When you ask youth baseball coaches to pinpoint the skill
most lacking in their young players, nine times out of ten, they will say the
ability to hit the ball hard. Young players often forget that their goal is to hit
the ball “right” and instead just try their best to hit it at all. The result
is often players who are well in front of pitches or who otherwise get their
bodies all out of whack as they struggle into awkward positions.
The trick to getting your players to hit the ball hard isn’t
so much in the hitting as it is in where they keep their weight. As mentioned,
most younger players have a tendency to throw their weight forward, when it
should be back, where it can allow for balance and leverage. Fortunately,
teaching them how to properly place their weight isn’t as difficult as you
might think.
An easy drill to do with players is to get a tee and place
an old basketball that has seen better days on it. You want a basketball that’s
deflated and otherwise useless, so
definitely don’t go out and buy a new ball. If you’re having trouble balancing
the basketball on the tee, you can use a toilet plunger, inserted into the tee,
as a “holder” for the ball.
Allow your players to come up, one by one, and hit the basketball.
Take some time with each player, making sure every little baseball star is
taking the best possible batting stance. They will quickly find, after a few
tries, that keeping their weight behind them is the only way to get a good,
solid whack on the basketball.
The kids are sure to have a blast- who wouldn’t love hitting
a big old basketball with a bat and sending it soaring? Plus, as long as you
make the lesson you are teaching clear, it should go over well and “drill” into
the players’ minds that strong hits require proper weight positioning.
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