Hitting - Tips for different pitch locations

[NewbieBBDad]

What is the recommended method for dealing with certain pitch locations?

I think from reading these forums that changes in pitch elevation should be met by changing the tilt of the spine only (no crouching, no dropping hands) but correct me if I am wrong.

For outside pitches, do you wait longer on the ball or stretch the arms out a little or a combination of both.

For inside pitches, do you shorten the arms more or just aim to hit the pitch in front of you or both.
(Like in this Ortiz video http://imageevent.com/siggy/hitting/pro;jsessionid=2ylrcdccb1.tiger_s?p=8&n=1&m=12&c=4&l=0&w=4&s=0&z=9)

Thanks for the advice!

[jbooth]

What is the recommended method for dealing with certain pitch locations?

I think from reading these forums that changes in pitch elevation should be met by changing the tilt of the spine only (no crouching, no dropping hands) but correct me if I am wrong.

For outside pitches, do you wait longer on the ball or stretch the arms out a little or a combination of both.

For inside pitches, do you shorten the arms more or just aim to hit the pitch in front of you or both.
(Like in this Ortiz video http://imageevent.com/siggy/hitting/pro;jsessionid=2ylrcdccb1.tiger_s?p=8&n=1&m=12&c=4&l=0&w=4&s=0&z=9)

Thanks for the advice!

The goal is to get the sweet spot of the bat, on the ball. The strike zone is about 17 inches wide and about 20 inches high. You MUST make adjustments with your body and arms, in order to put the sweet spot in different parts of that zone.

Generally speaking, an inside pitch at the belt can be hit by simply meeting the ball farther out in front of your body, but that's assuming you timed it right. Usually, it's a combination of swinging earlier AND bending the front elbow to pull the handle more to the inside.

Generally speaking, an outside pitch at the belt can be hit by simply meeting the ball farther back between your feet, but again that assumes you time in right. Usually, it's a combination of swinging later AND extending the hands toward the ball. But, the extension should be late and not an early casting of the bathead.

High pitches generally require a little straightening up (not too much) and a raise of the hands to get the bat plane higher.

Low pitches generally require a tilting at the waist. Except low inside pitches which are hit more easily by a lifting of the front elbow and a drop of the back shoulder.

Low outside pitches are the toughest for anybody to hit well. It requires tilt, extension and waiting.

Hitting different locations is an advanced technique. The hitter must first learn the optimum, most effecient and powerful swing at the pitch belt high, down the middle, and then learn to adjust to the pitch location from THAT fundamental swing. IMO, learning to hit locations before you master the fundamental swing, is a waste of time. IMO, it's easy to adjust, it is NOT easy to learn to hit the ball over the fence.

[3rdgenerationnation]

"What is the recommended method for dealing with certain pitch locations?"

Hit off a tee with the ball moved around realitive to your stance. Pay attention to how the ball is coming off the tee and your body will learn most of what is required.

[Mark H]

The hitter must first learn the optimum, most effecient and powerful swing at the pitch belt high, down the middle, and then learn to adjust to the pitch location from THAT fundamental swing. IMO, learning to hit locations before you master the fundamental swing, is a waste of time. IMO, it's easy to adjust, it is NOT easy to learn to hit the ball over the fence.

Exactly. If you can't consistently smoke that middle pitch with a quick (frame count) swing you aren't likely to do much with the corners.

[swingbuster]

Agree with Jim and MArk. I work middle first and try to create the proper mechanics there. If you cannot get inside the ball in the middle you cannot hit oppo for sure.

I next set up slightly away and learn to hit backside with power and learn top hand mechanics.

Then throw BP and watch it all break down :D

Go home and have a beer and think about buying a Play Station and joining them

[NewbieBBDad]

LOL, good responses all.

My concern was that we'd been working too much BP down the middle. Now that spring Little League is around the corner I've been throwing to him and of course my pitches are all over the place.

Good thing to know, most of my assumptions fell in line with Jim Booth's advice.

[BallCoach06]

Biggest thing is not trying to cover the entire plate until you have 2 strikes. Up until the point, you should look for a certain zone and get "your pitch". For exampe, if you're looking hard in, don't swing at a curve ball, low and away even if it is a strike.

[jbooth]

Biggest thing is not trying to cover the entire plate until you have 2 strikes. Up until the point, you should look for a certain zone and get "your pitch". For exampe, if you're looking hard in, don't swing at a curve ball, low and away even if it is a strike.

You're confusing the mental aspect of hitting with the mechanics. Your statement is correct, but what happens when you have 2 strikes and you get that low and away pitch, and you haven't learned the fundamentals needed to hit it?

[BallCoach06]

You're confusing the mental aspect of hitting with the mechanics. Your statement is correct, but what happens when you have 2 strikes and you get that low and away pitch, and you haven't learned the fundamentals needed to hit it?

There is no confusion. They are two different things, I agree with that. But, in my opinion it is mind over matter when it comes to hitting. You can have all the mechanics you want, if you are not ready mentally, you are done.

Don't get me wrong, mechanics are very important and need to be drilled properly, but so does the mental game.

[jbooth]

There is no confusion. They are two different things, I agree with that. But, in my opinion it is mind over matter when it comes to hitting. You can have all the mechanics you want, if you are not ready mentally, you are done.

Don't get me wrong, mechanics are very important and need to be drilled properly, but so does the mental game.

I believe we are in agreement, but the original poster's question, and the discussion was about the mechanics of hitting different pitches.

At the pro level, hitting is almost ALL about the mental part. They didn't get to that level with any serious mechanical flaws. If you have flaws in your swing, the correct mental attitude won't consistently overcome the flaw.

[Ursa Major]

Well, Jim, he asked for the recommended "method", so that conceivably could include some aspect of mental preparation, but at the level he's talking about, it obviously could be pretty basic preparation. The biggest mental problem is the two-strike pitch, because you have to be prepared to hit anything, and in youth leagues you're often subject to the vagaries of poor umpiring. On those, I usually counsel to look for the outside pitch, and be ready to rotate like a sonofagun on anything on the inside corner.

Focussing back on mechanics: Few coaches really try to teach hitting outside pitches. One that I worked with would put the ball on a tee placed on the front outside corner of the plate and have a contest to see who could hit the ball best to the opposite field. This reinforces that you have to hit the ball later, which requires practice and confidence, and of course you can't try to pull it. Because the low outside pitch is the toughest to reach, the kids have to start with enough tilt to get out and get it, and they have to stay closed long enough to have some power, because their swing by definition will be shorter. The good thing in youth ball is that, if you can get the ball into right field with some pop, that's usually your best shot at getting a triple, because you've often got the weakest outfielder there and if you can make it almost to second before he picks it up, you're in good shape to make it to third.

On inside pitches, you rotate (as noted above) and keep your hands in and back (and duck your shoulder on that low one as Jim (JBooth) mentions), and rotate hips and shoulders through as quickly as possible -- the bathead should get around. Some of the best hits ever that I've seen from several young hitters (including Ursa Minor) have come from doing just that. Too many youth players try to chicken wing their hands through, not trusting that their body rotation will get the bathead around in time. However, at best they'll hit it foul; more likely, they'll hit a dribbler off the fists.

[NewbieBBDad]

Thanks for the responses. Actually, I was just looking for mechanics. Mentally, I just tell my son to be prepared for anything since pitchers at this level can't place the ball anywhere and as you mentioned, neither can some of the umpires.

He's good at hitting inside so I tell him to crowd the plate to about 1 shoe length distance. The reasoning is he can see pretty well if an inside pitch is a strike or not and this helps him with judging the outside pitches.

He still pulls outside pitches though. (Impatient kid! :crazy )

[Mark H]

Pulls them as in ground out to short or pulls them into the gap for a double? If he crowds the plate enough, outside becomes middle to him.

[NewbieBBDad]

Pulls them as in ground out to short or pulls them into the gap for a double? If he crowds the plate enough, outside becomes middle to him.
Exactly, outside becomes middle. You saw his video, he can hammer outside pitches to his pull side. To me, rotational hitting improves inside hitting = crowding the plate = improves outside hitting.

But I asked about mechanics because there will be times when the ump will call even way outside pitches as strikes. (We had several last year, especially one who chose to set up right between batter and catcher to see inside pitches well but couldn't call crap on outside pitches.)