Posted by: g_dunc@hotmail.com (Graylon) on Mon Sep 17 21:38:25 2007

> I am 15 years old and turning 16 soon. I am going into my 4th year of travel baseball and I was on the freshman baseball team last spring. I need help with my swing desperately. I take 500 swings a day(300 off a tee) and 200 underload/overload swings. I am playing fall ball and I had a game recently and I hit everything to right field and got jammed twice off a pitcher that wasnt throwing hard. This past travel season I was late on everything and kept getting jammed off pitchers not throwing hard at all and I have no idea why because I used to pull everything. I havent drove the ball in a while and I have no idea why this is all happening because I practice a ton and most people dont even practice at all but still awsome.I dont know if im striding late or if im picking up the ball to late. When I video tape my swing when I load my hands go up and back and when I start to turn my hips my hands are way above my shoulder. In freshamn I Batted .420 but most of my hits were to right field that were jam shots or little bloopers. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks

Hey,

Thought I might be able to help. Without actually seeing your swing it will be hard to tell you what you are doing.

I coach high school age kids and I can tell you what is generally the problem when they are getting jammed and hitting weak bloopers to opposite field.

You may be casting your top hand away from your body right at shoulder rotation. When you hit try to see if your top hand is dropping down and slightly back(forming a "L" with your back arm) before shoulder rotation. If this happens you can't stay inside the ball and you will drag the barrel through the zone. You will also notice that you very seldom hit the ball on the sweet spot. You need to allow your back elbow to drop but try to keep your top hand thumb close to your back shoulder. When you start to rotate your shoulders the front shoulder will pull the lead arm around, which will put the bat on the right plain. The top hand and back arm will naturally come down in the clasic "L" position at contact. By keeping your top hand thumb on your back shoulder this will allow you to stay inside the ball and get the sweet spot of the bat to the ball.

Lastly it may be your approach at the plate. With less then 2 strikes don't give into the pitcher. What I mean is go up to the plate with a plan. With less then 2 strikes you don't have to protect the whole strike zone. You should be zoning in to one pitch. Most likely Fast ball middle-in, something that you can drive and when you get it you won't get jammed because you are ready for it. The only time you need to give in to the pitcher and cover the whole strike zone is with 2 strikes. No hitter can cover the whole strike zone all the time and be successful. Do you think Bonds, with less then 2 strikes, is hitting the pitch the pitcher wants him to hit or is he hitting the pitch he wants to hit?

Keep the hands inside the ball(not by pushing them inside but by keeping the back thumb next to the rear shoulder) and get a good pitch to hit.

Good Luck,
Graylon