Teaching a Child Baseball Batting Techniques

Hitting a baseball is considered to be one of the most difficult tasks in all of sports. Those who play the game at the highest level are considered extremely successful if they succeed in they get three hits in every 10 times at bat. As a result, teaching youngsters to hit can be a daunting task. However, it can be done quite successfully.

  1. Picking out a bat

    • The young hitter must use a bat he can handle. There's a simple test to know if the bat is too heavy or not. Ask the child to hold the bat in his dominant hand (right hand for righties; left hand for lefties), and hold it straight out for five seconds. If the bat wobbles or drops, it is too heavy for him. If it can be held easily, it is the right weight.

    The batting stance

    • Have a right-handed hitter stand in the batter's box closest to third base. The back foot should be parallel to the back point of home plate. The front foot should be about 18 inches in front of the back foot. The batter's shoulder should be directed at the pitchet and the bat should be extended over his right shoulder. The knees should be slightly bent in an athletic position.

    The swing

    • As the pitcher prepares to throw the ball, the batter should be concentrating on the pitcher's throwing hand so he can get a view of the ball for as long as possible. The batter starts off with his weight on his back leg. As the pitcher lets go of the ball, the batter needs to transfer his weight from his back leg to his front side in a smooth and seemless manner. This triggers the swing. He does this by stepping forward slightly with his front foot while keep the back foot in place. The bat should come forward and hit the ball when it is 10 to 12 inches in front of home plate. A good way to get the child to transfer the weight is to use the expression "squish the bug" when stepping forward with his front foot. By squishing the bug with his front foot, the child is transferring his weight from his back leg to the front side and then the arms and bat will follow into the hitting zone and the batter will amke contact.