Hitting too many ground balls

[B-Fly]

I got a good question for all of you coaches out there. I am 18 and going into college. On my summer league team this year I seem to be hitting too many ground balls. It's not too bad because I have many hits up the middle and in the hole that have helped me lead the team in batting average but I fell like I'm hitting too many ground balls. I smoke all these ground balls for hits but in the past I would be hitting them in the air as line drives. I'm pretty locked in at the plate and my hand eye coordination is great. But every single at bat i hit a hard ground ball. What do you think could be causing me to not lift the ball? thanks

[nychamps2k7]

Thats actually a good thing because thats what scounts are looking for because think about it how many errors are there on pop flys or line drives that go right to the outfielders. Now think of how many errors there are on one hop ground balls and all other hard ground balls.

One of the things that you could be doing is chopping down on the ball.

[korp]

Thats actually a good thing because thats what scounts are looking for because think about it how many errors are there on pop flys or line drives that go right to the outfielders. Now think of how many errors there are on one hop ground balls and all other hard ground balls.

One of the things that you could be doing is chopping down on the ball.
Good effort ... but false. Scouts want people that can drive the ball not drive it into the ground. Why? Well because good college players and all pro players are very unlikely to make errors because of how much practice they do and talent. Hitting the ball hard in the ground may get by in high school and d3 ball but when you get scholarship or paid to play baseball coaches aren't going to sell out for people who can't field a hard ground ball.

Now I can think of two possible things right off the bat: either chopping down like said before or you could be pulling off the ball at the last second I would assume since you say you are hitting them hard. Its possible something else is the reason but in my experience thats usually what will cause me to hit a grounder.

[rkbenn]

I got a good question for all of you coaches out there. I am 18 and going into college. On my summer league team this year I seem to be hitting too many ground balls. It's not too bad because I have many hits up the middle and in the hole that have helped me lead the team in batting average but I fell like I'm hitting too many ground balls. I smoke all these ground balls for hits but in the past I would be hitting them in the air as line drives. I'm pretty locked in at the plate and my hand eye coordination is great. But every single at bat i hit a hard ground ball. What do you think could be causing me to not lift the ball? thanks

Post a video.

[B-Fly]

I would do that but It only happens in games. In the cages I hit the ball fine. I think i am chopping down on the ball too much. I don't want to change my swing too much because I am still hitting good and not striking out. How can I correct this.

[rkbenn]

I would do that but It only happens in games. In the cages I hit the ball fine. I think i am chopping down on the ball too much. I don't want to change my swing too much because I am still hitting good and not striking out. How can I correct this.

do yourself a favor and video tape your BP and games. I'm sure there is a reason why but it will be tough for members to give you the right advice. If I was to guess, I bet you handle the high ball differently than the low ones. I've got a couple players, when they get a high pitch they chop or hit on top of the ball. In the cage you get consistent pitches right down the middle.

[Jim W.]

I agree, it's hard to make suggestions without seeing what you're doing.

Since it only happens in games, consider whether you may be tense instead of relaxed at the plate. Some tend to get extra movement with the hands when tense. Are you getting off balance often?

If you can't video then ask team mates to watch your swing. At your level they should be able to see something that would help you.

[BaseballOC2]

what happened to me was that i was out on my front foot and with my weight being forward i was hitting the ball straight at the ground, I went to my hitting coach with this and he told me to stay back, and keep my weight back until i have to shift. Well i did do that and have been hitting nothing but linedrives, and hard hit pop up's sence, with an ocasional ground ball.

[FiveFrameSwing]

Assuming that you are also pulling most pitches, you might experiment with placing somewhat more emphasis in your bottom-hand at swing initiation. Let us know how that turns out for you.

[b4uplayball]

I don't know what is causing you NOT to lift the ball but here is one drill that I know helps isolate problems with your swing. Believe it or not if you use a batting Tee and hit wiffle balls, with trial and error you can discover the cause. It's this simple, if you hit the Wiffle ball correctly (level swing) off the tee it will "knuckle" and "whistle" off the tee. If the ball "spins" off the Tee and there is no "whistle" your swing is not level. By working with a coach, teammate or family member you can adjust the swing and really diagnose the issue. I found out that Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn (SD Padres) utilized this drill when he played professionally. Take a look at his numbers! Good Luck!

[scorekeeper]

I got a good question for all of you coaches out there….

My guess is, you’re seeing better average pitching than you’ve ever seen before, and they’ve figgered out that you have a tremendous hole in your swing on OS pitches. Personally, I wouldn’t get too excited. That 1st year in college is like that 1st year in any level higher then the one you’re used to. Almost every player has a lot of adjustments to make.

[B-Fly]

Thanks guys for the help all of those suggestions mentioned are good things to work on. I'm not sure but I might have figured it out. I don't wear batting gloves in the cages because I use my cage bat which has a good grip. In games I use gloves and I have been loading them up with pine tar. I think the tar is locking my hands in place and making them rollover to early, causing the ground balls. I taped up the bat and didn't use gloves and I hit a nice line drive single and hit a deep fly which was a first in a while. Does what I'm saying make any sense? lol

[kidcavalier23]

Thanks guys for the help all of those suggestions mentioned are good things to work on. I'm not sure but I might have figured it out. I don't wear batting gloves in the cages because I use my cage bat which has a good grip. In games I use gloves and I have been loading them up with pine tar. I think the tar is locking my hands in place and making them rollover to early, causing the ground balls. I taped up the bat and didn't use gloves and I hit a nice line drive single and hit a deep fly which was a first in a while. Does what I'm saying make any sense? lol
Makes sense to me. My 14U coach tells us that rolling your hands causes an automatic ground ball. I had the same problem with batting gloves and decided to just use my bare hands with some dirt thrown on them. I've been hitting pretty well since doing that.

[Ursa Major]

B-Fly said: Thanks guys for the help all of those suggestions mentioned are good things to work on. I'm not sure but I might have figured it out. I don't wear batting gloves in the cages because I use my cage bat which has a good grip. In games I use gloves and I have been loading them up with pine tar. I think the tar is locking my hands in place and making them rollover to early, causing the ground balls. I taped up the bat and didn't use gloves and I hit a nice line drive single and hit a deep fly which was a first in a while. Does what I'm saying make any sense? lolThat makes a lot of sense. A lot of guys will feel more comfortable initiating the swing with the top hand punching knuckles aligned half-way between the knocking and punching knuckles of the bottom hand, but then turning the top hand outward naturally so that at contact the top hand punching knuckles are aligned with the bottom hand knocking knuckles. (Try it now and you'll see what I mean... Go ahead, I'll wait.)

If you don't make that slight outward turn, just before contact the wrists will lock together and the top hand will roll over prematurely. That indeed could be an issue.

As far as getting a video, just about any decent digital still camera (and many cellphones) have a rudimentary video function. If you find one that has 30 FPS video and have a buddy stand near the backstop and video you, you'll be able to give us some idea of other possible issues.

[B-Fly]

That makes a lot of sense. A lot of guys will feel more comfortable initiating the swing with the top hand punching knuckles aligned half-way between the knocking and punching knuckles of the bottom hand, but then turning the top hand outward naturally so that at contact the top hand punching knuckles are aligned with the bottom hand knocking knuckles. (Try it now and you'll see what I mean... Go ahead, I'll wait.)

If you don't make that slight outward turn, just before contact the wrists will lock together and the top hand will roll over prematurely. That indeed could be an issue.

As far as getting a video, just about any decent digital still camera (and many cellphones) have a rudimentary video function. If you find one that has 30 FPS video and have a buddy stand near the backstop and video you, you'll be able to give us some idea of other possible issues.

Actually now that I'm thinking about it, thats exactly what I do. With all the pine tar I couldn't move my hands to do that. Wow it feels good to figure it out.