TrHits writes:
"very simple-- one on one-- no gimmicks, no gadgets-- one on one explaining and showing to the player ( regardless of age) what he is doing wrong.
I agree that kids need plenty of the above but there is a place for training aids. Forgive my obvious bias but you can use specific
" learning centers" to drive home some key points. AT large clinics "one on one" time is limited as are attention spans
Using Training Aids Properly
Lets face it. Kids go to baseball camps and practice for the love of the game to get away from anything resembling school. We should strive to make instruction a physical demonstration with high levels of participation and not another speech or lecture if we want them to retain and apply the skills taught.
One way is to use training aids in sequence to build a knowledge base in young players layer by layer in a way that it is fun and with a system that gives instant feedback.
We start by determining a kids starting batspeed. We are working off the theory that you cannot manage what you cannot measure. We measure it first, record it and come back and measure it after the swing mechanics are improved by the station training. We feel that it is important for them to see what attention to good form can do for their bat speed.
We use a Swiftstik for this swing speed measure because we want the body weight to bat weight ratio to be closer to what Barry Bonds feels. We stay with the Swiftstik through the lessons to reduce fatigue and allow us many swings. The Swiftstik minimizes the risk of injury and is great as a quick pointer for head tracking and feet alignment drills.
Alignment is the act of finding and and maintaining the line of direction to optimize vision and to load against a two fixed points of reference. The feet should align to the throwing arm of the pitcher and the head tracks to the throwing arm with both eyes. Now the top and bottom of the spine are fixed points to load against
We move next to what we call the secondary stance or launch position. This is the position that ALL players achieve no matter what their batting stance or style they exhibit at set up. We believe that you should insure that kids feel and learn the “true swing” by focusing on the actual launch of the bat. For this drill and lesson we use the Mauer QuickSwing. We will put the player in a position common to all batters when the ball is about half the way home. We will adopt a post stride stance, a loaded shoulder, a cocked bat, and a slightly released lead heel with the toe open 45 degrees. From this launch position we will have the player hit balls with one smooth shift, rotate , swing sequence. We want to remove all the slop from the swing and start from a connected position. For many this is their first feel of correct swing mechanics. They will be amazed how far they are hitting balls. Next we allow a short stride at this same station keeping the upper body set up
Next we move to the Hands Back Hitter Station. Here we give slightly more freedom of style but maintain good posture, a wide base, and a pre-loaded upper body. The goal is to start 2-3 three inches from the string, take a short balanced stride and keep the shoulders loaded until the front foot gets down. We watch the lead elbow wanting it to stay bent and behind the belly button until the ball is popped. Now we have morphed from the waiting stance back to the secondary stance that we practiced with the QuickSwing. Most kids cannot keep their shoulders loaded until stride landing and maintain balance during the stride. In order to handle offspeed you must maintain the proper “ hands back” position and balanced stride. Advanced body control is put into action at this station as there is about a .2 second time delay from front foot plant to ball presentation. We are giving the player a small stride back here and making sure he initiates the swing with hip rotation and not a forward lunge. The focus is balanced, controlled weight shift, maintaining loaded shoulders, and hip rotation initiating bat launch.
We move next to the BatAction Station. While this is a popular self repeating hitting station, we have found several lessons blend well here. We teach opposite field hitting at this station. Using the BatActionn, it is easy to change ball contact locations relative to the player. For advanced players we discuss the different bat slots and upper body loading mechanics that might fit their athletic potential and their goals as a team hitter. We work on the inside / out hand path and what it means to power and handling all pitch locations.
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