Tips For Your Baseball Team

It is important for the youngster on any baseball team to learn to hit the ball where it is pitched. If it's over the center of the plate, hit into center field. By doing this you can hit with full power and have a better chance of getting solid wood on the ball.

This matter of hitting the ball where it is pitched applies to the curve as well as the fast ball. As a matter of fact, it's probably more important to follow this practice when batting against a curve-ball pitcher. A curve to a right hand hitter is normally going down and to the outside. The hitter might be able to hit the ball if he strides straight ahead, but most of the time the end of the bat will be pulling away from the ball.

A right hand hitter should hit the outside curve ball into right field-just as he would the outside pitch; the left hand hitter should try to whack it into left.

Aim At The Hitting Lanes

The batter's constant objective is to "hit the ball where they ain't, " which is a crude way of saying: hit between the fielders. It will help the hitter if, when he stands at the plate, he tries to visualize the "hitting lanes". He should carry a mental picture of lines running from the plate to the outfield, but between the third baseman and 3rd base; between the third baseman and the shortstop; over 2nd base; between the second baseman and the first baseman and between the first baseman and 1st base.

He should try to drive the ball down one of these lines, depending on where it is pitched. The hitting lanes give the batter five definite targets, instead of a single "blind" one.

Don't Guess-Hit

This writer is a strong opponent of "guess hitting" for members of a baseball team. The guess hitter tries to decide before the pitch is delivered whether it's going to be a fast ball or a curve. He also decides whether or not he will swing at the next pitch.

Only an exceptionally talented hitter can do this successfully. The average hitter can't afford to be fooled, or to let a good pitch go by, which is just what he'll do every time he "guesses" wrong. The best advice for any youngster is this: be ready to hit every pitch. Be ready to hit it to any field. Always expect the fast ball and it will never fool you.

If the pitcher throws a curve, you have time to adjust your swing. You may at least get enough wood on the ball to foul it off, which gives you another chance.

Bunting

Bunting is essentially a part of hitting, but the technique is very different. In the old days, a well executed bunt gave the fans a thrill. Now, the home run is the great attraction. Nevertheless, the bunt is an important weapon for the team at bat. Players and managers alike realize this, of course, when it fails to work at a crucial point in the Big Game.

The bunt is used for two purposes-to advance a runner; to get the batter on base. Since each bunt has a different objective, each is executed differently. The "sacrifice" bunt is used to put the ball on the ground out of reach of any fielder so that a runner, or runners, will have enough time to advance one or more bases.

Remember that practice is the way to advance all your skills to become a valued member of your baseball team!