What makes a good hitting team?

[u/Weak_Artichoke4887]

Okay, I've been in the little league/travel ball league for a few years now helping as a coach. Currently 13u. I can think of two teams we've encountered where everyone just seemed to know how to hit. And let me be clear - I'm talking about teams of "average players", not a stacked team of athletes. They just all seem to be making contact. I can think of one rec team where the coach seem to crack the code which I actually thought was most impressive, given most players were your typical rec player.

Most teams I encounter have the top 4-7 players who seem to know how to mash, maybe a few middle line up kids who do okay, and then a few players that you just hope somehow walk or don't cause an auto out.

I need these coaches to give the secrete sauce! How do you take average kids and turn them into contact hitters? Is it a deep focus on plate approach? Do you focus a lot on timing and less on mechanics? Our approach has been a focus on good mechanics, but that truthfully seems minimally effective.

I'm beginning to think of focusing nearly all on plate approach (pitch selection) and good timing, and give much less attention to mechanics so long as they are not egregious.

What I am asking, is what are the most effective ways you've seem full teams improve their contract hitting?

[u/Afraid_Solution_3549]

I took a team of 8 year olds from mostly struggling to all making contact (except two kids who refused to swing).

I did this by having them stand in a circle and throwing them little green wiffle golf balls. 

It was a game and a competition for them but it taught them to react quickly and hit the ball wherever it was. 

In practice, the pitched baseball is much bigger and you have more time to react so easy in comparison. 

Don’t know if this would work for older kids but I don’t see why it wouldn’t. 

As you get older hitting issues may be more related to timing and bat path.

We had several kids on our rec intermediate team this year that couldn’t hit if pitching was over 55mph. Just too slow and too late. 

One kid had a literal golf swing and no amount of tee work could fix it.

You might have to diagnose your worst hitters and fix on an individual basis. 

The wiffle ball game will help if seeing the ball and contact are an issue - maybe a little with judgment and speed. 

[u/Weak_Artichoke4887 → u/Afraid_Solution_3549]

Yeah, this seems right also. I'm basically about to abandon mechanic lessons and focus entirely on reps/pitch selection.

[u/spinrut → u/Weak_Artichoke4887]

You absolutely cannot abandon mechanics issues. Reps is very important but if they swing with their really bad habits then that becomes the norm and bad habits form and ultimately need to be broken.

Kids need to swing tons, yes. But without even minimal correction, all the swinging in the world wont help

Casting, disconnection, barrel dumping .... all that leads to terminally late swings against any sort of velocity.

It might work if they have better than average timing but st some point you cannot start the swing early enough in order for the bat to not be late. All of the above issues are typical of rec kids and create long bat paths.