Hitting dirt balls? – Convert them to line units

Putting the ball in play on the ground isn’t always a bad thing, but turning grounders into line drives will definitely help the batter’s batting average and chances of playing baseball at the highest levels. Hitters with good speed can thrive hitting the ball on the ground, especially in youth baseball, but at some point the ability to drive the ball into the outfield is necessary. Of course, hitting ground balls is better than hitting pop-ups, but hitting the ball consistently on the ground is a sign of a faulty fundamental swing.

People generally think that hitting the top of the ball, which results in rolling, is caused by hitting or cutting the ball. In my 21 years as a baseball coach, I rarely came across hitters who actually cut the ball. I observed that most of the ground balls were caused by the hitters’ hands that were on an upward trajectory early in the swing, usually caused by the lead elbow rising early in the swing. This incorrect action is generally known as chicken wing, which does not allow batters to bring their hands to the correct position with the palm up and down at the moment of contact.

With this in mind, here are the exercises that will generally convert rolls to line units.

Exercise n. # 1: To rid the player of the chicken wing problem, ask them to place their gardener glove under the front armpit and take numerous strokes in this manner, allowing the glove to fall off on follow-up.

Exercise n. # 2: Have the batter stand his belly button away from the net and swing the end of the bat scraping the net as he passes through the hitting zone. This will prevent the batter from throwing the bat out and over the ball, which can cause a ground hit. This drill and the next will help players develop the correct hands for the ball and the hand position needed to hit the ball in the air.

Exercise n. # 3: Tee off at knee height and have the hitters work on hitting the balls at this height until they start hitting the lines or solid balls. Bad hitters will continually hit ground balls at this pitch level. Hitters will need to develop the correct hip twist and swing in order to hit solid line drives on the knee high pitch, as outlined.

* Hitters can combine these drills and perform all three at the same time. This becomes more difficult, but it can speed up the process of developing the correct baseball swing.

For batters who consistently hit solid ground balls, as opposed to weak or cut ground balls, a slight adjustment in their position or hand position can lower the position of the bat on the ball enough to hit the bottom of the ball. the back rather than the top of the ball. Hitters who widen their stance and bend their knees slightly can see the needed line drives. It is also worth trying to lower the height of the batter’s hands a couple of inches in his initial setup position. This can allow the batter to get to the back of the ball more consistently. Following these few guidelines should convert those ground balls to solid line units. For photographic illustrations of these drills, see my book, Training a Hitter: A Proven and Practical Step-by-Step Baseball Guide.

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