The game of baseball is one of the most popular sports in the United States. Millions of fans pay to see the major league version of the sport every year, but there is far more appeal than watching a game from the stands or on television. Young people play baseball as well and all new players want to hit the ball hard. Hitting can be difficult, but it all begins with taking the proper stance and feeling good at the plate.
Choosing the Right Bat
The first step is for the young player to have a bat that he can handle. The way to make sure the bat is not to big is to give the young player a bat and have him hold it out in front of his body with one arm. If he can do it easily, the bat is the correct size. If his arm shakes and he has to put the bat down, it's too big and you need to give him a lighter bat.
Load Your Bat
The key to hitting the ball hard is to get all your momentum moving forward as the ball is coming towards home plate. This is done by loading the bat and it's also known as negative movement. As you step up to the plate, you should have a balanced stance with your weight evenly distributed. As the pitcher goes into his windup, shift your weight to your back leg by leaning backwards. Then, as the pitcher delivers, come forward with your momentum and swing the bat. This allows you to hit the ball hard. If you don't load your bat with that initial movement, you won't get all your strength and power behind your swing.
Level Swing
This is perhaps the most basic lesson in hitting and will help a young batter hit the ball consistently. When your swing the bat evenly and keep the bat level and parallel to the ground, you will give yourself the greatest opportunity to hit the ball consistently. An uppercut or downward swing will change the angle of attack and will not give you as much of a chance to hit the ball. A level swing can be practiced by putting the ball on a batting tee and having your players swing the bat to hit line drives. It's not about swinging the bat hard. It's about developing good timing and hitting the ball with a level swing.
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