The Latest Greatest Hitting Training Device

The Latest Greatest Hitting Training Device
By Todd Thomas

The latest, greatest training device for young hitters...

...may be EARPLUGS!

So many young hitters and even some of the not so young hitters are so confused at the plate. Why? They are hearing so many people in the ears telling them what to do and not to do mechanically WHILE AT THE PLATE. This is not the time or place to be working on mechanics. It's already hard enough for hitters to make the necessary adjustments needed to what the pitcher is throwing them without their head swimming with what every coach(and parent sometimes not even their own parent) within ear shot telling them what to do or not to do when in the box and when they swing. It's no wonder so many young hitters struggle not only with their swing, but even more tragically in most cases their confidence.

The problem is that most of the time they are hearing a variety of different cues: "swing down", "keep your elbow up", "don't dip your back shoulder", "keep your head down", "you're pulling your head out", "stay tall", "stay back", "swing level", "quit doing (this)", quit doing (that), (insert one you've heard or said here); ...and to add confusion to confidence destruction, some of the things they hear are physically contrary to each other even to actual physics itself. Have you ever tried to "stay back" AND "swing down"? Have you ever tried to "swing level" to a pitch at your knees?

What players should be hearing during game time situations and especially when they are actually at the plate are simple things like "look for something you can hit hard" or "make contact and put the ball in play". Before a player goes to the plate, I like the simple phrase "Don't try to do too much just look for a good pitch to hit and put a good swing on it." Save the intensive mechanical and technique instruction for practice and the cage. Another simple encouraging comment is simply, "Let's go! Make contact and put the ball in play". That's it. Tell them to do. More specifically, tell them what you want them to do, not what you don't want them to do. For example, "Hit the ball hard somewhere"... "Let's go! Hit a line drive"... "Hit the ball to the right side, let's move the runner"... "Drive one to the gap"... "Keep you focus on the ball and put the ball in play"... "Make contact"... "Drive this run in"... (insert your positive message of what you want them to do here)...

There's an old story of a pitcher in a tight situation that was facing a big hitter and his manager came to visit him on the mound. The manager didn't say much. He just said, "Whatever you do, DO NOT throw him anything on the inside half of the plate". The manager returned to the dugout. The first pitch... a fastball on the inside corner... Going, Going, GONE! Instead of planting the seed in that pitcher's mind of where he shouldn't throw the ball, wouldn't it have been better to say something like, "Keep the ball low and away on this guy. You can do it". I think so.

You would be surprised. A lot of young hitters have a very good natural swing and the ability to make on the fly adjustments to what the pitcher has thrown until some coach(es) and/or parents come and take it away from them with either bad hitting "instruction" cues or even good ones but at the wrong time. The problem with even the good ones(as far as mechanical or technique cues) is that the hitter is often hearing contradictory messages coming in the other ear. Now their head is swimming while confidence in what they can actually do is taking a nose dive.

The time to for a hitter to work on their hitting and their swing is at practice and in the cage. For those who think ONE practice a week and ONE trip to the cage a week is good, you should know that the best hitters in the world take batting practice and work on their technique every day! What does that tell you about hitting? It's HARD! Hitting a is a lifelong pursuit. It is something that must be constantly worked on with lots of repetition. Write down this simple phrase and put it somewhere that you see it everyday... Repetition Is The Mother Of Skill.

When it comes to actual instruction and the things we say to hitters or ask them to do, do we tell them why? If a hitter is given a piece of advice, tell them exactly why that is the best thing for them to do. We should show them, demonstrate, and explain why what we're showing them is proper and what they should expect from such technique? How about evidence? Do we show them visual evidence that what we are telling them to do is what the great hitters do? Show them a picture of Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, or Derek Jeter doing what you are asking them to do. Show them. I can hear it already... "these kids are not ARod, they should not be trying be him or trying to do what he is doing. He's a home run hitter." First off.. why not? Secondly, okay then show them Derek Jeter. He's not a home run hitter. Derek has never hit more than 24 HRs in a season and he's only topped 20 HRs three times. He's just a career .317 hitter at the big league level. Show Derek. I guarantee you that Derek's and ARod's techniques are scary similar.

If you don't want your son/daughter/hitters to try to hit like the MLB hitters, that's okay. Show them some pictures of the best collegiate hitters or of the best high school hitters that you know. You might be surprised if you compared the best high school and collegiate hitters to the best big league hitters at what you might see. Similarities! OR... if you don't want to show them evidence of the best hitters at the high school and collegiate level, then show them evidence of average to below average hitters in their sport. It's up to you, but show them some visual evidence that what you are telling them to do is what is right.

I guarantee you kids are not stupid. They watch SportsCenter. Many have Tivo or some kind of DVR. They can stop, rewind, and slowmo. They can see the contradictions of what they often hear and what they are actually seeing the best hitters doing. Unfortunately, the highlights are almost always certainly the best hitters of the sport doing what they do. There aren't too many Highlights of the average or bad hitters so if that's what you want them to show them, you'll have to do that yourself.

Finally... Don't overreact to one at-bat or one game or even a few games for that matter. I doubt the Yankees hitting coach made any major changes to ARod's swing or approach when he struck out FOUR TIMES in one game last season(three of them LOOKING!). It happens. It ALL happens. Watch any big league game and you'll see it all... Strikeouts(swinging and looking)... Pop ups... Fly Balls... Ground Balls... Line Drives... Long Fly Balls.. Bloopers... Dribblers... Bleeders... Texas Leaguers...Home Runs!... Every hitter does all those things, save only for the home runs. Don't overreact or over coach, and in doing so you will give them a better chance to build confidence and succeed. Give or get them good instruction from someone who teaches what the best players at ever level are doing. An instructor's nice resume is just that. Nice. Check out what an instructor is teaching and as Mike Epstein says just ask yourself one simple question in regards to what a coach is telling them to do. And that is... "Does this make sense?"...

Bottom line... Give your young hitters a consistent, positive message about their technique and abilities.

Todd Thomas is a Baseball Coach and Professional Hitting Instructor for Mike Epstein Hitting. Coach Todd's personal hitting website is http://www.HitItHere.net. Coach Todd also enthusiastically endorses http://PlayMyBestBaseball.com as a place where baseball and softball hitters can master the Confidence, Composure, Focus and Consistency of their game so they can reach their full potential.

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Teaching Softball Drills To Win

Teaching Softball Drills To Win

By Becky Wittenburg

In softball, a coach cannot afford to underestimate the other team; they can only prepare their own team to be the best. As a coach, it’s important to set the standards for your team. Along with setting an example of the right attitude, you are responsible to make sure that the players’ skills and overall game improve over time. Therefore, teaching softball drills should always be a vital part of practice.

The most effective way for teaching softball drills is through hands-on demonstrations. For example, it’s obviously necessary to teach softball players the correct batting stance. While they’ll learn from your example, it is more valuable if you show them the way and then allow each member of the team to try it themselves. After you show them the ropes, allow them to use what you have taught to try hitting the ball themselves. As the coach, you should assess the placement of their feet, their knees, their hips, their shoulders and their eyes. Following that, you will know what the team needs to work on when it comes to batting stance and hitting the ball.

Videos are useful to give the team a visual of different strategies and skills. However, videos are even more effective if the team is interactive while it’s playing. For example, the team can watch the video of a pro-game. You can show them part of an inning and then ask them to explain the different plays that they could execute. Therefore, you can make sure that they know the best actions to take in different situations. Teaching softball drills like this gives the team a chance to think logically and work out different strategies in their heads.

Another classic method for teaching softball drills is using a chalkboard, dry-erase board, or poster to work out different plays. This is one of the most important ways to coach the team because it gives you the chance to explain the ins and outs of different plays. Plus, during this time you can assign different players to practice different positions. Drawing out different plays is also an important part of tracking the improvement of the team. Having records of each play allows you to mark the ones that the team has mastered and to mark the ones that the team still needs to work on.

Teaching softball drills is one of the most vital tasks of a coach. All of the different drill methods are necessary to master the entire softball game. Using a variety of ways of teaching ensures not only that the team will perform well but they will know exactly what they are doing and why they are doing it. It’s important to remember that the quality of your coaching directly affects the quality of your team.

Becky Wittenburg is a softball coach, softball blogger, and author. If your looking for more tips on teaching softball drills, please visit her softball drills library here.

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Basic Things About Softball Hitting

Basic Things About Softball Hitting

By Marc Dagenais

Softball hitting is one of the major skills that a player needs to know. Hitting is not just merely hitting the ball, it is more than that. He must practice it many times in order to be good at it. A good softball player is the one who has great ability when it comes to hitting.

The bat is your major partner in hitting. Most of the time, the bat has something to do with the way you hit that is why it is important for you to choose the right bat. A lot of players usually make mistakes in choosing a bat for they are always choosing a bat that is too big for them. Yes, a big bat has its advantages but remember that this can affect the speed especially if you are too small to handle big bats. Bat speed is important and you must not forget that. It will be wiser if you choose and use bats with the right size, the one that suits you. In hitting and handling a bat, it is essential that you have strong arms and hands.

Aside from choosing the right bat, the stance is also an important area in softball hitting. Your feet should be much more than your shoulder's width but you don't have to make your stance real wide. Balanced stride is the secret here. Your knees must always be unlock and bend on your waist.

Slight inward turn and slightly picking up the front foot are the two main types of triggers. You can use both of them but the key here is you should match the pitcher's movement. Watch his every move and focus your attention to him.

Stride is another important thing in hitting. Timing is essential when it comes to this. Don't stride too early, too open, or too far or you'll be dead. Watch your step. Step with the front shoulder closed.

As I have said earlier, the hands are essential in softball hitting. It should remain strong or else you will not be able to hit the ball. Your hands must be high and don't just adjust it down. Your hands must always be in there proper place because that is the key here. Look at the pitcher and follow the direction of the ball. If you are not going to follow the direction of the ball then you will not hit anything and that would be a big problem.

Marc Dagneais is Softball Peak Performance Coach that helps softball players turn their athletic talent into extraordinary performances and help coaches get more out of their players, turn their struggling team around or get an edge over their opponents. Visit us to access our directory of FREE softball drills!

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Softball Hitting - 6 Tips to Get Out of a Slump

Hitting slumps are caused by a variety of factors and each hitter is different in what's causing her slump, so it would stand to reason that each may be different in the method she employs to get back on the road of success.

By Marc Dagenais

This is probably the most frustrating thing in softball and every player will experience them in their career. Hitting slumps in softball are just part of the game like Gatorade or sunflower seeds. You can't avoid them. Isn't it one of the reasons what we call softball a sport of failure and that we all agree that it is such a mental sport?

However, while all ball players struggle periodically at the plate, the better hitters are able to minimize the length of their slumps. They do so by being more aware of what's causing their slumps and what to do about it.

However, there are several hitting tips that the best softball hitters use to help them get out of their slumps. Here are a few softball hitting tips fight slumps.

1. Take extra batting practice. Taking extra batting practice makes sense, and it's usually the first step taken by hitters in a slump. There is no substitute for hard work. The hitter should identify the fundamental flaw or error in approach, make the proper adjustment, and retrain her body to swing the bat the right way. She needs to get that feeling right again. Extra batting practice helps iron out the swing, and with that, it rebuilds confidence. When hitters put the time in away from competition, they develop a psychological edge that they carry into the game.

There is one extremely important point to understand. Before hopping in the batting cage, hitters must be absolutely sure that they've identified their problem and have a plan for making adjustments during batting practice. In other words, you don't want to get good at doing something the wrong way. You don't want to dig a bigger hole. You have to rehearse proper mechanics whenever you practice hitting.

2. Get back to the basics. In the midst of a slump, hitting can seem very complicated. In that case, it may help to simplify everything. A hitter should go back to what build his swing. Tee work and soft-toss drills allow a player to feel and focus on the fundamentals of the swing. A hitter should walk through basic drills and gradually build towards live batting practice. She may discover that her swing just needed a tune-up.

3. Visualize. When a hitter struggles, it's easy to fall in the habit of expecting the worst. This is never a productive mindset for competitive softball players. Positive thoughts breed positive results especially in a sport like softball. A hitter should think back to when she was swinging the bat well. Recall hard-hit balls to the outfield gap, line drives up the middle, and stroked balls to the opposite field.

Before at bats, instruct the hitter to imagine the pitch she wants and to see herself crushing it. When she sees something positive happening in her own mind, it helps her believe she's capable of actually doing it.

4. Have honest conversation. Many slumps are born of a poor approach at the plate. For example, a hitter may approach each at bat trying to hit every pitch over the outfielder's head. This commonly results in dropping the rear shoulder and swinging under the pitch.

Talk to the hitter and ask her what she's thinking. Is she attempting to hit every pitch over the fence? Is she trying to pull every pitch? Is she simply looking to put the ball in play? Is she afraid to make an out? By asking the hitter to share her thoughts, you may expose the root of the problem.

5. Review videotape. We always say, "Seeing it is believing it." Many young hitters don't want to listen to instruction. Kids can be stubborn, but it's also possible they simply don't believe or don't get it what they're being told. Well, it's one thing to hear it, but it's another thing if they can actually see it. The video camera can serve as an extremely useful tool. It not only provides visual proof but accurately illustrates what may be difficult to place into words.

6. Change. Some players respond positively to change. A change in the stance, pre-swing, mental approach, or even equipment can jump-start a hitting streak. It should not be a major change in mid-season, but a subtle adjustment can have a positive impact. There is more than one way to hit a baseball, so maybe the hitter just needs to shake things up to get himself going. If he believes a minor change makes him a better hitter, by all means, let him do it.

Marc Dagenais is a softball peak performance coach that provides softball tips, softball drills, and information on techniques for hitting, pitching, coaching, and training through his blog at http://www.softballperformance.com/blog

He also helps softball players and coaches improves their game by sharing with them the tips and strategies used by the world's best softball players and coaches to achieve extraordinary performances. You can sign-up to get his FREE Softball Tips at http://www.softballperformance.com/softball-tips.html Go Sign-up Now!

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Free Girls Softball Practice Drills

FastPitchSoftballSupply.com/SoftballrUs.com has the ZipnHit-Pro Softball batting Trainer.

Free softball drills can really help out softball players and make them become better players. Softball drills can also easily be used during practices and improve their skills. The following are free girls softball practices drills that coaches can use to get their players to reach the next level.

By Marc Dagenais

Drill 1 - Soccer Ball (Softball Hitting)

Purpose: To learn how to drive through the ball.

Procedure: Place a soccer ball on a T. If the T is an open tube, place a small bathroom plunger in the T to hold the ball or use a traffic cone and a plunger. The batter hits the soccer ball hard off the T. If she does not drive through the soccer ball, it will not explode off the bat.

Drill 2 - Football Up and Down

Purpose: To develop the agility and quickness to escape a rundown.

Procedure: In staggered rows, players assume well-balanced positions as if between bases. The coach faces the players and gives hand signals to indicate the direction in which players move. The signals are right, left, down, and up. Players shuffle to the side on right and left signals. On the down signal they quickly hit the ground. Players should be absolutely flat. On the up signal they get up quickly to be ready to go again. In a rundown, players use the prone position to trip the defensive player.

Drill 3 - Timed Throws (Softball Catchers)

Purpose: To evaluate quickness of release and speed of the throw.

Procedure: The catcher catches a pitched ball in full gear so that the drill is gamelike. The coach starts a stopwatch when the ball enters the glove and stops it when the ball is released or when the ball reaches the shortstop's glove at second base. Good times for the ball to go from glove to glove for college catchers are between 1.65 and 1.75 seconds. High school catchers should make the throw in less than 2 seconds.

Drill 4 - Wall Drill (Softball Pitching)

Purpose: To develop proper rotation of the arm.

Procedure: The pitcher throws imaginary pitches using a wall to keep the arm straight in a perfect circle. She stands perpendicular to a wall with the pitching arm close to the wall and about four inches away. The pitcher uses the full pitching motion (including the stride and the opening of the hips), keeping the arm straight and in tight so that it does not contact the wall. The pitcher walks and moves down the wall throwing imaginary pitches.

Drill 5 - Moving to the Base (Softball Infield)

Purpose: To improve quickness and range moving to first base.

Procedure: The first baseman takes a position halfway to home as if fielding a bunt. On the coach's command "go," she sprints to the base (turning inward to the diamond), finds the base, takes the receiving position, catches an imaginary ball, and tags the base. The player repeats the drills, moving ever closer to home to increase the distance and push herself to improve quickness in getting to the base.

Marc Dagenais is a softball peak performance coach that provides softball tips, softball drills, and information on techniques for hitting, pitching, coaching, and training through his blog at http://www.softballperformance.com/blog

He also helps softball players and coaches improves their game by sharing with them the tips and strategies used by the world's best softball players and coaches to achieve extraordinary performances. You can sign-up to get his FREE Softball Tips at http://www.softballperformance.com/softball-tips.html Go Sign-up Now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Dagenais

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Softball Hitting Instructions

www.ZipnHit-pro.com

If you are a softball coach, you have a big responsibility at hand. You need to empower the players every now and then. You need to be a living example of what you tell them to do.

By Marc Dagenais

Most importantly, you need to improve their learning and make them become better. In order to improve the softball playing techniques of every member of your team, you need as much power and willingness to device a prevailing plan and instructions.

Now, softball has been one of the most popular team sports in the U.S. You must have observed that in every softball game, much of the control in the runs come from the batting. That is why every softball coach should properly and constantly instruct every softball player to practice and learn the different softball hitting styles and techniques.

There is a need to know that there are different hitting drills that are fit for every softball player. With this fact, the player and the coach must evaluate the varieties of softball hitting styles so that you will both know what works for you and what will not work for you but will still work for the other members of the team. Incorporate your new learning style to your practice and approach in each bat.

Hitting the softball is one of the most difficult skills to be learned. It is also one of the most difficult to coach. Because of these reasons, there is a call for both the players and the coach to work hand in hand for the direct positive result of every undertaking. Just avoid extreme changes when incorporating new styles. Change is good but when it is applied radically, it may bring a negative result which you don't want to happen of course.

The coach and the player must be well coordinated with the kind of style they will use. If the player uses a certain stance, the coach must observe him first. The coach must not reprimand the player in an instant. Observe first the comfort the player while he is using his own style of hitting and the stance as well. The player, on the other hand, should always listen to the coach. Both of you have one major aim. And that is to produce the most number of runs. In order for this to happen, a coordinated plan should be working between the coach and the players. In this way, a smooth flow of the game plan will materialize. Eventually, all the softball hitting instructions that the coach and the players have practiced will serve as their winning edge over the other competing teams.

Marc Dagneais is Softball Peak Performance Coach that helps softball players turn their athletic talent into extraordinary performances and help coaches get more out of their players, turn their struggling team around or get an edge over their opponents. Visit us to access our directory of FREE softball drills!

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