Expert: John Priest - 6/5/2008

Question
My son plays high level 13U travel baseball and has always been an excellent hitter. However, he has recently developed a pattern where he is out in front of all pitches except for those coming in at 70+ mph (which he is still pulling). I am not sure if he is loading to early but he is hitting off his front foot most of the time. Any suggestions on what and how to work with him to fix? Thanks

Answer
Joe,
    Most importantly is hitting the ball to the opposite side.  If your son is pulling the 70+ pitches that will show you why he is out in front of the slow pitches.  Your son should work on hitting the ball from the opposite side to centerfield.  This will train him to stay inside the ball and to wait.  By training this way your son will let the ball come to him giving himself more time.  You don't want to pull the ball all the time, at the 13U age your don't want to classify yourself as a pull hitter.  By working the opposite side will shorten his swing, make him use his rotation more, and give him more power.  
    Training to hit opposite field will not just make you a better hitter, it will make you more desirable to coaches.  There are more extra base hits and RBI's when the ball is hit to the opposite side.  All assuming that your son is right handed.   
    The first way to practice this is off the batting tee.  This is where you can work on the rotational mechanics and the swing.  He will also get a feel for the balance.  Once the swing is corrected start with soft toss then batting practice.  When I train players They get rounds of 10-15 pitches.  The first 8-10 hits must go to the opposite side.  The last couple I tell them to let their instincts take over and just hit.  When you train like this you will hit balls from left-center to right center.
    If your son can do this you will see him more disciplined at the plate, with better balance, and more power.

Thank You,
John Priest