Posted by: ktc () on Mon Jun 4 22:08:22 2001

I have 2 really big 11 year old kids that get the bat around like there is a 10lb weight attached to it. What can I do to help them get it around quicker. One is swinging a 30/20 bat the other 30/19. Someone told me I may want them at the plate with an open stance. Any other suggestions or am I on target with this.
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> It's not the bat weight it is the mechanics that are incorrect. My 8 year old 50lb son swings a 31"/22 oz. bat.with minimal choking up. I pitch at normal major LL speed and he has no problem cracking the ball consistently to left. My son is not large, nor exceptionally strong, or gifted. Read Jack's messages on this web site, buy Jack's invaluable tape, study the swings of hall of fame power hitters, do Jack's drills. I could go on and on. Here is the formula. Knowledge+drills = power!
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I have an 11 year old thick bodied kid who occasionally exhibits both extremes of bat speed. He normally has good timing against even the best select pitchers in the area. He swings a 30/23 in games and in practice sometimes tries a wood 32/30 with decent results. His keys to good results are relaxed elbows, all the shoulder rotation he can muster, and a stride that starts early but comes down just prior to decision time.

When he listens to a well-meaning "hitting" coach to "stride and load early", he ends up trying to get the swing restarted from a dead stop with the hands much too far back. In this situation even with last year's 30/18 model his swing is just too sluggish. It ends up hard, but takes forever to get going. Fortunately, he is learning the difference between good and bad advise and almost always takes a good rotation-based swing that provides good bat speed and power to all fields.