Hitting can be taught.
This page is based on the recent on-field experience of two of WebBall's coaches. It's not the typical quick tips page which we offer elsewhere on the site. But based on recent surveys and feedback, there is a segment of our visitors that appreciates both the broader picture and greater details on the skills of baseball. This is for them - and, we hope, you.


It's bad enough when a left-hand batter bails on a breaking pitch coming in from a left-hand pitcher - the kind of pitch that seems to start on a direct line for the batter's head. It's almost as bad when a right-hand batter's knees buckle and/or head ducks on a breaking pitch from a righty. But the true 'Jumping Jack' batter treats every pitch like it's way too close - he ducks, or buckles, or jumps back, or steps away. Both lefties and righties have been known to do this, but the worst cases always seem to be left-hand batters. It can get really bad when the jump back is followed by an umpire's strike call (yes, it's happened - frequently).


First step: teach him how to set up on the plate for best coverage of the strike zone. Too many younger players, especially smaller players, believe they need to tap both the near and far sides of the plates with the bat to check their plate coverage before the pitch. The reality is that this will put them way too close. If the batter stands in his starting position with the bathead barely touching the inside black edge, then when the bat comes up it will easily cover the full width of the plate. He should then take a quick practice swing while the pitcher is taking his sign. During that swing, the batter should be watching where the end of his bat reaches. That's the outside limit of his swing path and should be past the outside edge of the strike zone - any pitch farther away is to be ignored.

Second step: teach the proper techniques for hitting outside and inside pitches. This could be as simple as asking him if he adjusts to the pitch, or reminding him to take his hands to the ball first. Or it could be a full training sequence with soft tosses, the double tee, and even live B.P. The purpose is to show him that the best defense against a pitch that's a little inside is to hit it out front. Part of this process (part of step 1 really) is to show him how to dig in and be ready to hit - not ready to jump.

The third step depends on your read of the batter's fear factor. You should teach every player how to do the turn-in and duck, to safely protect against a pitch that's way inside. Any contact is then more likely to be on the rump or back - better than on the arms or chest or head. However, if you teach this at the wrong time to the 'jumping jack' you could be reinforcing his belief that any inside pitch will hit him and hurt. So minimize the lesson, for instance... "By the way, did you know, that if you protect against an inside pitch by turning in it's much safer."


Fewer called strikes, more pitches put in play, more runs batted in, more hits to all fields (inside pitches are now pulled rather than avoided and outside pitches are being hit back up the middle).

This isn't an automatic success story - like many adjustments with young teen players, constant reminders are needed. Just remember to do so prior to his going up to bat in an inning - not while he is in the batter's box.