Common Mistakes in Young Hitters

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If major league hitters are one thing, they are meticulous. Watch them get their stance in the box. This process can seem to take hours. They tighten their batting gloves, they dig their back foot in, step back out of the box, they put their hand up to the umpire for time, take their stance again, and then they tap the plate and check their alignment. Okay, I’m ready. This tells me one thing, your set up matters. A lot.

Take the time to get it right and put your body in a strong starting position. Many times I watch hitters jump in the box and go, often times starting in different positions. They may be slight, but different nonetheless. It’s the difference between hitting a line drive and fouling a ball off. If your body is in a different starting position every time, it stands to reason that you will not swing the bat the same way every time, producing inconsistency. Consistency is a hitter’s best friend.

The second major flaw with young hitters is dropping their hands during their stride/load phase of their swing. At a younger age, it’s not so important that they load their hands, but more importantly that they keep their hands up in a strong hitting position. One of THE most important hitting positions that is constant with nearly all major league hitters, is the position of their hands when their stride foot lands. Regardless of where their hands start, nearly all major league hitters will get their hands just off their back shoulder and at shoulder height when the stride foot lands. We commonly refer to that spot as the launching position or the spot where we start our swing with our hands. When teaching young hitters, ensure that they are finding this spot consistently.

The last common flaw I see among young hitters is their lack of follow through. Make sure that the back hip gets all the way through (back foot is in-line with the pitcher) and that their hands get the bat all the way to the front shoulder. This will ensure a proper hip turn and a proper upper body turn and consequently, a proper follow through.

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