Keys to Youth Swing Development

Drawing from my direct personal experiences as a player and coach, discipline and absolute determination makes all the difference in the world when it issues us challenges.  Indeed, there is a need to coach young players the do's and don'ts in regard to hands dropping and other batting issues that might be interfering with their swing at the point of contact. Indubitably, the tee ball drill will enable a coach to help young players to correct deficiencies in their swing while teaching them batting fundamentals that must be acquired in order to be a good hitter of the ball. It is of paramount importance that the correct grip of the bat and the correct stance are shown to the learner. Albeit the stance is elementary it is a very important issue in swing development. Feet just a litter bit wider than the shoulders, the knees bent, the hands must be at shoulder height and close to the body. The bat should be in a vertical position, the back elbow down, the head level so that the tracking eye has a clear line of sight to the ball and the bat must be kept still before the swing is executed. Naturally, a tee ball is not pitched to the batter and plainly it must be hit from a stationary position, placed in front of a home base. A Constant batting objective is the shifting of weight towards the back leg before taking a short stride with the front leg while the foot, the front hip and shoulder remain closed. The hands move backwards and the leading arm stretches across the chest (Watch for bat wrapping and for hands dropping), turn the back foot at a 90 degree angle. Watch for front shoulder, and the hip opening, this should produce a strong hip rotation. The belly button must be pointing to where the ball came from after the ball had been hit and the bat should be driven by the legs and hips, not hands, ensuring that the player makes a solid contact with the ball towards the fielders. From the coaching point of view repeatedly hitting the ball off the tee will improve a player's swing and at the same time he will discover that there is a sweet spot on the bat at the end of the barrel when he makes a clean contact with the ball.

Pedro Figueras
Head Cach
Figueras Baseball Academy