One great word picture that we use to help hitters get short to the ball is what we call “Shine the Light”. In our youth baseball drills, If we can help the hitter to visualize the knob of the bat as a flashlight, it will help him to get inside the pitch and achieve the short, compact stroke.
Most hitters will initially drive the knob of the bat towards the ground and they begin their stroke. This causes the bat to flip behind them, causing a long stroke, and taking the hands out of position.
Also, if the hitter lifts the front shoulder just one inch, this will also invite the bat knob to drop down.
Here’s one of our best youth baseball hitting tips. Imagine a laser beam coming from the flashlight directly to the ball. Ask the hitter to immediately “shine the light” on the ball, driving the knob in the direction of the pitch. This will help to correct the long stroke and get the bat head into the proper contact position.
This is easy. “Shine the Light”. From that point the short stroke and proper contact will follow.
We have experienced immediate improvement in our instruction with this simple concept….”Shine the Light”. Some of our hitters have seen results in as little as 7 days.
Here is a very important point to make this effective for you. Your stride will not be vital to hit the ball. It simply will allow the hitter to be in a better position to meet the baseball. In other words, the hands are still in the lock position at the end of the stride. Your stride will overcome inertia and give a level of support that will enable you hit the fastball.