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dblinkh1
39 Posts |
 Posted - 09/28/2008 : 17:09:20
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| I haven't seen much discussion on this but at what age would you consider starting to switch hit? At what age does it really matter to be able to switch hit. |
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biged
198 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2008 : 08:13:37
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| Don't do it. Hard enough to learn how to hit from one side. As kids get older there is a lot more going on then just making contact, ie. better Pitching and situational hitting. You will also eventually find out that one side is stronger than the other, so why spend the time trying to improve a weakness when you can be much more productive improving a strength. My son did mess around w/it about 8/9. He liked it, but once the novelty wore off he let it go. |
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greglomax
1031 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2008 : 09:36:41
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biged,
I am not sure how you advise someone to not teach switch hitting at all. This is one of those "player to player" decisions that is based as much on whether the batter takes to swinging from the other side or not. I see more starting at 13 than I have previously, which means they probably have been working on it for several years.
It gets harder as you get older, but a batter needs to have a good understanding of swing mechanics before trying the other side. As I mentioned to a parent several years ago, a batter needs to be able to hit successfully from one side of the plate before they try the other side. Hitting .250 from each side of the plate does not make your son a .500 hitter.
dblinkh1,
The best time to work on this is in the off season when they are not playing game. Have fun with it and don't put a lot of pressure on them because it is completely backwards, mechanically, from the swing on the other side. It will take some time to get all the pieces working. Hitting off a tee is the best place to start. |
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biged
198 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2008 : 12:03:43
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Greg, I agree w one point u made. It is a player to player decision. I was speaking generally. However, be real, how many "true" switch hitters do u see in travel ball? Better yet, what is the percentage of travel ball players who are effective switch hitters? What percentage of Major Leaguers are switch hitters? How many big name major leaguers are switch hitters?
If u're kid wants to be a switch hitter just because it sounds fun, then by all means teach him/her. However, if u are serious about baseball and u want to have the best possible chance for success, you may want to focus on honing your child's hitting skills from one side of the plate.
Case and point, I knew a kid who could switch hit and pitch left or right handed. It was a real neat trick at 9 and 10. Now, however, he has given it up. Double and triple the practice time for only marginal results is why he gave up switch hitting/pitching. |
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dblinkh1
39 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2008 : 16:18:50
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| Thanks for the opinions. Right now my son(12U Travel) is hitting for power from his natural side but wants to see if he can duplicate that from the other side. So far he is just a contact hitter from the weak side. Mechanically his natural side is on point but his weak side is a mess. |
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biged
198 Posts |
Posted - 09/30/2008 : 10:26:44
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Just my opinion, but until a ball player is batting 600 or higher on a consistent bases against the best competition, the focus should be made on the strong side of the plate. It wasn't until I started taking my kid to a professional batting instructor at age 10 did I realize that there is a lot more mechanical things to hitting then the average to above average coach knows. And only a trained eye is able to see these tiny variations in a swing. As I have watched my son and other children develop over the years the only consistent thing about a child's swing is that it is inconsistent.
However, some coaches use hitting from the opposite side as a training tool. When hitting from the opposite side, it really makes the player focus on all aspects of the swing. So, when they turn around to their natural side those fundamentals are fresh in their minds. Also, it helps w/ eye hand coordination. When batting from the opposite side again the player must focus much more.
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FearAD
59 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2008 : 19:51:41
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Going against the grain here. My son played with the idea of switch hitting at 12 and took about 15 AB (13) this past spring. He made a commitment to switch hit this fall. If you are going to do it, be aware, it's a lot of work. you have to take your normal cuts on the strong side and normal +50% from the opposite side. I agree, tons of tee work, tons of soft toss plus you have to deal with the frustration of the first season blues.
If you son hits .500-.600 with power from one side especially the left side, why switch hit?
Good luck. |
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Stickman316
37 Posts |
Posted - 11/06/2008 : 10:07:17
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Teaching a kid to switch hit is like teaching a kid to excel in a musical instrument, foreign lang. etc. It must start as early as possible (tee work and soft toss). Tons and tons of reps. There's a concept in education called "zone of proximal development." It teaches that a child can attain abilities/skills more readily between the ages of 3 and 8.
I believe wholeheartedly that this applies to sports also. If your child begins perfecting a skill early in life, he/she stands a great chance of growing "with the skill" rather than struggling to attain it later in life. |
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coachdan06
433 Posts |
Posted - 11/06/2008 : 19:30:21
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quote:
Originally posted by greglomax
Hitting .250 from each side of the plate does not make your son a .500 hitter.
 Good one.
But I tend to agree most with Stickman. Early years are best if not required.
Later and definite @ 12 ,13 IMHO its too much confusion. Remember - the best hitters are not thinking every second up there.
And learning to hit curveballs as a new switchitter?  |
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greglomax
1031 Posts |
Posted - 11/06/2008 : 22:55:37
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| I too agree with Stickman. Does anyone else think that being a successful switch hitter requires being more neutral eye dominant? If you have a strong eye dominance does that make it harder for you to develop the hand/eye coordination you need from the other side of the plate? |
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GotTheTShirt
4 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2008 : 09:18:12
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| Some Major League baseball teams do not care about any of this. Ther are stories year after of year of MLB teams asking one or more of their draft choices to learn to be a switch hitter. Their method is just simple practice, practice, pratice. One of my former players felt like he was hitting 1000 balls a day every day his first summer after being drafted from the other side of the plate... |
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What age for switch hitters?
