Baseball Tips On Hitting--How to Overcome Swinging Late At Pitches
Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010
by Larry Cicchiello
Larwenty Online Enterprises Inc
Swinging late is a very common baseball hitting problem, especially with younger players. There are some very good baseball tips on hitting as to what you must do and what you should never do that will help you out. What you do with your front elbow is critical!
When looking to solve a baseball hitting problem, always look for the easiest fix first. Here is a list of some possible solutions if you are swinging late and not catching up to the pitch.
2. Make sure you are "loading up" early enough and giving yourself enough time to get the bat into the hitting zone. You never want to load up late so if needed, load up earlier. I've seen many 10 to 12 year olds going back toward the catcher when the pitch is already on its way. This makes hitting the ball impossible. Watch for this with younger players. I've seen it many times.
3. Many youngsters in particular, have the bad habit of loading up twice. You go back once, not twice. They load up once and then they make the common mistake of loading up a little bit more. You simply cannot be going back toward the catcher when the pitch is on its way.
4. You are possibly taking too long a route to the ball. Be more direct when going from point A, where you are loaded up, to point B, where you make contact. "Take the shortest route to granny's house."
5. One of my top three baseball tips on hitting is the first movement after you are loaded up should be down toward the baseball and the bat should level out only at the point of contact. Many weak hitters have the bat parallel to the ground at the very beginning of the swing and this is wrong and will present many baseball hitting problems.
If the first movement is not downward, it will create the slightest loop in your swing and you will lose a valuable fraction of a second. A fraction of a second is an eternity when it comes to baseball hitting!
6. Another possibility for being late is the bottom of the knob of the bat is facing too far back toward the catcher. This will cause the bat to have to travel a much greater distance to get to the ball and make you late on your swing. The same holds true if the bat is wrapped too far around your head.
7. You don't want to have your hands too far away from the body, which causes the front arm to straighten out too soon. This will cause a longer and indirect swing, causing you to be late on the pitch.
8. Maybe the bat is being held too much straight up and down. If you are doing this, try a compromise of half way between straight up and down and parallel to the ground.
9. Maybe you are gripping the bat too tightly. It's a known fact that you can swing the bat more efficiently and quicker by not gripping it too tightly. It's the same exact principle as a pitcher gripping the ball tighter to slow down the speed of the pitch to fool the hitter. Gripping the bat too tightly will slow down your bat speed just like it slows down a pitch from the pitcher.
Remember, one of the best baseball tips on hitting you will ever learn is to keep the front elbow pointing down at the very start of your swing. The swing levels out ONLY at the point of contact. If you are NOT doing this, make this adjustment and your hitting will improve immediately! There is simply no substitute for being "quick to the ball." It is the only possible way for 95 m.p.h. fast balls to leave the "yard" and not make it to the catcher's mitt!
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