How to Teach Hitting in Little League

Teaching hitting to little leaguers can be very difficult. Some children simply lack the eye-hand coordination to hit a pitched ball. Some children may not have the necessary vision to see the ball well enough to hit it.

It's not my years as a college baseball player (UCLA 1988 to 1993) that help me coach/teach baseball; it's my years working at the UCLA baseball camps and my years of teaching experience since 1996 that help me coach little leaguers.

Here are some tips I've picked up for helping kids learn how to hit.

Instructions

    • 1

      Make sure that the kids are not afraid of the pitched ball. I teach my players that if they get hit by the ball it will stop hurting by the time they get to first base.

    • 2

      Have the kids touch the outside of home plate before they get set; this will ensure that they are close enough to the plate to reach an outside pitch.

    • 3

      Make sure that the kids are stepping right towards the pitcher with their hitting step, and not towards third base (in the bucket).

    • 4

      Teach the kids how to hold onto the bat after they swing instead of throwing it.

    • 5

      Teach the kids to stand in the back of the batter's box (as close to the catcher as possible). This ensures that they are as far away from the pitcher as possible, which makes hitting easier.

    • 6

      Make the kids practice hitting balls off of a tee. The bottom line is that if they cannot hit consistent line drives off of a tee, they don't stand a chance of hitting a pitched ball. Hitting off a tee also teaches them where the strike zone is. Move the tee inside and outside and lower it to the knees and up to the belt.