Posted by: pat skehan (skehan3@suscom.net) on Thu Apr 24 17:36:48 2003

> Any one who has experience with someone becoming a switch hitter after the age of 14 please help.
> > > How long did it take? How many reps? Did you ever get fully confident (pressure situations I mean)? Did you need a ton of actual game at bats or did game experience from one side speed up the new sides progress? Did your non dominant hand get as strong as the other? As coordinated? Or was it just hitting specific skill it learned? Hi Mr. Missouri Dad: I have had experience developing switch hitters in highschool, college, as well as professional baseball and the one thing I know for a fact that I can tell you is each case is different. Many factors depend on how fast competency can be attained on the new side, in general from my experience it has taken 2-4 years of work to develope consistency. Now some pro players I have seen pick it up in only one year, but this is not the norm. Muscle memory takes long term repetitions to develope. My advice to this 14yr old is not to lose heart and give up too soon, like so many players do. The marketability of a switch hitter is huge in the college and pro ranks..Merry Christmas..dog
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> my 14yr old son is attempting to learn to switch hit in earnest this year. he is right hand dominant but has always hit left handed as this is the way his dad taught him. he is very proficient in his age group. can you/or anybody offer training tips other than persistence? should he practice only on one side or the other for a session or switch back and forth during the same practice session?
> i am 16 yrs. old and started switch hitting about a 6 months ago. i have always hit right handed, but i am a natural lefty. i picked it up very quickly and now switch hit at the varsity level with consistency. the biggest problem i have had is pulling my shoulder out on outside pitches, and getting out front too early on breaking balls. also, getting a consistent swing is difficult. you may find that you have a different swing each time you go to the plate, for instance, at your first at bat, you line a pitch into right field, but next at bat, you are out in front of everything, not keeping your weight back. you need to find a consistent swing. repitition is key. hitting off of a tee is a good way to get your swing down. switch hitting is a big advantage, and it can keep you at the top of the lineup. when you are first learning to switch hit, do it in practice until you are good enough to produce in a game situation. as for hitting in pressure situations, that is mental. you should not switch hit in games unless you are confident enough to pull through when the game is on the line.another factor is if the coach will let him switch hit. some coaches just don't beleive in it. you need to show your coach that you are a threat from both sides of the plate. you also need to be confident, but you already know the key to hitting is confidence. good luck