Curveballs

You can train yourself to pick up the curve ball earlier and more automatically -- reacting without having to think consciously.

Start by watching the pitcher during his warmups and when others are batting. Pick up how his delivery differs with different pitches. In the case of a curve, his arm action has to differ from his fastball. Some disguise it better than others, but at some point you will at a minimum pick up a different hand position at release. This is your cue to stay back and also not to bail if the pitch at first appears inside.

I am constantly amazed at how many young players never think to watch the pitcher until they're in the batter's box. In addition to picking up on mechanical nuances, you can also often discern the pitcher's preferred patterns. This will help you to know when you are most likely to get a curve based on the ball/strike count.

You can also work hand toss drills with a partner to aid in pitch recognition and staying back. Start by having your partner change spins on the tosses. You have to call out the pitch before you swing.

Next, have your partner toss you some the normal way, then randomly toss some to you on a bounce with you hitting the balls on their way back up from the ground. This forces you to watch, adjust, stay back, and still be in a position to drive the ball.

In the end, a good curve ball is tough to hit. That's why pitchers throw them! But with recognition, you can at least avoid chasing balls out of the zone, and be prepared for the hangers. If you get to where you can hit a good curve ball, you will be on your way to some big numbers.

Also bear in mind that they give you three strikes. You don't have to swing at the first thing you see. Some pitchers will throw you repeated breaking pitches, but in most at bats you will get at least one fastball in the zone. For the most part, you can succeed if you focus on waiting for that pitch and nailing it. Your curve ball approach can be used as a 2-strike approach if you wish to wait deep into your at bats.

THANKS ALOT!!! greeeeeat help

Milo Dad gives solid advice.

Generally no one hits the good CB's they hit the bad ones (hangers, up in the strike zone).

I once worked for a guy that played w/ Dusty Baker in the big leagues. Dusty told him that "if your approach is the middle of the field you should rarely miss breaking balls up in the strike zone."

What he means by that is if while you are hitting you prepare/anticipate/think seeing pitches up and out over the plate and try to drive everything to the middle of the field (gap to gap, left center to right center) you should be able to do just that. IT'S ABOUT YOUR APPROACH. Don't think pull. If you have this approach you should be able to stay on pitches middle/away from you and you will simply react to pitches in.

Hitting a breaking ball can be very difficult. As simplistic as the above advice seems to be, there is a ton of good reason to it. If your approach is middle-opp it should keep you on breaking balls longer as opposed to trying to pull them (pulling off of the ball which will more than likely lead to many GB's to the pull side and flares the other way.
You may tend to pull off of CB's or miss them completly.

Most young hitters struggle w/ pitches away from them as well as off-speed pitches. They struggle because of the natural tendancy for young hitters to pull the ball.

There are many other things that can come into play but to keep things very simple the above advice can be very helpful. It is all about practicing a middle-opp approach and feeling comfortable driving balls from left-center to right-center, not flairing balls the other way.
Off center BP can aid in this approach.

Very rarely will you want to try to pull a Right on Right/Left on Left CB unless it is hung badly. It has a ton to do w/ your preparation and approach.

Your age and skill level is may have something to do w/ how well you can handle the above info.

And keep in mind, when I say UP in the strike zone I am referring to mid thigh to belt.

I don't hit the real good curves, but I've always been able to hit the decent one's. The key is picking up the rotation up early. If you can tell it's going to be a curveball early you know that you have to stay back. Also, if you can tell it's a curve you know it's probably going to drop, so you have to be ready for that too. But like I said, along with others before me, the key to hitting a curve is to pick it up early. Great advice on watching the pitcher, some will slightly tip pitches without even knowing it.