches them to watch the ball see what they are hitting. He hits everytime now. Now we are learning about foot placement and placing the ball where you want it

Answer 9

Try widening his stance a little, and if he has a light bat, try getting him a heavier bat. If your nephew is a fast swinger a heavier bat would really help him. What I do in my batting stance is I rock back and forth. And when the pitch comes I stay on my back foot, And load up.

Answer 10

Go to the batting cages and practice not moving his body, and just hitting the ball, Watch the ball hit the bat. And then practice watching the ball hit and bat, and opening up during the swing, so that you are facing the pitcher. It helped me hit the ball, and hit it hard.