Posted by: Chris O'Leary (chris@chrisoleary.com) on Wed Nov 2 18:12:50 2005

> My 7 yr. old son who plays machine pitch has recently developed the habit of bending or dipping his knees as the ball approaches and he takes his swing. This has resulted in a lot of infield pop ups. In his current stance, his knees are slightly bent and his legs are about shoulder width apart. I've thought about widening his stance and a few other things but wanted to get advice first.
>
> I'm not sure where he got this from but any advice, drills, or tips to help him break this habit would be appreciated.

My brother-in-law does this in the middle of his golf swing and it causes real problems as the round goes on.

Could your son be afraid of the ball? Maybe trying to get out of the way? Ducking? What look is on his face? Is it concentration or do you see a look of fear cross his face?

Have you checked his vision? Is he seeing the ball clearly?

How long and heavy of a bat is he using? Could he be compensating for a too-heavy bat somehow? I have my kids use 25/14s and 26/14s when they are 7.

When does he dip relative to the movement of his hands and the rest of his body? Is it before or during his swing? Does he dip while his hands are extended or before?

Chris