Help with teaching hitting to son.

[rlb]

I am trying to come up with a simple checklist of hitting for my 9 yo. I want to keep it simple and hit the main parts of the swing. How does this sound?
1. Grip- not too tight or in palms.
2. Stance- knees bent about shoulder width apart.
3. Load/Stride/coil- done on every pitch. Start around time pitcher releases ball.
4. Swing
a.) Start with hip rotation keeping hands back.
b.) In one motion, keeping hands up, drop back shoulder and bring back elbow into back hip.
c.) Continue rotating hips and shoulders, keeping front elbow up around chest high, and back elbow near back hip.
d.) Finish swing with bat follow through at or above shoulder level and belly button facing the pitcher.

[heretolearn]

The use of such a list will depend on where he is currently with swing development. If all of these are reminders, you are probably alright. If these are new teaches, there are too many and it will cause him to think too much. Start with what he already knows, then add one new thing at a time until it becomes habit. Repeat.

You don't want a hitter, or any athlete, thinking about mechanics when it's time to perform. See ball, hit ball.

[songtitle]

Not a bad list.

[rlb]

Basically his swing is pretty good, for a 9 yr old. I am trying to use the list for both teaching and reminding. I would like to focus on 1 or 2 things at a time, instead of the entire list, and reinforce them individually. This way he does not get overloaded. Eventually, I hope the individual components will become habit and he can put the whole sequence together. I just want to make sure I understand things correctly and that this list/sequence is accurate.

[pthawaii]

Basically his swing is pretty good, for a 9 yr old. I am trying to use the list for both teaching and reminding. I would like to focus on 1 or 2 things at a time, instead of the entire list, and reinforce them individually. This way he does not get overloaded. Eventually, I hope the individual components will become habit and he can put the whole sequence together. I just want to make sure I understand things correctly and that this list/sequence is accurate.

I like it, and I like your approach. You could take it up a notch and video him and then ask him which of the checklist he is doing well, and which might be areas of opportunity. That way, he's invested in the 1-2 focused areas. Let him give you an idea of how to remember that item, try it out, video and see if it worked.

My son isn't quite ready for a list, but at age 9, if engaged, it sounds like a great approach.

[heretolearn]

I like it, and I like your approach. You could take it up a notch and video him and then ask him which of the checklist he is doing well, and which might be areas of opportunity. That way, he's invested in the 1-2 focused areas. Let him give you an idea of how to remember that item, try it out, video and see if it worked.

My son isn't quite ready for a list, but at age 9, if engaged, it sounds like a great approach.

I like this, get him used to analyzing his own swing.

OP, seems like you have a good plan.

[dominik]

I am trying to come up with a simple checklist of hitting for my 9 yo. I want to keep it simple and hit the main parts of the swing. How does this sound?
1. Grip- not too tight or in palms.
2. Stance- knees bent about shoulder width apart.
3. Load/Stride/coil- done on every pitch. Start around time pitcher releases ball.
4. Swing
a.) Start with hip rotation keeping hands back.
b.) In one motion, keeping hands up, drop back shoulder and bring back elbow into back hip.
c.) Continue rotating hips and shoulders, keeping front elbow up around chest high, and back elbow near back hip.
d.) Finish swing with bat follow through at or above shoulder level and belly button facing the pitcher.

IMO this is very important. keep the hands up and get the spine tilt to move the back shoulder down. Also make sure that the shoulder pulls the elbow down. the shoulder starts down a microsecond before the elbow (not really visible but you get the idea) so that you are in the correct sequence. if you drop the elbow independently the sequence is short circuited.

[bbrages]

Don't forget positioning in the batter's box... I think that's still a "teach" at this age.

[rlb]

Thanks all. I am a big believer in video and will definitely use that. I think it is much easier to show him a flaw as opposed to telling it to him. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Plus, it is much easier for much untrained eye to see flaws at slow motion then realtime.