Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Mon Apr 24 21:15:38 2000

>>>I coach 9-10yr old kids. I have tried several drills to have them make better contact. I found that thier timing is off one way or another. With slow pitchers they are way out in front. I have tried a timing step and some kids has taken to it while others have not. Any suggestions <<<

Hi Shane

Of course good swing mechanics are always very important. But I think one of the main reasons so many kids have trouble with timing and making contact is the lack of swings at a live arm. They spend far too much time facing a pitching machine, soft-toss or the "T" as compared to swings at live pitching. --- I have often found that good hitting teams had a coach with a well-conditioned arm. When I got sore, a quick moving game of "work-up" came in real handy and the kids always enjoyed it.

Jack Mankin