Posted by: Torque (roscoethewestie@comcast.net) on Fri May 22 04:56:52 2009

> I have watched the final arc 2 with my son
> And have done a lot of tee work with him
> His rotation is great he is hitting the ball much harder then ever before. The only problem is he steps out a lot (left handed batter steps to 1 st base) and has poor outside plate coverage any tips to help him along ?
> Ty Adam

I'd try any or all of these: practice hitting the ball up the middle off the tee, tell him to step to the pitcher, have him stand on a 4 ft 2x10 and make sure he stays on the board when he swings, try having him finish his swing a little higher near the shoulder. Kids tend to finish a little lower and this can throw his balance off. Because kids are weaker they will sometimes try and use whole body rotation to generate power.

I've found over time this problem will correct itself if worked on consistently. I really believe it is a flexibility/new muscle memory issue that will correct if addressed. Hitting the ball up the middle in BP cures a lot ills and leads to higher batting averages if the hitter is making contact.

As he grows up make sure he stays on the primary objective of hitting the ball hard. Sometimes hitters will focus on the mechanical aspect instead of the goal.