Posted by: The Hitting Guru () on Wed Jul 28 21:05:00 2004

>My 8 year old son is a good hitter on a travel team. My problem occurs with pitching batting practice to him. I throw very erratically, which I'm afraid will lead to bad hitting habits. I could get a pitching machine but feel that live pitching is superior. Any throwing tips to improve my accuracy?
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> Reg,
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> Use a tee occasionally to re-inforce good mechanics. Use the pitching machine so he can get comfortable seeing consistent strikes pitched to him. Then, pitch to him from a slightly shorter distance. You won't be as worried about hitting him or being all over the place with your pitches that way.
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> I think kids need to see as much live pitching as possible. However, they need as few variables as possible to help them maintain good mechanics. That's why I like to incorporate the tee and pitching machine as well. I would recommend you pitch a few to him right after he has a good round with the machine. This will help him maintain his sense of timing with a live pitcher.
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> Marcus



I would suggest that you use a "strike out box" and or target box (card board or chalk box on a wall tailored to his strike zone. This will help you from a target standpoint and it will give your son an idea of what the strike zone is. Wild pitching is a part of the game. And your son will need to differentiate between strikes and balls, as there is no guarantee he will bat against consistent strikes. Good luck.