Where do you or your children get hitting instruction?

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   pette059posted 12 years ago

   I am curious where people get instruction from. Is it online? Personal knowledge? Clinics?

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2. 63

   I am DB Cooperposted 12 years ago

   There is lots of good information on the baseball-fever.com forum. I also wrote a series of hubs on "how to hit a home run", which is really more about developing a powerful swing than just swinging for the fences.

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3. 87

   jponiatoposted 12 years ago

   I don't mean to sound like a commercial, but the "hit-away" batting trainer device, along with the instructional video, helped me immensely.
   
   http://www.sklz.com/baseball-training-a … ng-trainer

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      Cre8torposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Much is personal knowledge though I've found it to be tough. I played for many years growing up but found out very quickly that coaching and playing are 2 very different things. Not bragging but I put on a glove, picked up a bat and played. No one coached me much growing up...(maybe Andre Thorton :-) This makes it hard to identify problems or relay good pointers.
      
      Not a fan of the "5 Minute Ab" approach though that seems to be everywhere.

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      I am DB Cooperposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I've never seen the hit-away video, but I'm not a huge fan of the device. It seems to promote a "just make good-enough contact" approach to hitting, because swinging and missing forces the user to stop what they're doing and "reset" the ball by swinging it around the pole/tree again. I see a lot of hit-away users "leak" their hands forward before the "go" moment in their swing in anticipation of the ball coming around. This robs their swing of a lot of power. I would actually recommend a tee or a SwingAway (if it's within your means) for practice with non-live pitching.

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   The Suburban Poetposted 12 years ago

   I played ball from the age of six until I was thirteen. My Dad took a broomstick and cut about two inches or so off the end of the stick and then would pitch the small piece to me while I swung the broom stick. You wouldn't believe how well that developed my eye for the ball. It taught me concentration. That is the number one thing: keep your eye on the ball. Other tips include not dropping your back shoulder or "putting your foot in the bucket" which means keeping your rear foot on the ground. Developing a level swing is also important. I used to study great hitters on tv.... good luck...

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5. 60

   pette059posted 12 years ago

   Thanks for all the responses! I am trying to get a feel for how the crowd on here approaches baseball development. I have always been a fan of hitting off of the tee, as I think it is the best way to work on making adjustments and directional hitting. Suburban poet, I like the idea of the broom stick. I am glad people are still thinking up their own contraptions.

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6. 60

   proudtobeadadposted 12 years ago

   Tee work is good stuff - if you are practicing right technique.  If this is for your child or children, there are usually many baseball clinics for kids (think during spring breaks or summer breaks).  Hint:  Don't drop them off and go to work.  Stay - the entire time and watch.  Depending on the environment and number of kids to instructors, you may even be enlisted to assist....  You will be learning for free how to help your kid at home.  So if they are anywhere from 4 to 10 - that's what you need to do.  Older - they need a private instructor....

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      pette059posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I like the idea of staying at the clinic. I have not been a proponent of 3 or 4 day clinics because I feel the kids don't have enough time to make necessary changes. If you can stay and your kid is motivated to continue working on things he needs to improve after the clinic, it can be worth it. Changes need to be made over a period of time.

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         Cre8torposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I agree. Staying and watching is good and change is over time. Too many parents don't have a clue about what's being coached at practice and then go tell the child something different at home. Confusing!
         
         I think instructors should request that parents participate if they want the help or it's a waste of time for all. Of course, you can't make them or turn down their $ if they won't but the request is a good idea.

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7. 67

   Pearldiverposted 12 years ago

   I was really lucky with my personal training...
   
   When they saw how well I swung.. lots of girls let me get to home base!

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