Youth Baseball Hitting Drills to Try With Your Team!

When it comes to improving young players' ability, youth baseball hitting drills are among the most effective thing you can do. They improve confidence, reinforce balance and coordination, and teach correct bat handling techniques.

Better Players Have More Fun

Youth baseball is geared toward fun, no question. But part of the fun is getting better at the game. The better a young player can master the fundamental mechanics of baseball, the more fun they have. More fun can mean more wins, maybe even tournaments and the joys of trading pins and all the other perks that come with great play.

The Toughest Challenge in Sports

According to some, the most difficult task in all of sports is to hit a baseball. Think about it – the batter must see the ball coming toward them and react in less than a second to hit it. It's so tough that hitting the ball a third of the time (batting .300) is considered a terrific batting average.

Anything that can improve a batter's ability to see the ball, react more quickly and with control will give the batter a performance edge. That's where youth baseball hitting drills can help.

With a wide range of drills available online, it's not hard to find many ways to help young players improve their game. Whether you want to work on timing of the swing, balance, power or any other aspect, you can find plenty of video tutorials online.

Feedback is Key

The key to successful hitting drills is having qualified coaches or parents giving the hitter useful feedback, especially when first starting the drills. The coach/parent must know what each drill is designed to accomplish and make sure the player is using the proper stance and swing. Proper technique is crucial to improvement.
There are several common youth baseball hitting drills.

Improving Hand-Eye Coordination

One popular drill that works well for hand-eye coordination for younger players is to use small balls, such as smaller than standard baseballs or even golf balls. These enable the player to get used to a much smaller hitting target, making it easier to hit the regulation-size ball when they switch back to it.

Another common drill for checking player body mechanics is the stop-at-contact drill. The player swings from a normal stance, but stops at the point where he/she would contact the ball. This allows the player and the coach to make sure the player is maintaining the proper posture and stance at the point of contact. This helps increase hitting power.

No-Look Drills for Proper Form

A no-look swing drill teaches the batter to keep his/her eyes down, watching the ball as they follow through with the swing. It's designed to help keep the player in proper form through the full swing.The bottom line is the same as always – practice makes perfect. The more players work on their game, the more they'll improve. A little bit of work doing youth baseball hitting drills can lead to more and better opportunities to play. Whether a player's goal is Cooperstown, South Williamsport or any other youth tournament location, it's always best to be prepared for the big game!