How many times have you seen kids taken a pitch that is called a strike and then complain that it wasn't a strike when it looked pretty good from where you were standing? Or they swing at pitches that are at eye level or way below their knees. If your experience is anything like mine, then you see it quite often. So the question is "do kids really understand the strike zone, or is it a problem of judgement?"
I think a lot of the problems come from the standpoint of the way we run youth baseball. The strike zone can be confusing at any level but in youth baseball it is more than a little difficult, often it simply isn't even fair. Some umpires will give a ball (or more) on either side of the plate and call it a strike, some will have a large strike zone that doesn't adjust much based on the size of the player. Many coaches (trying to get tentative kids to swing the bat) instruct their kids to swing at anything close. I've heard it over and over again in many leagues that I've been involved in, coaches and administrators want kids to swing the bat. So they expand the strike zone as (I guess) an incentive to get kids to swing. Seems counter productive to me. If a kid really has a difficult time hitting, is it really a good thing to have him strikeout on a pitch he can't hit because it's close to a strike? I don't think we're building confidence in kids simply because they are swinging the bat and not striking out looking. They don't feel good either way and for most kids a walk can be fun, because guess what, they actually get to run the bases once in awhile! If this expanding of the strike zone for young players is such a great idea, why don't we expand the idea to other sports? Why not give kids playing basketball a smaller rim or bigger ball and then tell them to shoot anyway! They may never make a basket but don't they feel great that they were able to throw up a shot. We don't do it because it makes no sense, but in baseball for some reason it seems reasonable. I really don't get it. In an effort to get kids to swing the bat, we're making a difficult task more difficult. Enough on that as I'm not going to be able to change this type of thinking. So...
What can we do as coaches and parents to help develop our young hitters in a league with this swing at anything close attitude?
The first thing we can do is be honest with our players about what the goal is when they steps up to the plate. The goal shouldn't be to simply swing the bat. I really think it's important that kids know what they are trying to accomplish.
First Goal: Get on base!
If they achieve this through a walk, hit, or error, they have achieved the goal. As a coach you should give positive feedback for kids that are doing what they can to achieve this goal and give constructive criticism to kids when they are hurting their chances of achieving this goal.
Second Goal: Hit the ball someplace hard!
Kids need to understand that in order to achieve this goal, they have to swing at a pitch they can handle. Swinging at a ball over their head or a foot outside is not going to give them the opportunity to achieve this goal. It ends up giving them one less chance to achieve this goal. Things must change a little bit with two strikes, but before that it's important that kids realize what the strike zone is and the area of that strike zone that they are confident in.
Third Goal: Don't cheat yourself!
Kids are often so worried about striking out that they will swing at pitches they can't hit simply because they don't want to get called out on strikes. Let your players know that it's okay to strikeout. Tell them you'd rather they swing a good pitches that can help them achieve the second goal than swing at bad pitches that they don't have a chance of hitting. Give them permission to not swing the bat!
You might also tell them that you'd rather have them strikeout looking on a pitch they can't hit then swinging and striking out on that same pitch.
On the other side, make sure they know that when they let a good pitch go by that they can handle they are cheating themselves of an opportunity to achieve the first two goals. They need to develop an attitude at the plate that the next pitch is going to be in their hitting zone. If they don't expect a good pitch, then they will not be successful.
Basically you want them to understand that if they are letting good pitches go by and/or swinging at bad pitches that they can't handle, then they are cheating themselves of the opportunity to hit the ball someplace hard and of getting on base.
Practice to Be Successful
In order for kids to understand the strike zone you have to have kids take the same approach at practice. During live batting practice have the kids take pitches that they can't hit. Let them know how far outside, low, or high a pitch is when they swing at a pitch that they shouldn't be swinging at. Let them know when they let good strikes go by. Try to provide as much feedback about the strike zone as you can during practice.
Use the Batting Tee
A batting tee can be moved to different locations and heights. Use a batting tee station for kids to explore pitches they can handle and pitches that they can't. This is a great way for kids to define their strike zone and get comfortable with the locations of pitches that they should swing at and those that they shouldn't swing at.
Soft Toss and/or Quick Hitter
I really like the Quick Hitter* and soft toss for helping kids swing at pitches in different locations. The Quick Hitter is nice because you drop the ball straight down so it is easy to control inside and outside pitches. Soft toss is great for working on the height of the pitch. Both of these are great for helping kids understand what pitches they can handle and what pitches they can't.
Charting and Videotape
Charting and videotaping hitters are two great tools you can use to show kids what pitches they are swinging and not swinging at. This is great for kids who have a tough time knowing where the pitch is or being honest with themselves about where the pitch is.
Charts: Hitting Zone Chart - Hitting Zone Chart Example
Conclusion: As coaches we want our players to improve throughout the year. Simply patting a kid on the back and telling them good try after a strikeout is not enough. Work with them on taking the correct approach at the plate and give them the drills and feedback that will help them improve. It's not easy, especially for a player that is afraid when they step up to the plate, but you will see improvement and results if you start at the beginning of the season and provide a consistent message.
*Quick Hitter information and drills for working on plate discipline can be found in the drills section of the QCBaseball website.
Until next time,
Don Edlin
Owner
QCBaseball.com
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
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In line with "Don't Cheat yourself", I found teaching the kids about counts that you can expect to see a strike (hitter's count, 0-1, 0-2, 1-2, 1-3, 2-3) help them to anticipate the strike better. This seems to give them better confidence at the plate.
ReplyDeleteI agree to a point with Mr Edlin. Swinging at anything is counter productive. A child swing will never be consistent. The tee is the best tool available for this. I also tell them major league players use a tee when they practice. It eliminates the "Baby" league mentality. I tell players that doing any drill, whether it be hitting,fielding,pitching or running the bases is just like writing the alphabet. You must practice and do it the same every single time. I differ from with the author as far as pitches just off the plate. Every pitcher at advanced levels who is worth a salt makes his money baiting batters with pitches off the plate. There are techniques to teach players to hit an outside/inside pitch. see next
ReplyDeleteKids are sponges, read to them and they will have a love of reading. Why, because they will associate reading with time spent with a loving parent. It goes the same with baseball. At early ages parents/coaches who don't spend the time with a child and then expect him/her catch every ball will damage the time spent together aspect of learning skill. When coaching, many coaches have learned drill, drill, drill,it becomes boring to a player. A coach needs to consider how a players brain is wired. Don't scoff. Kids are taught to learn a certain way in school. Try to use words familiar to them when teaching. They will feel good about understanding. I also tell players to ask the umpire if a strike on swing would have been a strike if he/she didn't swing. The player and coach can learn a umpires strike zone. Another form of positive communication between coach and player. I am not a coddler of any sort. The players know what I expect because I teach them and I try to talk to them in terms they already understand. Lastly, I need to know what age group Duszynski coaches. I don't know to many pitches in u12 leagues who can throw a strike on any particular count. Heck, we see many major leaguers who can't even do it. Keep it simple, communicate and teach. Hopefully, kids will understand why we love the game so much.
ReplyDeleteI agree and this has always been a pet peeve of mine. I can't stand listening to coaches say swing at anything close. It drives me nuts. We try to adopt the protect the plate philosophy with 2 strikes on the hitter. Even then it goes into the ridiculous when a kid is ridiculed for not swinging at a called third strike that obviously was no where near a strike. My son (12) has always had a pretty good feel for the strike zone and when he tells me a pitch was a ball I give him the benefit of the doubt even if he goes down looking. I agree with the point that I'd rather my kid go down looking than swing at a ball just because the ump wants to expand the strike zone to the unhittable. The kids need to understand the strike zone not just go up swinging so they don't have to hear it from the coach.....I see it all the time.
ReplyDeleteIts hard to change years of teaching one way. The cliche phrases that I hear at games are almost comical, whether it be the hitters approach at the plate or the mechanics of the pitcher....LOL starting to ramble so I'll end there.
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