How Youth Baseball Coaches Are Using Small Discs To Teach Proper Hitting Fundamentals

More and more youth baseball coaches are using small disc objects such as clear plastic plates or small plastic household items shaped in the form of a small frisbee to promote proper batting fundamentals for their players. This may sound kind of unusual, but throwing a small lightweight disc object the same way a frisbee would be thrown properly is nearly identical to how a baseball bat is to be swung correctly. Coaches testify to this effective technique as theyve seen much improvement in their players hitting abilities.

When I first started coaching baseball over 20 years ago, I never really gave this a moment of consideration. After experimenting with a number of strategies, drills, and innovative techniques throughout the years, I found that this is a highly effective way to help young baseball players swing through the plane of the ball so they can make better contact. I found that using small clear plastic plates or any other type of related small discs can work just fine.

I have my players practice different drills with these discs. For one, throwing a small disc with a frisbee type of motion promotes a V in their front arm when they swing. Its crucial that youth baseball coaches teach their players to swing their front or lead arm with the same type of motion as throwing a frisbee. This helps them swing through the plane of the ball. They would never throw a frisbee down into the ground. Similarly, they should not swing down on the ball upon contact, so they get the feel for this kind of motion.

Players also learn to have their arm angle of their hand equal to the exact same arm angle of the bat going up when practicing this kind of throwing motion. Their arms should release high with their hands as they swing the bat through the plane of the ball. This is nearly identical to throwing a small frisbee properly.

Second, throwing these small discs with this type of motion for practice drills will teach young players how to shift their weight properly. When someone throws a small disc with a frisbee type of motion, they come up on their toes and shift their weight. They do this especially if they want to throw it far and accurate. Again, this is nearly identical to when you want to swing a bat properly. So a player is to learn to throw their hands, swing through the plane of the ball, and to come up on their toes while doing so. Practicing throwing small discs with a frisbee motion will definitely help young players get used to swinging the bat correctly.

Joe Magno has coached baseball for more than 20 years at the professional, college, and youth levels and is the creator of Mister. Baseball Training Camps, as well as the author of All Star Fielding Drills and Power Hitting Drills That Work

http://www.baseball-softballdrills.com

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