Posted by: The Hitting Guru () on Sun May 23 19:44:41 2004

My 9 year old son is a righty but has been batting lefty for 5 years and is struggling at the plate. Should I make him switch to righty?
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> Carlos,
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> I agree that you shouldn't switch him over to the right side during the season. I would however start working with him to become a switch hitter between seasons. I can't speak for your son since I haven't seen him, but of the 5-6 kids (10-12 Majors) I have experience with in this area (hit - throw opposite sides) NONE of them have kept good mechanics as they've matured. I've found that as kids get to this age, their dominant side becomes much stronger than their weak side leading to numerous mechanical issues - IMO. If you can teach him to hit from BOTH sides and he can keep his mechanics right then the worst he'll become is a GOOD switch hitter or a hitter that can choose which side he wants to hit from when he gets to higher levels. A win-win situation if you ask me. - Tom Waz
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> If you would really also like to help him, I would suggest that you have hime perform more routine tasks with his left hand. This will help him improve his dexterity and related motor skills. A lot of kids this earlier in their lives do not have their full coordination necessary to use these skills to the fullest. Practice, practice, practice is the key. I would stick to the left side. Most of your best major league hitters bat and have batted from the left side. Good Luck.