OK, so my 10, soon to be 11 year old is dropping his hands as he loads then brings them back up for his swing. Couple of questions, does this even matter right now? I don't feel I know enough about baseball/batting to help him and part of me wants to get him lessons, but sometimes I feel he is too young for lessons - so why even bother?
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Try a drill where he just loads 2 times, making sure his hands don't drop, then on the third time he swings. Keep doing this to build the muscle memory.
Many great MLB hitters do this. Why would you want to change it?
There are sooooo many reasons kids drop their hands, but the simple reason is comfort. Are you sure he's using the correct weight bat? Is it a drop 10 like it should be for that age? Is it appropriate for his height? The worst case of dropping hands I ever saw was on an 11u kid, who was a shrimp, and his dad had him swinging a BBCOR drop 3.
As to your question does it matter right now, well, yes and no. Any unnecessary movement during a swing takes time. Will that matter when he is looking at a 50mph fastball, no not really, but when he gets that pitcher that is throwing 65mph it can make the difference between contact and being late.
Swings change a LOT between 9-14, he could just be in a transitional phase. I would also agree that lessons at that age aren't worth it.
SultanofSwat posted:Many great MLB hitters do this. Why would you want to change it?
I had the same thought. Does he drop his hands as low as this guy's, down near his waist: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPtLtFbk-1Q
Or check out this dude's hands at the 40 second mark: www.youtube.com/watch?v=302SYEjg1Ac and he brought them back up for his swing.
But seriously, I don't think 11 is too young for lessons. Better to get solid technique now rather than ingrain bad habits -- not to say he has bad habits, but if you are concerned, have someone who knows what he is doing take a look.
Dadof3 posted:OK, so my 10, soon to be 11 year old is dropping his hands as he loads then brings them back up for his swing. Couple of questions, does this even matter right now? I don't feel I know enough about baseball/batting to help him and part of me wants to get him lessons, but sometimes I feel he is too young for lessons - so why even bother?
Video would be helpful. Make sure you only "fix" what is causing a problem. So what is his problem -- what are you trying to fix? If he brings his hands back up for the swing, he should be ok (per Sultan's post) as long as there is no timing problem.
As for lessons at 11, I see nothing wrong with a session here or there to make sure the basics are there. Good luck.
Tee work. Take 100 swings daily on the tee. He doesn't need lessons he just needs daily reps with proper bat/weight and mechanics. On second thought, if you don't know the proper mechanics on hitting then find yourself someone who does. Make sure the bat isn't to big for him. Better he swings a light bat now and work on proper mechanics. I see plenty kids swinging bats that are too heavy for them. Heavy bats at 9/10 is bad for the kids, creates bad habits like dropping hands/shoulders during their swing. Find him a -10 or if he's a small kid -12 for now.
See if this works. I can get better video when we hit next. We are just easing into preseason now, so only hitting once or twice a week.
I wouldn't worry about the hands right now. He needs to establish a better base, get balanced, and stop twirling around. Keep his weight between his feet.
Since you don't feel you know enough, I would definitely get some lessons if available. Start good habits now.
Dadof3 posted:
OK, so my 10, soon to be 11 year old is dropping his hands as he loads then brings them back up for his swing. Couple of questions, does this even matter right now? I don't feel I know enough about baseball/batting to help him and part of me wants to get him lessons, but sometimes I feel he is too young for lessons - so why even bother?
Dadof3,
Take a look at a few Home Run Derby episodes from the 1960’s. You’ll get the opportunity to see many of the greatest power hitters of all time, and Dadof3,
Take a look at a few Home Run Derby episodes from the 1960’s. You’ll get the opportunity to see many of the greatest power hitters of all time, and you’ll probably notice most of them drop their hands during the load phase. If it doesn’t impede the start of the swing, it’s nothing but a timing mechanism and doesn’t do any harm.
Yeah, kind of one of the reasons I didnt want to put the video up, he was just kind of having fun and doesn't typically "twirl". However, the hand drop thing he does whether goofing around or not. He is able to hit in the 80 mph cage so maybe it is not affecting his timing. I will get some video of him doing it serious and post it this weekend.
Taking lessons isn't at all a bad thing, as long as you don't have to spend an arm and a leg. Hitting is a pretty hard thing to master, Don't know what level of baseball your son plays -- whether we're just talking rec ball with daddy coaches or what. But he won't necessarily get the best coach from whoever it is that is coaching whatever team or teams he plays on.
He doesn't appear to be coiling inward as he strides forward.
Don't mean to sound harsh, but after watching the video, yes, get lessons. It's not too early. There is a whole lot more going on than dropping the hands. You don't need 50 of them, but once a week for 4-6 weeks and you will have plenty to work on for a month or two, then maybe one every 2-3 weeks during the season for maintenance.
Why get lessons? The kid is 10! Lessons can be $50 per half hour, you are talking about a hundreds of dollars to get a 10 year old "on track", why??? Is he on a baseball team? Is the team even holding practices yet? Does the team have a coach that is knowledgeable about hitting? Does the coach think your kid has a hitting a problem? If the coach is not knowledgeable will the team be getting in a paid coach to address the entire teams issues?
At 10 years old you let the coach handle it. If the coach isn't handling it you find a better coach next year. I guess I am in the way minority that throwing away hundreds of dollars to teach a 10 year old how to "swing properly" is just a waste of money. His entire stance and swing will change once he grows into his new body anyway....so what's the point in paying for lessons before that?
If you can swing it (pun intended) I would opt for a few lessons, ask around for someone well recommended. At this age you dont need many, pay attention to what is being taught and why, ask questions, if he has a problem with that then get a different instructor. If your going to be responsible for him you need to learn as well, after a few lessons and some self education you will be able to take over and help him stay the course on the basics until he's a little older. Small steps, dont expect everything all at once.
CaCO3Girl posted:Why get lessons? The kid is 10! Lessons can be $50 per half hour, you are talking about a hundreds of dollars to get a 10 year old "on track", why??? Is he on a baseball team? Is the team even holding practices yet? Does the team have a coach that is knowledgeable about hitting? Does the coach think your kid has a hitting a problem? If the coach is not knowledgeable will the team be getting in a paid coach to address the entire teams issues?
At 10 years old you let the coach handle it. If the coach isn't handling it you find a better coach next year. I guess I am in the way minority that throwing away hundreds of dollars to teach a 10 year old how to "swing properly" is just a waste of money. His entire stance and swing will change once he grows into his new body anyway....so what's the point in paying for lessons before that?
IMO, bad habits are very hard to break, the sooner the better.
CaCO3Girl posted:Why get lessons? The kid is 10! Lessons can be $50 per half hour, you are talking about a hundreds of dollars to get a 10 year old "on track", why??? Is he on a baseball team? Is the team even holding practices yet? Does the team have a coach that is knowledgeable about hitting? Does the coach think your kid has a hitting a problem? If the coach is not knowledgeable will the team be getting in a paid coach to address the entire teams issues?
At 10 years old you let the coach handle it. If the coach isn't handling it you find a better coach next year. I guess I am in the way minority that throwing away hundreds of dollars to teach a 10 year old how to "swing properly" is just a waste of money. His entire stance and swing will change once he grows into his new body anyway....so what's the point in paying for lessons before that?
What age do you believe it is ok to start to learn how to swing? Would you rather the kid struggle in LL and give up on baseball, or perhaps he could excel with a "little" instruction. Age 12-13 is generally when kids give up on the sport. 10U travel coaches or LL coaches don't have time in the 1-2 hour practices twice a week to teach one kid how to hit. They can tweak at best. Why would his entire stance and swing change as he grows into his new body? If taught correctly early, nothing has to change, you just get bigger, stronger, faster. Look at last years LLWS, there were a couple kids there with very high level swings. If money is an issue, there are approaches to mitigate this. This doesn't have to be a dedicated instructor twice a week for a year. A couple hundred bucks at most would get him well on his way, and could be done even cheaper.
Dropping hands does not always mean its bad, is he on time? is he where he needs to be when he launches? Don't confuse absolutes with style.
azcoyote posted:CaCO3Girl posted:Why get lessons? The kid is 10! Lessons can be $50 per half hour, you are talking about a hundreds of dollars to get a 10 year old "on track", why??? Is he on a baseball team? Is the team even holding practices yet? Does the team have a coach that is knowledgeable about hitting? Does the coach think your kid has a hitting a problem? If the coach is not knowledgeable will the team be getting in a paid coach to address the entire teams issues?
At 10 years old you let the coach handle it. If the coach isn't handling it you find a better coach next year. I guess I am in the way minority that throwing away hundreds of dollars to teach a 10 year old how to "swing properly" is just a waste of money. His entire stance and swing will change once he grows into his new body anyway....so what's the point in paying for lessons before that?
What age do you believe it is ok to start to learn how to swing? Would you rather the kid struggle in LL and give up on baseball, or perhaps he could excel with a "little" instruction. Age 12-13 is generally when kids give up on the sport. 10U travel coaches or LL coaches don't have time in the 1-2 hour practices twice a week to teach one kid how to hit. They can tweak at best. Why would his entire stance and swing change as he grows into his new body? If taught correctly early, nothing has to change, you just get bigger, stronger, faster. Look at last years LLWS, there were a couple kids there with very high level swings. If money is an issue, there are approaches to mitigate this. This doesn't have to be a dedicated instructor twice a week for a year. A couple hundred bucks at most would get him well on his way, and could be done even cheaper.
Well if my first answer is unpopular, this one will have people wishing there was a thumbs down button on this website.
In my opinion coaches can tweak swings, or even overhaul swings, even with a group of 10-15 kids on a team. You do it one piece at a time, but it can be done IF you have the right kind of kid. It is my opinion that generally the naturally talented kids are the ones that make it to the next level. Can it be learned through very hard work rather than natural ability, yes, but the kid who wants it that bad is the kid listening to every word the coach says like it is gospel and implementing it on his own. As I said earlier, if the coach doesn't know anything about hitting find a better coach.
To your question of would I rather the kid struggle in LL and give up baseball, truthfully, yes. If baseball isn't the kids thing then it isn't their thing. There is no shame in that, we tend to gravitate to what we do well. If the kid has such a hard time at age 10 with 50mph pitchers that his parents are contemplating hundreds of dollars worth of lessons why not let the kid try out soccer? Why spend that money to make the kid a better baseball player when the kid could maybe find another sport that he is better at and would enjoy more?
As to what age I think it is okay to get paid instruction of any kind...well my first criteria is if the kid is accidentally hurting himself phsycially due to a form deficit, then it is perfectly acceptable to get lessons. My second criteria is if the player is above 14u and has a real shot of making it onto his HS team with his fielding skills but his hitting needs a little bit of help and he's begging mom/dad for help him achieve HIS dream/goal. It is not okay if it is the parent who wishes their kid was more or better.
My kid has been obsessed with baseball since 6u, he lives it breathes it, eats it night and day....but at 10 if I said "I can only buy one, either you can have a 30 minute hitting lesson or you can have a new pair of Nike's which one do you want?" he would have gone for the shoes.
Look it's very simple, use the two tee drill to stop the hands dropping. One tee behind the hitting tee below the hands and while you're at it you may as well get ahead of the potential "casting" issues, have him do this drill against a fence or wall. I had my son do all this and balance on a Bosu ball. ((kidding)) He was never a great hitter and is now a RHP in college and was a PO after his Jr year in HS. Keep him engaged and make sure its fun, thats what matters as much as we all want them to excel and be the best etc. Good luck.
CaCO3Girl posted:azcoyote posted:CaCO3Girl posted:Why get lessons? The kid is 10! Lessons can be $50 per half hour, you are talking about a hundreds of dollars to get a 10 year old "on track", why??? Is he on a baseball team? Is the team even holding practices yet? Does the team have a coach that is knowledgeable about hitting? Does the coach think your kid has a hitting a problem? If the coach is not knowledgeable will the team be getting in a paid coach to address the entire teams issues?
At 10 years old you let the coach handle it. If the coach isn't handling it you find a better coach next year. I guess I am in the way minority that throwing away hundreds of dollars to teach a 10 year old how to "swing properly" is just a waste of money. His entire stance and swing will change once he grows into his new body anyway....so what's the point in paying for lessons before that?
What age do you believe it is ok to start to learn how to swing? Would you rather the kid struggle in LL and give up on baseball, or perhaps he could excel with a "little" instruction. Age 12-13 is generally when kids give up on the sport. 10U travel coaches or LL coaches don't have time in the 1-2 hour practices twice a week to teach one kid how to hit. They can tweak at best. Why would his entire stance and swing change as he grows into his new body? If taught correctly early, nothing has to change, you just get bigger, stronger, faster. Look at last years LLWS, there were a couple kids there with very high level swings. If money is an issue, there are approaches to mitigate this. This doesn't have to be a dedicated instructor twice a week for a year. A couple hundred bucks at most would get him well on his way, and could be done even cheaper.
Well if my first answer is unpopular, this one will have people wishing there was a thumbs down button on this website.
In my opinion coaches can tweak swings, or even overhaul swings, even with a group of 10-15 kids on a team. You do it one piece at a time, but it can be done IF you have the right kind of kid. It is my opinion that generally the naturally talented kids are the ones that make it to the next level. Can it be learned through very hard work rather than natural ability, yes, but the kid who wants it that bad is the kid listening to every word the coach says like it is gospel and implementing it on his own. As I said earlier, if the coach doesn't know anything about hitting find a better coach.
To your question of would I rather the kid struggle in LL and give up baseball, truthfully, yes. If baseball isn't the kids thing then it isn't their thing. There is no shame in that, we tend to gravitate to what we do well. If the kid has such a hard time at age 10 with 50mph pitchers that his parents are contemplating hundreds of dollars worth of lessons why not let the kid try out soccer? Why spend that money to make the kid a better baseball player when the kid could maybe find another sport that he is better at and would enjoy more?
As to what age I think it is okay to get paid instruction of any kind...well my first criteria is if the kid is accidentally hurting himself phsycially due to a form deficit, then it is perfectly acceptable to get lessons. My second criteria is if the player is above 14u and has a real shot of making it onto his HS team with his fielding skills but his hitting needs a little bit of help and he's begging mom/dad for help him achieve HIS dream/goal. It is not okay if it is the parent who wishes their kid was more or better.
My kid has been obsessed with baseball since 6u, he lives it breathes it, eats it night and day....but at 10 if I said "I can only buy one, either you can have a 30 minute hitting lesson or you can have a new pair of Nike's which one do you want?" he would have gone for the shoes.
Agree to disagree. I had two kids on a 10U team that couldn't tie their shoes, let alone play baseball. I mean completely horrible. One had 1 hit in probably 25-30 games the first spring. They loved the game and were willing to work at it. The parents didn't know crap about the game, but were very supportive and had me work with these kids outside of our normal practices (I coached this particular group up through 14U). In HS they played on good club teams and worked with outside coaches as well. This year, one of those kids is playing for Grand Canyon, and another for MCC (JC National Champs two years ago). I am NOT taking the credit, these kids worked their butts off and put in the hours to make themselves better over the years.
14U is too late to start getting instruction. You may have missed out in HS ball by this time. Yes, generally the naturally talented kids make it to the next level, but, baseball players are made, not born (Malcolm Gladwell).
I think a big leg kick at 10 yrs old is probably too advanced. I agree with him getting a base and shortening the stride.
Money, school work, family caveats covered, your son will be a better hitter if he gets good instruction at any age. Good one on one instruction that you pay for are called lessons. Same goes for pitching, fielding, base running, the mental part of the game, etc.
If you want to construct a situation where lessons hurt the kid's development, go for it.
Go44dad posted:Money, school work, family caveats covered, your son will be a better hitter if he gets good instruction at any age. Good one on one instruction that you pay for are called lessons. Same goes for pitching, fielding, base running, the mental part of the game, etc.
If you want to construct a situation where lessons hurt the kid's development, go for it.
I'm not trying to construct a situation where lessons hurt the kid's development...I'm trying to express my opinion that at 10 you are very lucky if you have more than one kid that can throw from third to first consistently...that doesn't seem like the moment to shell out hundreds for lessons.
I don't get the "anti lessons" at a young age. One on one or small group work with a knowledgeable hitting coach can work wonders. But it should be age appropriate. At the young ages, a few lessons covering the basics should cover it. No need for weekly, or by weekly, sessions. As the kids get to HS and above, then pick it up. Hitting is one thing you need to do a lot of to be good at it.
CaCO3Girl posted:Go44dad posted:Money, school work, family caveats covered, your son will be a better hitter if he gets good instruction at any age. Good one on one instruction that you pay for are called lessons. Same goes for pitching, fielding, base running, the mental part of the game, etc.
If you want to construct a situation where lessons hurt the kid's development, go for it.
I'm not trying to construct a situation where lessons hurt the kid's development...I'm trying to express my opinion that at 10 you are very lucky if you have more than one kid that can throw from third to first consistently...that doesn't seem like the moment to shell out hundreds for lessons.
...just a general response to the anti-lesson crowd.... But specifically, given my caveats, those 10 year old's need some basic instruction on footwork on fielding and throwing to first.
Golfman25 posted:I don't get the "anti lessons" at a young age. One on one or small group work with a knowledgeable hitting coach can work wonders. But it should be age appropriate. At the young ages, a few lessons covering the basics should cover it. No need for weekly, or by weekly, sessions. As the kids get to HS and above, then pick it up. Hitting is one thing you need to do a lot of to be good at it.
In short I am anti-lessons at a young age because I'm a purist. Baseball is just suppose to be a fun game that kids play. When they get to high school it does become a more serious "game" when recruiting comes into play, scholarship opportunities...etc. But at the younger ages it's not suppose to be work. School is work, if you are failing math you get a tutor. If you aren't having any luck hitting the broad side of a barn even with twice a week batting practice with your coach then go try another sport. Why do we try to force our children to be excellent at everything? Why can't we just accept that baseball might not be their thing? Why is there even a 10u private lesson coach? Why are there 6u travel teams?
Golfman25, I've known kids that started their "private lessons" at 8u, I don't get it. I know of a LHP/1B/OF who has had private lessons since 8u and at 14u, pitching 70mph, he said "nah, baseball is no fun anymore, I'm giving it up"....that was a whole lot of money down the drain and for what? However, given the rising thought that baseball is considered a middle and upper class sport there are more people that agree with you than me.
Who is forcing anyone to practice? Why does practice have to be considered work? If it is, whether the kid is athletic or not, they aren't going to move forward in the game. If the kid likes baseball, practice is generally fun. You need practice to get better. Getting better is more fun. Pick any activity anywhere, if the kid isn't having fun they aren't going to want to continue. Take the most athletic 14yo in your school and hand him a golf club. Take a moderately athletic 10 year old and give him some lessons for 4 years, and tell me which one is going to make the Freshman golf team? Baseball is no different, it requires a lot of effort/repetition to become a skilled player. Doing it right the first time only enhances that prospect.
CaCO3Girl posted:Golfman25 posted:I don't get the "anti lessons" at a young age. One on one or small group work with a knowledgeable hitting coach can work wonders. But it should be age appropriate. At the young ages, a few lessons covering the basics should cover it. No need for weekly, or by weekly, sessions. As the kids get to HS and above, then pick it up. Hitting is one thing you need to do a lot of to be good at it.
In short I am anti-lessons at a young age because I'm a purist. Baseball is just suppose to be a fun game that kids play. When they get to high school it does become a more serious "game" when recruiting comes into play, scholarship opportunities...etc. But at the younger ages it's not suppose to be work. School is work, if you are failing math you get a tutor. If you aren't having any luck hitting the broad side of a barn even with twice a week batting practice with your coach then go try another sport. Why do we try to force our children to be excellent at everything? Why can't we just accept that baseball might not be their thing? Why is there even a 10u private lesson coach? Why are there 6u travel teams?
Golfman25, I've known kids that started their "private lessons" at 8u, I don't get it. I know of a LHP/1B/OF who has had private lessons since 8u and at 14u, pitching 70mph, he said "nah, baseball is no fun anymore, I'm giving it up"....that was a whole lot of money down the drain and for what? However, given the rising thought that baseball is considered a middle and upper class sport there are more people that agree with you than me.
To each his own. Swimming is a fun activity, but I'll bet many of us took swimming lessons as a kid. Or music lessons. I did skiing early on. You have to learn somehow and taking a lesson from a professional is a good way to expedite the learning curve.
As for the kid who took private lessons 8u to 14u, what he got was 7 years of enjoyment from playing the game to the best of his abilities. But things change. Life changes. Interests change. It doesn't mean it was a waste. I used to play golf a lot - at least once every week. And then it became a "chore." Kid was growing up, starting baseball, etc. I had better things to do. So one day I walked off the course, put the clubs in the trunk, and stopped playing cold turkey. Haven't touch them but once in about 10 years. Was the previous 20 years, time and money (lots of money) wasted? Nah. It was fun while it lasted.
Did many people join a swim team, with a coach, and then take private lessons on top of that? It just isn't the same.
Many of these 8-14u kids have hitting lessons, pitching lessons, catching lessons, fielding/throwing lessons (all of course with former MLB, MiLB, and D1 players) and then 2-3 practices with their team a week?
Sorry, it doesn't sound like baseball is a fun game at that point, it sounds like it has become a job to these children.
If the kid loves the game of baseball lessons should be fun otherwise find something else to do. Lessons can also be another way for the dad to learn a few pointers. I know I learned a few lessons along the way.
With CACO3GIRL here on starting lessons at such a young age. Other than a few basic instructions from his LL team during practice like how to hold the bat and getting into a comfortable stance I'm all for letting kids figure things out on their own. My feeling is that a lot of kids these days are over coached and get a lot of their natural athleticism coached out of them. I wouldn't start any sooner than 12yrs old and thats a bit early.
As I have said before I am not a lesson guy. He has had a few over over the years. Nothing over the last couple years. First I don't know how people can afford it. Second don't have a great deal of faith in instructors. Third I just believe time is better spent with reps than lessons. That having been said people should do what is best for them. I suppose if I found someone I was really convinced could make a difference I would do it too. I do believe the sports world was a better place before all these lessons. But times change and you got to change with them. And yes baseball is becoming a middle class to upper class sport. The opportunities are far greater with money.
It will take many more reps with a good swing to compensate for each bad swing taken. You need that swing without having to think about it and he will revert to the hand drop in games because that is what his body knows. Anyone can time a fastball, even with flawed mechanics. You will need a better swing when you start facing better pitching. Train the swing. If you can't get lessons and you have a good eye for it, start working on it together. Show him some proper video, tape him, and compare. Look for an app for your phone or ipad called technique (formerly ubersense). Great tool for video, slow motion, and comparisons. Your son is at an age where he should be focused on recognizing the strike zone and swing mechanics.
My approach is/was a little different. I had 2019Son take hitting lessons -- a little bit while 11 and 12 (every 3 or 4 weeks on average, but really it was more like every week for 10 weeks, then 3 or 4 months with no lessons). Then more often while 13 and 14. Now that he's in high school, he almost never has a lesson -- they practice a ton, and, plus, he knows what he's supposed to do in the batter's box. Once in a while he'll go back for a tune up.
2019Son never had pitching lessons.
For 2025Son, he's never had a lesson of any kind. Then again, he's in third grade.
My kids would LOVE to go to lessons every week -- they're fun. I just don't feel like paying for them.
And if a kid regularly doesn't want to go to practice, that's a problem. You don't HAVE to go to practice; you GET to go to practice.
One more thing, when training your swing, you start with your feet. Make small changes and when he masters that change, move onto the next one. You can't change everything all at once or it will mess up any success he has. Progress and results will keep him motivated to continue to work on his swing.
2020dad posted:As I have said before I am not a lesson guy. He has had a few over over the years. Nothing over the last couple years. First I don't know how people can afford it. Second don't have a great deal of faith in instructors. Third I just believe time is better spent with reps than lessons. That having been said people should do what is best for them. I suppose if I found someone I was really convinced could make a difference I would do it too. I do believe the sports world was a better place before all these lessons. But times change and you got to change with them. And yes baseball is becoming a middle class to upper class sport. The opportunities are far greater with money.
Yes but you coach. I am sure when you are with the kid you just don't let him hack away. My guess is you core the and change issues you see. Eventually they stop listening to dad and an outside becomes necessary.
My kid is that age and he has been taking lessons since he was 6. The more lessons he takes from somebody that knows what they are doing, the better his swing will be in my opinion. He doesn't take them on a regular basis, just when I think he needs them. The older he has gotten, the less lessons he has needed. I've also learned a lot and can now see issues and try and make him aware so he can correct them.
At 11u now he does tend to drop his hands. He is aware of it and at our last hitting session with guys at our academy, he came over and asked me if he was dropping his hands. Good habits will pay off in the long run. It doesn't hurt that he is able to dissect and fix his own swing. I would hate to have him continue to do something wrong for 2 or 3 years and then have a hard time "breaking" the bad habit. At this age, a lot of times coaches are not really experts. They may have played high school baseball, but that is not the same as someone that has played MLB baseball and knows something about hitting at that level.
ABC_Baseball posted:My kid is that age and he has been taking lessons since he was 6. The more lessons he takes from somebody that knows what they are doing, the better his swing will be in my opinion. He doesn't take them on a regular basis, just when I think he needs them. The older he has gotten, the less lessons he has needed. I've also learned a lot and can now see issues and try and make him aware so he can correct them.
At 11u now he does tend to drop his hands. He is aware of it and at our last hitting session with guys at our academy, he came over and asked me if he was dropping his hands. Good habits will pay off in the long run. It doesn't hurt that he is able to dissect and fix his own swing. I would hate to have him continue to do something wrong for 2 or 3 years and then have a hard time "breaking" the bad habit. At this age, a lot of times coaches are not really experts. They may have played high school baseball, but that is not the same as someone that has played MLB baseball and knows something about hitting at that level.
I have a 6 year old daughter, she has asked to play baseball like her Bubba. Okay, no problem. But the thought of paying for private lessons to tweak the squish the bug concept from a MLB player for a kid who still wears pull ups at night because she can't wake up....what is the dictionaries definition of wasteful?
By the way, my son also knew what his body was doing wrong in a swing by age 11, but that was through his coaches telling him, not paying for extra lessons. If the coaches don't know how to swing a bat you have the wrong coaches.
