THE OUTSIDE PITCH DRILL

By Charles "Popcorn" Thompson

The outside pitch drill is great for teaching hitters how to control there hands during the swing. The drill should be performed as in the picture to the left.  The tosser should be about 15 feet away from the batter and to the side as in soft toss either sitting or standing (I prefer standing).  Toss the ball to the center of the batter's body which is the same as the hitter allowing the ball to get deep in the zone.  

Three things should be emphasized in this drill.  

1.  Bat lag.  
Bat lag is when the barrel follows the hands to the ball.  Most young hitters have the tendency of "rolling" the top hand on an outside pitch which causes the barrel to get in front of the hands too soon.  This usually results in a weak ground ball to the pitcher or an infielder.

2.  A Strong Top-Hand.  
A strong top-hand is when the barrel does not drop too soon during the swing. When the barrel drops too soon the result is usually a pop-up.  

3.  A Tall Backside.  
Notice that the batter in the picture is not collapsing his backside. This is what I mean by having a tall backside. The batter's upper body is centered with his feet at contact. The tall backside helps to decrease the hitter's chances of poping up.

The Baseball Batting Grip

By Charles "Popcorn" Thompson

The baseball batting grip is one of the most overlooked things in youth baseball. When working with a new student, always start with the grip. The proper grip allows the hands to work together as a single unit, while an improper grip causes the hands to work against themselves. This can really be seen at contact. A hitter will have better bat control and maximum bat speed with a proper grip.

An incorrect grip can be spotted from the dugout. The elbows and wrists are good indicators of an improper grip. If the knuckles are not aligned properly the front elbow especially will be too high. This usually happens when the third (the largest) knuckles are aligned. Another indication of an improper grip is when both wrists are "straight" from the back of the hand to the forearm. I like to see a slight "V" formed at the back of the wrists. This slight "V" along with the front and back elbows at about a 45 degree angle is a pretty good indication that the batter has a proper grip.

Many youth hitters will choke the bat in the palm which doesn't allow them to be in a strong position at contact. Start by holding the bat in the fingers not in the palm of the hand. The fingers should grip the bat in a relaxed manner in the stance. Don't worry about the batter throwing the bat. When the batter starts the swing, the fingers will grip the bat more firmly to keep from throwing the bat.

The grip should be with the "door knocking" knuckles aligned. This will help the hands to work together at contact. This grip should be taught to youth hitters. Many youth hitters will have the second knuckles aligned with the third knuckles and even the third knuckles together (this is pretty extreme). I know that many big-leaugers will have their second and third knuckles together, but notice the knuckles at contact, the second knuckles ("door knocking") are aligned. The reason for this is because they don't have a "death grip" on the bat, and their knuckles align themselves during the swing. Many youth hitters will grip the bat so tight that their knuckles could never get aligned in this manner.

Baseball Batting Stance: The Proper Distance From Home Plate

By Charles "Popcorn" Thompson

Just what is the proper distance from home plate in the baseball batting stance?
If you watch much baseball you will see all kinds of batting stances. The batting stance will differ from batter to batter and so will the distance from home plate. Each hitter must find his unique, comfortable distance from home plate. Most hitters will accomplish this by trial and error. He/she will move around until he/she is comfortable. Well, the most comfortable place might not be the most effective. For example, if a batter is extremely close to home plate, the inside pitch could be too difficult to hit in fair territory. Or, if a batter is too far from home plate, it might be tough getting to the outside pitch.

Some hitters will stand really close to home plate challenging the pitcher to throw inside. I don't suggest doing that because most will have trouble keeping the baseball fair. However, if you can get the hands "inside" the baseball on a good fastball then stay close to home plate.

Determining the proper distance from home plate can be achieved with a batting tee
I believe that understanding the proper distance from home plate is fundamental to hitting. Helping my students  understand this is important to me. Many times during the first batting lesson a parent will ask me how far should their son or daughter stand from home plate. I will immediately get a batting tee to help determine the proper distance.

First, place the batting tee about 3-4 inches past the outside corner of home plate. I want the tee that far outside because most umpires in youth baseball will call strikes that far outside. Next, place a baseball on the tee and have the batter take a few swings. Proper plate coverage is what I am looking for now. Make sure the batter is able to get the sweet spot of the bat on a pitch that far outside without reaching too far to make contact. If contact is being made with the sweet spot of the bat you know the batter is not too far from the plate.

Next, place the tee about 3-4 inches past the inside corner because umpires will often call strikes that far inside. Now have the hitter take a few swings. Is the hitter making contact with the ball on the handle or on the "sweet spot" of the bat? If the baseball is hitting the "sweet spot" of the bat, then the hitter is in a good place. If not, move away from home plate a little or try getting the hands more "inside".

Which Type Of Baseball Batting Stance Should A Youth Hitter Use?

By Charles "Popcorn" Thompson

There are (3) three basic fundamental hitting stances in baseball, the open, the closed, and the square stance. Hitters choose their batting stances for different reasons. Many youth baseball hitters choose their favorite MLB player's batting stance to use. Not a good idea in many cases because some MLB players have extreme batting stances which were developed over many years. Extreme batting stances can make for some extreme adjustments. MLB players have the time to work on making the necessary adjustments while youth players are just not afforded with that kind of time.

When I am giving private hitting lessons, students are taught to step straight ahead towards the pitcher (square). If the batting stance is extremely open or extremely closed, it can be very difficult to get to square (stepping straight towards the pitcher).

What is an "open" batting stance in baseball?
When a hitter steps into the batter's box and the back foot is closer to home plate than the front foot, the batting stance is considered open. The baseball world is starting to see the open stance at every level. I watch a lot of baseball, from youth league baseball to major league baseball and the open stance has gravitated into every level. I don't have a problem with some high school (not all), college or pro hitters using the open batting stance because they understand how to step from open to square (stepping straight towards the pitcher) without upsetting their timing. However, most youth baseball hitters (and coaches) don't have that same understanding.

What is a "closed" batting stance in baseball?
When the front foot is closer to home plate than the back foot, the stance is considered as closed. Some coaches instruct hitters to close their stance to stop the hitter from "stepping out" during an at-bat. If it works for the hitter, fine. The name of the game is to help hitters become sucessful at the plate,right? But remember, closing the stance to keep a hitter from "stepping out" might not work for every hitter. No, let me re-phrase that, it will not work for every hitter.

What is a "square" batting stance in baseball?
When both feet are an equal distance from home plate, the stance is considered square.

Which batting stance do I prefer for youth hitters in baseball? 
I like to keep things simple and easy to understand for my students and players. I prefer to teach the square batting stance to youth hitters. I believe the square batting stance is the most fundamental hitting stance to teach youth hitters. One of the advantages of the square stance is that the hitter can step straight ahead without thinking about finishing open or closed. Not having to think about going from open to square, or closed to square gives a youth hitter one less thing to think about.

The open batting stance can promote stepping "in the bucket" for youth hitters who don't understand that they should step square (straight towards the pitcher). When they step straight ahead in the open stance, the step is really towards the short stop or third baseman for a right-handed batter. Ever wonder why so many coaches yell to the batter that they are "pulling" their head out? If a right-handed hitter steps towards the short stop or third baseman, what do you think is going to happen to his front-side? Right, it is going to go early causing the head to "pull" out.

Keep it simple and teach youth baseball hitters the square batting stance!

Fundamental Hitting: How Wide Should The Feet Be In The Stance?

By Charles "Popcorn" Thompson

Fundamental hitting in baseball starts with a good, solid stance. Hitters should always feel strong and comfortable in the batter's box. Hearing coaches tell hitters in baseball that their feet are too wide in the batter's box makes me cringe. Some coaches think that hitters can't get their hips through if their feet are wide. Would you tell Albert Pujols that his feet are too wide. I don't think so. Pujols has no problem getting his hips through. The width of a hitter's feet in the batter's box should be determined by where the hitter's stride-foot lands naturally.

How Wide Should The Feet Be In The Stance?
Before you get the urge to tell a hitter in baseball that his feet are too wide or too narrow, watch the hitter take a few swings from a good fundamental baseball hitting stance. Pay close attention to where his stride-foot lands. If the stride-foot is landing in the same place, take a measurement or just have the hitter bring his stride-foot back about 3 - 6 inches from where it landed. That is how wide a hitter's feet should be in a good fundamental baseball hitting stance. It truly is that simple!

Why should the feet come back about 3 - 6 inches?
From a good fundamental hitting stance in baseball, the hitters stride should not be more than six inches. Striding less than three inches is okay. No stride at all is fine too. In order to start the swing, the stride-foot must be down. In fact, it is impossible to start the hands to the baseball before the stride-foot hits the ground. Just try it yourself. When I give baseball hitting lessons I make the hitters aware of this fact. When they face a fast pitcher, they understand that the adjustment to make is to get the stride-foot down a little earlier and they won't be late on the pitch. Most young baseball hitters are late in the baseball swing because they don't get the stride-foot down soon enough, not because their hands aren't quick enough. And if the stride is too long, it will certainly cause the hitter to be late.

A Good Fundamental Hitting Stance Starts With The Feet

By Charles "Popcorn" Thompson

Developing a good fundamental hitting swing in baseball begins with a good, strong batting stance. And when we talk about the baseball batting stance, we must start with the feet. Most parents and youth league baseball coaches overlook the importance of the placement of the feet in the hitting stance.

As a hitting instructor, I emphasize to each new student the importance of the feet in the batting stance. When taking your stance in the batter's box, never place your feet less than shoulder-width apart. Balance will be the first thing to leave when your feet are too close together. A good fundamental hitting swing cannot be achieved without good balance.

The back foot is also extremely important. Most youth league hitters will place the back foot with the toe pointing towards the catcher at about a 45 degree angle. This is done because it feels more natural to the hitter. In that position, hip rotation will be restricted. It is no surprise to see young baseball hitters finishing their swings with the back foot still on the ground. This is commonly seen in youth league games. To promote a good hip turn, the toe of the back foot should be pointing straight ahead (parallel to the back line of the batter's box).