The general consensus among sports experts is that hitting a baseball is the most difficult thing to do in all of sports. It involves good eye-hand coordination and excellent timing. And even then, the best hitters only succeed slightly more than three times out of 10. You can help teach a child to hit a baseball, but be prepared to be patient and spend lots of time at it. And remember to emphasize that playing ball is fun.
Step 1
Select a bat. To make sure the bat is not too heavy, have the child grip the bat and lift it to chest level. If he has trouble doing this, he needs a lighter bat.
Step 2
Tell the child to put on a baseball helmet. A batter should always wear a helmet, not only for protection against pitches, but also for protection against things like balls popped straight up.
Step 3
Set up a batting tee. Even experienced hitters work with a tee to establish bat-to-ball eye coordination. Raise the tee level to waist height, so the batter learns to take a level swing.
Step 4
Practice the soft-toss technique. Kneel down about 5 feet in front of the player, with her facing you. Then gently toss the ball to the batter, and let her hit it. The more baseballs you have, the more effective this exercise will be. You don't want to have to stop regularly to chase balls. Using hollow plastic balls can protect against injury.
Step 5
Lob the ball from about 25 feet away. Throw the ball slowly, but make the pitch come in flat, rather than with an arc like in softball.
Step 6
Back up to about 45 feet from the hitter, which is about the distance of a Little League pitcher’s mound. Throw the ball with minimal arc and increase the speed as the batter improves.
Tips and Warnings
- Videos allow the batter to see the proper stances and grips, and can teach more-advanced techniques as the child's hitting skills improve.
Things You'll Need
- Baseball bat
- Batting helmet
- Baseballs
- Batting tee
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