Posted by: greg (gparks@in.net) on Tue May 9 09:28:39 2000

As far as 8 year-olds are concerned. If they can already hit the ball, the first thing to have them do is switch over to a wood bat. This is critical !! A wooden bat has a smaller sweet-spot. This will discipline the player to "know where to hit" to get maximum rebound off the bat. Then during games have him use the Aluminum bat. You will see an amazing difference in his hitting capability. Again, this should be done for an experienced 8 year-old only. The Aluminum bat's sweet spot is too forgiving and allows a hitter to cheat. Thus when the step is taken to get to the big leagues, he will never have the ability to get out of single-A ball. Would you want your son to be in Birmingham the rest of his life ? !! NO WAY......
GOOD LUCK ! ! ! !







> I may get beat up over this but here is my coaching philosophy:
>
> 1. Teach the player to swing at the ball. Keep in mind the difference between swinging the bat and hitting the ball. At the beginning, DO NOT TEACH STRIKE ZONE. Once the player has developed an ability to hit the ball, then begin to teach strike zone discipline.
> 3.The most important thing for aspiring hitters at this age is confidence. They need to be thinking HIT THE BALL before every pitch, instead of deciding whether or not to swing while the ball is on its way. Teach the player to start swinging on every pitch. Stop the swing if contact cannot be made.
> 2. Continue to work off of a tee. This helps the player to hit the ball out front. Work off the tee simulating inside, middle, and outside pitches. This will teach the player to go after a hitable pitch and drive it to all parts of the field. The tee is also wear players learn about power.
> 3. First comes hitting, then power. Let the player get comfortable putting the bat on the ball before you teach power.
>
> Our techniques are basic.
>
> We teach:
> eyes on the ball,
> hit the ball out front,
> arms fully extended.
>
> Critiques welcomed...
>