Baseball Hitting - Are You Popping Up Or Grounding Out Too Often?

Baseball Hitting - Are You Popping Up Or Grounding Out Too Often?
 by: Larry Cicchiello

Every baseball hitter makes outs but quite often there is a pattern. The outstanding hitters pay very close attention to how their outs are being made. Your pattern may be popping up too often or grounding out too often. Let's look at a few baseball hitting tips that are possible quick fixes and are specific and right to the point. 

No matter how high or how low your batting average is, you should pay close attention to how your outs are being made. We improve by working on any weaknesses we have. Even if you are hitting .400, if most of your outs are either on pop ups or grounders, you should be looking to make an adjustment. If you take your baseball hitting seriously, you must make adjustments. Here are some baseball tips on hitting that should help you. 

Grounding Out Too Often and Topping the Ball: 

1. You may be getting your stride foot down too late. This will not give you enough time to get the bat to the hitting zone because your bat will still be too high when the moment of truth arrives, thus topping the ball. 

2. You may be trying to pull the outside pitch instead of going with the pitch to the opposite field. Your bat will have a slight drag to it and you won't be swinging through the ball. 

3. You may be hitting too much off the front foot and not keeping your weight on your back foot. This will cause you to be “top heavy" and most likely hit the top of the ball. 

4. You may be opening your front shoulder and/or front hip too quickly, causing you to pull off the ball and not swing through the ball. 

Popping Up Too Often and Hitting Under the Ball: 

1. Pay very close attention to what your back shoulder is doing. If it is collapsing and dropping down below the front shoulder, there is a very good chance this is the problem. Basically, you are lowering your entire swing and you almost have to swing underneath the ball. The same applies to your back leg. If it's dropping down and “collapsing" too much, that can very easily lead to uppercutting the ball and popping it up. 

2. Make sure you are not dropping your hands too low when actually swinging. This obviously will increase the chances of you hitting the bottom of the baseball. If your hands are too low, your bat will be too low and there is a very good chance you will hit the bottom of the ball. 

3. Make sure the back of your bottom hand is facing the pitcher when you start your swing. Remember, it should be one palm up and one palm down only at the point of contact and not before. 

4. Make sure that your front elbow is pointing downward at the very start of your swing.This is very possibly the most common baseball hitting problem you will ever see. The very beginning of the swing is a downward movement and is not level at all. Only at the point of contact should the front elbow be level and pointing toward the pitcher. If you learn only this one thing, you will see a major improvement in your baseball hitting immediately! 

About The Author Larry Cicchiello is the successful author of "Excellent Baseball Coaching: 30 Seconds Away." His VERY user friendly eBooks and CD's cover 320 topics on playing very good baseball. ALL players, coaches or baseball parents who want to help their child will be fully equipped! Larry.s site offers some FREE baseball tips on hitting and FREE baseball pitching tips. Click Here http://www.LarryBaseball.com/products

Baseball Hitting Drills

I've studied hitters during practice practices (BP) for years and come to the same conclusion each time. Hitters who take every pitch in this manner get pops, chops, and routine ground balls with every pitch. In fact, the going rate of hard hits is three or four out of ten.
Instead, try my proven Power-10 Baseball Hitting Drills, which will help players hit the ball hard with super contact every time. Power-10 drills used in batting practices will train hitters to hit each ball well, making practices more meaningful. Hitters will concentrate more on hitting the balls hard and sharply, rather than hitting everything deep. As you see below, this method is proven by improved batting averages.

• Efficiency at least 80%: batting average over.400
• Efficiency at least 70-80%: mid.300 batting average
• Efficiency less than 70%: .280-.300 batting average

Here's how the Power-10 drill works:
A hitter chooses which pitches to hit. But call a strike if he takes a good pitch.
Scoring:

• Hard Hit = 1 point
• Week hit = 0 points
• Swing and miss/foul/strike = (-1)

A hitter strives for a minimum 7 out of 10 (70%). If a hitter is not at that level, he needs to work for that. If time permits, players can do more than one Power-10. With these batting drills, they look forward to the challenge of getting better each time.
EXTRA TIP -- Is 'Stride' Important?
What causes a player to sacrifice power when hitting? Several reasons:

1. Hitting for power has always been associated with the big strong player. But our research reveals that it's not so much the size of the player, but rather the strength of his hands.
2. Many young players are taught to just "meet the ball" rather than hitting through the ball.
3. And some hitters let go of the top hand too soon, resulting in a less-than-powerful performance at the plate.
4. Lastly, many players are taught to place their hands out over the plate on contact. Sometimes this is a result of being taught incorrectly to get extension over the plate.

My Solution: 
This proven method for how to hit a baseball will increase batting speed and power by up to 30-40% if used correctly. Here's all it takes:

1. Strong, quick hands, quick hips, and an agile body
2. Hands out front on contact
3. Hitting through the ball
4. Controlled aggression

To achieve maximum hitting force and greatest distance, both large and small players must learn to develop a quick pivot and quick hands while in the stroke. Power hitters have learned to use hips first, and hands last, with a powerful snapping action. Getting the hands out in front of the body to contact with the ball, with the top hand over the bat, and the bottom hand under that bat, converts a mediocre hit into something like a hammer hitting a nail with full force. This type of "controlled aggression" while still maintaining balance, will finish the stroke with both hands, allowing the batter to hit through the ball with maximum strength. It's important to remember not to let the top hand go too soon.

Extension does not occur on contact, but rather after contact. When hitters try to extend on contact, it is like sawing wood, using too much arms and shoulders. This method will not power the ball. In order to learn how to hit for power in baseball the hitter has to get his hands out in front of the body to contact the ball, with the top hand over the bat, and the bottom hand under the bat. The top hand is then like a hammer on contact.
Baseball Hitting Drills Tips
Tip: Hitting is controlled aggression, while maintaining balance and control.
Hi. I'm Coach Joe Brockoff, a Division I Head Baseball Coach for Tulane University for more than 19 years, and former minor league player for the New York Yankees. Over the years, I've taught thousands of baseball players how to increase batting speed and improve their overall performance on the field. In fact, my proven training system has sent 45 baseball players to the pros.