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I have a 9 year old who is having some hitting difficulties. He is 4"8 weighs 85lbs. He is currently using a 30 in 16.5 oz bat. The problem he has is, when he hits the ball, they either drop in front of the plate and ground out or he pops up in the infield. We have tried the swiftstick with wiffle golf balls and he hits every one, (they either pop up or line drives); We soft toss with regular balls and they either pop up or line drives. During batting practice with a live pitcher and during batting cage practice he grounds them out. My question is, if i change to shorter bat, is it possible that it will help him?
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Same age and size as my son...
Of course with this type of post the question will always be answered with a question; do you have a video?
Most of the members here are very insightful and don't like commenting on what "might" be happening. -
Unfortunately i do not have a video.Comment
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If he's popping up a lot he's swinging under the ball. There's a lot of options on what he could be doing wrong. We would have to guess at them all.Comment
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The problem with this is the advice you get may be the opposite of what's needed.Originally posted by bball07 View Post
For example, if your son swings down or level to the ground and is early, he will pop the ball up. On the other hand, if he swings slightly up and is early he will top the ball. This example takes into account the mastery of the technique he's using as it relates to timing. Without video, there can be no comments on any mechanical issues. SorryComment
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The best advice I have gotten when dealing with my son, who is the same age, is to compare what he is doing with what the pro's do. At this age, they can't do it "exactly" like the pros, because they don't have the strength or body control, but they can at least be introduced to the proper basic mechanics.
There are quite a few threads here discussing "rotational" hitting which is the catch-all phrase for the type of hitting you see from most pros. Within the realm of rotational hitting you will see many different views from different "experts" such as Epstein, Englishbey, etc. Despite what their supporters and detractors say, I think the truth is that there are things that you can learn from each of them.
I'm pretty sure this isn't a bat problem. My son is a couple of inches shorter and 15 pounds lighter and swings a 28/18 usually, but also uses a 29/15.5 from time to time. Some of the bigger kids on his team are using 30-31 inch bats with drops from -12 to -8. Given the proper mechanics, your son shouldn't really have a problem with that bat.
Now, you don't really need to videotape your son, but it will help you see things that aren't evident at full speed. There are some posters here that can really help with your son's swing, but as has been said, without video, they really have nothing to work with.
The swiftstick/softtoss/tee drills have a place in becoming a better hitter. The problem is that if you are not using a proper batting technique when doing them, you end up making the situation worse instead of better.Comment
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