Can't get the ball in the air.

post a clip, otherwise its just a guess...

I don't have a clip =(

I guess a few tips would do then.

just an idea if your facing slower pitchers. you might be too far back in the box. therefore when the ball comes to you its already dropping and you cant do anything but hit it on the ground. hitting it on the ground isnt a terrible thing though. the fielder still has to field the ball and make the throw.

If you can't film, have someone watch you from behind the backstop. Ask them if your back is tilted 30-45 degrees at launch position (when your stride foot touches down) or if your back is instead almost vertical.

If vertical, then your arms are swinging DOWN to the ball and I've seen lots of kids who do this also yield many ground balls. When I ask them to "stick your butt out and tilt your chest out over the plate", they often start lifting the ball much better.

Good luck.

I've seen just as many with the tilt swing down on the ball.

They are not related.

That's your opinion/experience. My experience is obviously different. I don't know if I've seen ANY hitters who MAINTAIN the tilt into foot touch that still swing down?

And tho you claim to have SEEN just as many who tilt still swing down, how many have you actually WORKED WITH who did this?

Could you be rolling your wrists/ hands because of an improper grip on the bat?? Just a thought, with a simple solution.

That would account for all the symptoms you describe.

Without seeing you, everyone can only guess.

Most hitters with this problem are out on their front foot too much and are probably reaching out with their arms. You are probably taking your hands at the ball instead of rotating like high level hitters do. When you start your hands at the ball, you end up hitting the top as the ball continues to drop after you've already started your bat on the straight line.

If you tell me that you don't do this linear thing but are trying to hit rotational, then most likely you are casting your arms creating a level swing with the ground and will usually hit the top of the ball as it drops.

Regardless of the problem, you will be doing yourself a favor by working off a tee and not live pitching.

Put the tee closer than you than you'd like (deeper in the zone) and work on driving the ball into the air.

Remember ...Good hitters hit uphill and good pitchers pitch downhill.

Good luck

quote:

Originally posted by SBK:
When you start your hands at the ball, you end up hitting the top as the ball continues to drop after you've already started your bat on the straight line.

I'm not sure this is true. I'm pretty sure I hit fly ball fungoes from a very upright position w/ a pretty flat swing plane (Obviously, I aim for the bottom of the ball to impart backspin.)

quote:

If you tell me that you don't do this linear thing but are trying to hit rotational, then most likely you are casting your arms creating a level swing with the ground and will usually hit the top of the ball as it drops.

I still do not agree that all level swings will hit the top of the ball; it all depends where the hitter is aiming. IOW, a hitter could just as easily/consistently hit the bottom of the ball.

quote:

Regardless of the problem, you will be doing yourself a favor by working off a tee and not live pitching.

Agreed, to an extent. But I still suggest you simply tilt over more and see what happens w/o changing anything else. What do you have to lose but a few swings?

Yakyu Kid,

Are you hitting ground balls off the T, soft toss, or batting cage practice too or just live pitching?

Sandman,

Of course not all swings that are level with the ground end up with a ground ball. My point is that if a hitter consistently hits ground balls, something mechanical is obviously wrong. If a hitter consistently swings level with the ground as opposed to matching the plane of the ball, it will most likely lead to a lot of ground balls since all pitches drop. Casting or barring often results in this "level" swing as would landing on a stiff front leg which results in swinging downhill.

Hitters that take their hands straight towards the ball often hit a lot of ground balls because once they start their hands, it's easier to adjust downwards to meet a ball that is also dropping.

As far as you hitting a fungo to an outfielder, if you can hit fly balls with a level with the earth swing plane by hitting underneath them, try imparting an upward plane and see if it's just a little easier. (Unless your'e Mike Schmidt who writes that he swings downward on his homeruns despite video and physics proving otherwise.

You recommend the hitter tilt which all good hitters do. However, the tilt is a byproduct of good mechanics such as learning to hit the ball deeper with flatter hands. When you tell a person to tilt just to tilt, especially when they disconnect, roll their wrists, bar their arm, cast, etc. they often end up dipping their back shoulder which creates even more bat lag.

The point is without seeing this hitter, it's a guess. I simply tried to provide an educated guess. I'm not sure what he's doing but I'm positive what he's not doing. He is not balanced, getting his front foot down, rotating with proper timing, keeping his hands behind the ball and he's obviously not matching the plane of the incoming ball..... kind of like the stuff great hitters like Bonds, Pujols and Griffey do.

I'd like to hear what the Yakyu Kid thinks he's doing compared to these hitters or what he's not doing.

quote:

I've seen just as many with the tilt swing down on the ball.

They are not related.

This is good information...

I wouldn't compare hitting fungoes with hitting pitched balls......

A hands straight to the ball swing is very apt to hit the bottom of a pitched ball, IMO......