Posted by: Ronnie (rwynn@comsouth.net) on Mon Mar 14 18:40:26 2011

> > > Also, any drills for getting young kids to keep their eye on the ball?
> >
> > Not sure about how to fix the chop swing. And, I don't think there are any drills that are the end all be all, but for the young kids keeping the eye on the ball, I like to toss them a tennis ball on a concrete surface and have them hit it after it bounces at least once.
> >
> > Best wishes!
> > ---
>
> Sandy, if he is chopping at the ball, it is likely that he is out on his front foot when swinging. If he strides, have him stride to a closed foot getting to a 50/50 weight distribution on his feet with his hands still back and on the balls of his feet. Then have him swing through the ball up through the pitchers head. However, at his age you have to be careful that you don't create other problems. His ability to rotate his body correctly and proper hand positions are key. Jacks DVD's go through all of this.
>
> For keeping his head on the ball, put a ball a foot or two in front of the plate and on the outside edge. Tell him that his eyes should be on that ball when he finishes his swing. Also, throw some pitches to him and just have him stride correctly, keeping his hands back, and watch the ball all the way past the plate. That will help him get used to watching the ball all the way.

Sandy, I am going against the grain on this for a very good reason. That being I started my son out on a chop swing - like chopping the tree down. If your kid is chopping the tree down and can hit the ball I would not be too quick to fix it. All you are wanting to do is get him to use his body to chop the tree down, kind of like the arms are along for the ride. Without seeing his swing it is hard to tell what is going on. In the end we want him to rotate the body and chop the tree down with a somewhat level to ground swing at age 7. As he matures he will need to learn some tilt.
The perfect connection and a heavy bag should help him a lot.
Best wishes.