QuestionQUESTION: Hi John
My son is hitting only groundballs and seems to get stung way to often. He does not strikeout and when he hits at the range he hits linedrives;however in the games groundballs
Lee
ANSWER: Lee,
Your son may be getting too comfortable with the hitting machines, start pitching to him live so he can see a variety of pitches and locations. It is important to notice where these line drives are going in the cages. You should have your son hit the ball to the opposite side everytime he practices. This is so he will see the ball longer, let it come to him, and it will make sure his mechanics are perfect. If your son is hitting the balls in the cage to his pull side, there is an easy explanation as to why he is hitting grounders and getting stung. Hitting line drives in the cages is easy once the timing is down. The balls come in relatively the same spot with the same speed. If the cage hits are to the pull side your sons contact zone is out in front of his body, you want this zone to be deeper. When your son is slightly early you may see the grounders because the ball is hit in the farthest point in the contact zone and the top hand may be starting to roll. Once the top hand starts to roll you will roll right over the top of the ball and the result will be a weak ground ball. If this is true, your son may have a long swing. If the swing is long anytime he is late will result is getting stung.
Most of this can be corrected with the proper mechanics. There are two ways to hit, either rotational or linear. From the sounds of it it seems your son hits with a linear style. This style utilizes the hands and arms to control the swing. The rotational style, which I recommend, will use the hips to control the swing and the arms to guide the swing. In a rotational swing the hips will start the swing by rotating. The rotation starts with the back foot, knee, hip, then the shoulder. The rotation will lead the hands to the ball and the hands will rotate around the axis of rotation that the hips create. THIS IS A VERY DETAILED EXPLANATION, PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT ME TO EXPLAIN THIS FURTHER. If your son uses a rotational swing he will get into the contact zone earlier and stay in it longer. He will able to be late and get inside the ball easier. This will also help with the proper swing plane. Most people think you swing down on the ball. If you swing down you hit the ball down and that is what the pitcher wants. The proper swing plane is a very slight upper cut where you go up and through the baseball at contact.
The grip will also help with getting stung. The stinging feeling comes with getting jammed and the bat vibrates. Take a look at your sons grip. I see a lot of little leaguers that grip the bat in their fingers with a loose grip. This grip will result in a weaker grip and swing. If the grip is weak the bat will vibrate more. The bottom hand is the power hand and should be held behind the last set of knuckles close to the palm. This hand is held firm. The top hand is in the middle knuckles and starts loose. The middle knuckles of the top hand should line up with the middle and last set of knuckles on the bottom hand. As you swing the top hand creates a punching and squeeze motion and the bottom hand extends and lifts. Every player that I have taught this correct grip usually doesn't get stung as often on inside pitches and creates a faster stronger swing. Take a look at the MLB hitters and you will see over 95% of them using this grip.
Hope this helps. Please let me know if I can explain anything further.
Thank You,
John Priest
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: I believe that he is getting stung not on the inside pitches but the outside. His knuckles are lined up (middle knucles and I am sure that he is holding the bat relatively firm.
Answer
John Priest
Lee,
If he is getting stung on the outside pitches then he is trying to pull all pitches in all locations. He needs to learn how to hit to the opposite field. This will make him see the ball longer, stay inside the ball, and let the ball get deep in the contact zone. As soon as he learns this skill he will not get stung on the outside pitches. I attached a picture of the grip and hand position. The grip is hard to see but you can see how the hands line up.
Thank You,
John Priest
