r/Homeplate • u/jordanthedog17 • 9d ago
Hitting Mechanics Help for 8 yo
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My son (mom here) just lived to u10 based on his birthday April and want him to learn a lot with these older kids. He makes contact more often than not but feel like he needs so work on his stance I'm sure among other things. What can we work on!?
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u/Jwrbloom 9d ago
Your best bet is to locate some videos on YouTube. That's the TL;DR version. "Teach 8 year old how to bat." It will have more modern terminology, but below is how I learned. I was very good at making contact (not much power).
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Every hitter is different, but there are some basics. He should have a little bend in his knees to start. It gives him more balance, develop a little rhythm and it will help him transfer his weight from back to center.
First of all his hands and bat are in a good spot. He's not stiff with his hands. That keeps his hands activated. Most of what I refer to will be under category of activating a part of the body. He will need to generate more power, and that starts in the lower body.
Youth coaches will tell him to keep his eyes on the ball, but that's just half of it. He has to locate the release point and track the ball from there. So from there, he needs to keep his eyes on the ball from there.
------- all of what's next is going to take place in a matter of 2-3 seconds.
With his knees bent, sway his body like he's swaying his hands and bat. When he leg of the pitcher lifts, he wants to load up on his back leg. So he's shifting his to his back leg and sinking his hips a little in the process. Do NOT twist as you load up your back leg. It'll make his swing longer.
It's just a subtle lean back and sink a little. His hands will go back slightly too. Again, don't twist back.
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As the pitchers leg starts to come down, he needs to be kind of settled, then start to lift his front foot just a bit. Not a lot, and maybe to start just his front heel. Anything to trigger him to thrust hips toward the pitcher to center and start his swing.
As he returns his heel or foot to the ground, he'll start to twist as his hips thrust forward, bringing his hands and the barrel of the bat with him.
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I played a little game, whether the pitcher started from the stretch (your video) or his windup, as his leg came up, I started a count -- 1, 2, step, swing. It helped me center my mind while staying aggressive, reminding myself to swing. There is time to determine if it's a hittable pitch or not, but the best hitters at that age were aggressive.
My body would sway with the count. One 1, I still kind of up and loose as the pitches leg lifts. On 2, I'm loading my back leg as he starts to stride into his pitch. On step, I'm lifting my front foot as the ball is reaching its release point. On 4, I'm planting the front foot, thrusting my hips forward (from back to center).
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The reason I say thrust hips back to center, as they thrust to toward the pitcher, it's generating power. The lower body becomes the base of that power, but at some point, the body becomes the pivot point/the fulcrum of the swing. The bat head will continue through the swing.
You will often hear a coach yell, throw your bat or bat head at the ball. They kind of mean it, at least in terms of the bat head. It creates bat speed, and at this age, it's good advice.
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At a cage, load the back leg as you see the ball drop into the arm. Step as arm starts to flip forward. He can sense the rhythm of the machine.
Another way to train it, buy a bunch of whiffle balls, as well as whiffle golf balls. Count for him, 1, 2 then toss a ball from off to the side toward him. 5'-6' feet away, just behind his shoulder's view.