Teach Your Son Proper Hitting Mechanics...Without saying a single word!
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
- Are you searching for youth hitting drills, baseball hitting instruction or hitting lessons for one of your kids just starting to learn how to play the game?
If so, you've found the right video...
Inside this video I'm going to share with you why my 4 yr old son will never receive one single instruction until he's 12 or 13 years old! It's true, most kids start off on the wrong foot because as baseball coaches, we confuse them.
Watch this video and be sure to leave a comment!
Trust what you FEEL!
Lantz Wheeler
P.S: Connect with me on your favorite social media outlet:
Twitter: / lantzwheeler
Instagram: / lantzwheeler25
Facebook: / baseballthinktank
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![The Hitting Routine I Do With My 5 Year Old Son [Baseball Hitting Drills For Youth]](/img/n.gif)
I coached HS ball for 10 years before switching careers and I now have two sons 5 & 2 years old. I’ve never thought about this approach before. I think every parent with young kids wanting to play ball should watch this video. My son can hit well. He’s been hitting since he could walk but his throwing and catching need help. I am definitely going to start doing the balloon drill.
Any type of instruction splits the brains duty! I love that. This is such good advice. I can see how this prepares them mentally to love the game and be more focused.
This worked with my 4 year old son!!!Praise effort not outcome
I agree 1000% with this. I have an eight year old girl, first year softball player. She has decent instincts. She gets in the box and coaches run in and move her around, re-position her stance, push the elbow up for the chop, etc. Some coaches like to instruct so they over engage. I cringe because she overthinks, loses the feel of the game, and produces a weak swing and miss. Now I work with her at home tell her not to worry about instruction- do what feels right to her. I say lets have some fun. My only instruction is to say look at this ball in my hand, watch it, and hit it hard. Crank it. We go through a bucket of balls fast, ball after ball. There's no discussion between pitches, no instruction, she hits, she misses, she hits, we just keep going. No time to think. She hits more and more, harder and harder. Whereas a coach might see one swing late to the ball and try to intervene with a stance change or tell her to shorter her swing or chop, the real issue is that the kids just need to hone their natural timing. They need to develop hand-eye coordination with a ball pitched to them so their brains figure when to start a swing from their stance so the barrel makes contact and drives the ball. I agree there is a role for coaching- once kids have some confidence and feel- but less is more in the early years when kids need to develop their own feel for the game.
I am 'coaching' my boys 5 yo team this year and am very happy I found this video. I look forward to encouraging all my kids to play as hard as they can.
I've already made the mistake of correcting his starting position to bat with his hands up and his bat back, and saw for my self the difference between just letting it happen, and trying to control him.
Your method rings true to me and I think it will be easy to embrace.
Thank you
I'm so glad I saw your video because I've played baseball more than 40 years with no instructions until I went to H.S., but now I have a 6yr old and I have to learn how to be a teacher. My instincts were similar to yours, but I was not sure if it was the correct way by starting with a big bat and a a big ball so he can enjoy the game and not fret when he missed the ball. I now coach Tee-ball and what i saw was kids struggling to hit overhand, so i just threw the ball underhand and they see it well and make contact. More importantly, they enjoy hitting the ball instead of placing the Tee in front of them to hit the ball when they continue missing. I felt when the kid would miss a few pitches and now the Tee was place in front of them, so he/she would feel as if they were not good as the other kids who were able to hit the ball overhand and not have the Tee placed in front of them. I also tell my son to swing hard and praise him if he missed because the goal was to swing hard and making contact was just icing on the cake. Seeing your video gave me the validation I needed for what I was actually doing was ok and moving in the right direction. Now after a couple of months doing these exercises with my son I hear other parents speaking loudly how my son has a good swing and that includes hitting off the Tee, which I actually started him with the spongy large soft balls, so he can hit the ball off the Tee more often then knocking the Tee down to the ground. Then as he progressed I started putting the wiffle balls on the Tee, which more often he hits the ball and not the Tee. Thank you for your video and I truly believe in your method because just like in our adult life we want to have attainable goals and not the ones that are impossible to reach. You're awesome man....
As a father who didn't play baseball growing up(football, basketball) and has a 5 y/o son who will now play baseball and wanting to help him out. Seeing all the videos out there that contradict each other(and the comments that contradict the video) and making it more confusing for me(which would have been worse for him) this is great thank you!
Our boys are starting t-ball next week. Very timely video for parents that don't know the game to get these guys started off right. Thank you
Absolutely correct!! Best baseball input I've heard in a while. My boys have played for years for me and travel. Whenever I would notice they were anxious about hitting I would tell them to swing as hard as you can and have fun! Now I am coaching my youngest daughters first tball team. She has been to almost every game for her brothers and has a good idea on how to play. I noticed working with her she was trying to mimic the boys swing and it wasn't working well. I told her to just hit the ball hard and she finds a way. I will use this with her team practice forward. Thank you for the video!
This absolutely the best video and have preached this four years of TBall. Results and excitement of the players that grows throughout the year is insane.
My son just turned 4 and I can’t wait to start teaching him better !
I played a very long time and started my son at the age of 3. You are right in teaching the kids to swing as hard as they can. It's important. Their beautiful little minds figure it out on their own to be more efficient. From that point you coach them backwards (toes, hands, and such). I ride my kid at times but I always finish bringing him up. I critique every swing if it is flawed but by the end of the session, I'm over the top with praise. Don't let your kid play year round baseball either. Play all sports.
Why did you start him at age 3? There's no way he can possibly be genuinely interested.
@@mrossknejust because your kids aren’t as developed as his are don’t judge his own kids interest level
@@chadrides914 kids aren't interested in sports at the age of 3. don't argue with your betters.
@@mrosskne Ok, I’m really sorry man. Have a good weekend. I wish you and your wife the best with raising your kids how you see fit.
Dear Mr. Wheeler, You said something that is so on point, it's insane ... "It shapes their motor skills," when they do something as hard as they can. My son is nine-years-old and when I tell him "as hard as you can" whether when swinging or hitting, invariably the swing/throwing motion falls into place. Naturally there are fine points in tuning the giving action, but essentially, the body "knows" how to be efficient. Your advice is some of the most basic and best I've ever heard. And you present it so well.
Lantz -- as a pediatrician and parent of an 8 1/2 year old who is trying to navigate a summer travel "A" team, your advice is both developmentally appropriate and comforting...this is a smart approach to helping younger children love the game and a good foundation for getting kids through the middle-grade phase where they may have shown some ability but their skills are not fully developed (and really can't get there yet) -- by focusing on what they can control, and reminding parents that 'its not about right now'...awesome stuff
Dr Merahn,
Thanks for taking the time to comment. It's great to hear approval from a man with your credentials, not the typical CZcams comment, lol. Thanks again!
Lantz
Steven Merahn single a team lmao
Good
I just left my 4-year-old son's 3rd t-ball practice and I agree completely with your theory. I watch these kids trying to bat with all types of instruction coming from coaches/parents/myself and it just confuses, restricts and sometimes paralyzes them. They basically become robots trying to hit a ball. I kept thinking we need to just keep putting a ball on the tee and let them swing anyway they want. Do it over and over and over, allowing them to naturally work their swing and just enjoy trying to hit the ball. I'd rather let them swing at 20 balls with no instruction than 5 times with. Let them have fun swinging and quit bogging them down with what they "should" be doing. Nice observation!
Thanks for making this video. I really appreciate the coaching so I can help my son. Please make more videos. You're a good coach and dad. Best wishes.
You could help him a lot more by asking him what he wants to do with his own spare time.
This is probably the most important video any parent of tballers will ever watch. My sons were hitting it so far in the backyard with no instruction, but then once we signed them up for T-ball and the coaches started coaching them, it completely ruined their swings and they were chopping it down and all sorts of weird things. I’m in the process of just getting them to swing again and stop overthinking it
I can't thank you enough!!... I will envoke this with my son ( hes 7) IMMEDIATELY!!! Thank you SOOOOO much!!!
Positive reinforcement of simple to try your hardest, is something simple that children understand. Great video I learned the most.
I never thought of it this way, but agree that this is much more of an engaging way to keep kids interested in the game at a young age. Thank you for sharing. I'm going to take my boys out tomorrow and give it a swing.
I like this advice. Swing hard, throw hard, have fun. Let's face it. Baseball is boring for kids this age. This changes the game by setting them up to succeed instead of fail. Thank you for your honest and thoughtful work.
I needed to watch this. I've been very frustrated watching my 5 year old son struggle and I'm seeing the frustration on his face too. But, we won't give up and I feel this will have a positive impact on his confidence. Thanks for making this.
You got this!
You're awesome my man this is what I was doing with my little bro for his first season of baseball, I completely stopped using this after his second season idk why !!! Glad I ran into this video and because of you I came back to my senses!!!! He has a game tomorrow, his first game this season. I'll be sure to use this style again
Brilliant insights!
Goes right along with the wisdom from the book "Nurture Shock" that says to praise effort, not outcomes, or things they can't control.
Perfect timing as my 5 year old just started regressing with hitting after I gave him too much instruction.
Thanks!!!
I played baseball when I was a kid and think that I was a victim of overcoaching. There is some degree of coaching needed, but emphasizing swinging hard is very important.
I started playing baseball with my son when he was 3 or so and took the approach of swing hard. He is now 11 and can hit the ball around 300 feet. He has had a lot of instruction but really his swing resorts back to natural tendancies that he learned when he was young. His swing is very similar now compared to age 6. Some kids are more natural than others of course. Teach one idea at a time though and dont overwhelm them with too much. I see so many weak swings all the time, and all that gets is a ground ball to 1st base or pitcher.
As far as throwing same approach. Teach getting their arm back and proper follow through. But to always throw hard everytime. You would be surprised at what they will naturally figure out. I dont use radar guns but he throws around 65-70 now at least.
I have coached him 6 years but I had very little knowledge when he first started. It just makes sense to hit the ball hard or throw hard, you have to have that goal to start.
Nice video!
You are very smart. I went to the ABCA Convention in Anaheim and one of the topics that kept coming up at our booth was the speech by Ron Wolforth of the Texas Baseball Ranch. He described how coaches need to be more open-minded about how they are instructing pitchers and realize, there is so much more to learn than what we already know. His premise is based on the teachings of Russian scientist Nikolai Bernstein and how the mind has the innate ability to adjust movement patterns to accomplish a given task. You, Ron, and myself are up against the odds though - it's very difficult to get people to embrace a whole new way of thinking. But that's exactly what being a vanguard is all about. Kudos to you brother.
The concept of intent was originally Paul Nyman's idea, but I totally agree with you.
I agree 100% and I'm guilty of over coaching. My little guy is 9yrs old. Big slugger. He's had some great at bats and has been very successful at the palate. But he's been struggling lately. He puts a lot of pressure on himself. Causing more and more anxiety on himself. Plus me shouting instructions and his teammates and coaches shouting. It's a recipe for disaster. I try to make our time together fun and helpful. But at the same time instructional. Hopefully I learned my lesson with this video. I knew about everything you talked about. But yet the coach in me wants quick results. It's time to take it back a notch. And just let him play
alberto carrasquillo how did you do? Did you see an improvement overall with the younger kids? Btw how’s your Sons progression 2 years later? I’m helping a buddy coach his kids team n I believe I will take a step back too, but, not too much.
alberto carrasquillo Me too...
I love this video, it says everything that my son and I are dealing with right at age 7 and just getting interested in baseball. His older sister is a phenomenal softball player and he is now wanting some of that attention that she is getting and this video just taught me a lot thank you.Jerry
Invaluable advice!! I know nothing about sports but want my son to have fun and and I don't want to misguide him. Thanks for sharing this simple, yet profound approach!!
Lantz I just waned to say you have definitely given me a new perspective on coaching younger kids. I coach a 6 year old, and i try to teach him all the correct steps of the swing and he will instantly forget it. The times that he does swing the right way, he swings so softly that the ball doesnt go anywhere. Then he gets mad and just swings really hard, and all of a sudden he can hit!. Lets teach the kids to love the game at that age, not to be perfect players
Great video and explanation with how to praise our children for trying hard. I recall some of my youth coaches' messages that it is ok to make a mistake but make it a full speed or an aggressive mistake. As a youth coach who has coached both sons in LL Baseball, I've still made the same mistake in trying to give the players instruction and you are correct, they don't always catch on in fact I found your video trying to find some simple hitting instruction videos. Thanks for sharing!
I like this idea. I'm going to try it. I think Lantz's kid had good form because he was watching his dad swing hard with good form.
I have never really played any sports past coach pitch as a kid, but my son is interested, and I want to be supportive. I'm looking forward to trying this method, because him having fun is the important part to me.
You nailed it Mike! Have fun
Glad to help Chris! Tell your friends about it to help spread the word, I'd really appreciate it if Ya did...thanks!
Thanks for this. My son has made the decision to play baseball and I was wondering how i could teach him the basics, because he has never played. And I came across this video. I love the meaning behind this. Thank you. I am subscribed and will look for more informational videos from you. Thanks bud. Also could you do a video on proper stances and what not for beginners. Thanks
Awesome..your on point bud...totally agree..my son's 4 I am applying your method..teeball starts 2 weeks..thank you
I needed to see this. Thank you. My son has severe bat drag and I was beginning to get frustrated. He is 8. I will employ this, thank you again.
Just funny enough today after my girls baseball lesson I took them to get a bat. All I wanted them to do was to hit the baseball as hard as they could. Then it was like a natural force took over that made them swing the bat and extend the arms with almost perfect form. It was like a lightbulb went off in my head. Too much coaching at a young age is very cluttering to their mind. I was amazed at how quick they took shape and was happy about just hitting the ball "as hard as they could". Give them something easy to achieve and they were the ones asking to do it more cause it felt good when they cracked that ball. This is brilliant.
Thanks Guy... If you'd share the video, it would help a lot of other people. I'd appreciate it
Lantz Wheeler
Guy Ruff
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,,,
P!
Z
Interesting.. gonna try it out.. but like others have said, you do need to teach them a good batting stance as well.. can't wait to give this a try!!
Agreed. My issue with my 6 yesr old is being told to keep eye on the ball not on the coach and stepping towards him. Maybe the just awing as hard as gou. Can will simplify things
I love this! Great tips! I grew up playing ball and the best coaches always told you to just play. Don't think about it, don't aim, just play. Thanks for the video!
What if my son's swing is so off kilter that it's holding him back from contact period? I keep hearing the just swing hard thing but he's lunging forward and swing at a severe downward angle. Just can't see how he will get consistent contact. Honestly looking for any tips here.
Amazing job Lantz im 10 when i saw this when i was younger it rlly helped me reach little league on tv thx Lantz!
This helped alot since we are coaching. My son is now in his first year of prep ball.
Hey Lantz,
Great Video and I am going to incorporate this with my son. Can you tell me how you were able to establish your son's batting stance. My son is about to turn 4 and he is still struggling with his stance.
Thanks again...great video!
Very interesting concept. Just finishing first season of LL single A ball. No practices and we are all technique. Was at the batting cage with my son today and I could tell he was struggling to kept all the little techniques in his mind and his frustration at not hitting the ball. Will try this approach. Thank you.
I agree with alot of wat ur saying Lance I was a great baseball player and a left handed pitcher but the way I was driven just wasn't the right way so instead of sticking with my passion wat I loved more than anything and playing in the majors right now I give up to prove a point but now that I'm older I realize how big of a mistake that was. And even when working with my son now he's 8 but I hold him to very high standards and don't realize I'm doing it I see alot of what ur saying and my son will react as if he failed when he really didn't.. so I'm gonna change that.. another thing wat really helped me far as batting was a college scout I seen 1 year at baseball camp told me to get a bucket of pecans and a mop handle and go out in my yard every day for 30 Mins or an hr and try to hit them pecans with that mop handle and when I got to where I could hit the pecans u couldn't stop me at the plate it was a tremendous difference. I just wanted to put that out there but I'll 4sure keep watching u.. any pointers on how to get them to not be scared of the ball I was put up against a fence and baseballs thrown at me when I was young but that's not wat I'm gonna do with Brayden.. so let me know wat u come up with.. thanks again..
Thank you! I think in all things in life you should try as hard as we can. Good work!
My son and I have played for fun since he was able to stand, but now he is being evaluated for t-ball or pups baseball. I did tell him to hit the ball as hard as he can but it seemed like everything went out the window before he got up there and he didn't perform the way I know he can. But I can't figure out why. Anyways, I subscribed and will continue watching. Thanks for making the video!
Thank you, Sir. I appreciate this video, going try2 implement it in my nephew's life...
Thanks for tip(s). Just start teaching my son at the late age of 11. He's made fast progress from Week 0 to Week 5...will try these out.
How is he doing today 4 years later?
I really want to try this! My 6 year old has a beautiful swing but rarely hits the ball in a game. I am tired of him feeling defeated all of the time. This will be hard for me. As a former athlete, you know when you see ability and what he's capable of and its easy to get frustrated. I am going to try to say as little as possible the next few weeks!
Lantz,
I'm very new to coaching and love the video and i agree with most of the things you're saying. I just feel like my 5 year old will begin to develop bad habits in his swing . I understand NO 5 year old is going to have a perfect swing but i feel like kids are sponges at this age and that they could potentially loose extremely valuable years in there development. I do agree that there is no reason to teach fundamentals to 5,6,7 year old boys due to there short attention spans but as there minds develop so should there baseball I.Q and skill set. Thank you for the video and i look forward to your response!!!
Lantz Wheeler thank you so much for this! I played baseball in high school and college where the last thing I learned was technique in order to help our abilities. This is valuable information as my son is 4. I have already started teaching him squashing the bug etc. While these are good things, I think you hit on something I completely need to re-focus on. Bless you!
Glad it helped! Make sure and join my site, always putting out new material.
Artie Catalano Squishing the bug is taught by no one anymore.Swinging as hard as you can is an absolute joke.Smooth mechanics start early and this spasm teaching destroys athletic performance.
Molly Johnson I know it is not taught anymore, but for a 4 year old it does something you may not understand. My 4 year old is learning to keep the weight on his back leg and not swing his back leg around. (This is a natural thing some youngsters do) The original intention for this was to prevent this from happening and for the batter to keep the weight back. If you are arguing that it is in the rotation in the hips, I agree. I also want him to rotate his hips, I do this by putting a bat behind his back and showing good rotation and not swinging his back leg to the front.
As far as hard as you can, I think you missed the original point of what @Lantz Wheeler was getting at. You can over technique kids to death where it is not enjoyable or fun
What about a kid who does a whole 360 when he swings a bat do I just tell him to keep swinging as hard as he can?
Yes, if it’s a young kid just starting out. As he gets older, you teach him the techniques to control it better.
Also, practicing at home, my son gets frustrated and wants to quit when he fails to catch the ball and misses the swing. When he is succesfull in catching or hitting, he turns into a different , playful sort practicing past the normal time period.Something to be said about easing the stress on misses or empty swings.
Great Video and philosophy. I work with kids and coach my own sons team. I could not agree with you more. Where some skill teaching is necessary (where to stand, grip bat) leaning to love and enjoy the game is more important. We need more coaches like you. I am glad I found your channel. Keep up the great job being a positive role model for our youth and our coaches.
My son loves playing but in our first year of coach pitch he is frustrated at missing the ball a lot. I keep telling him to keep his eye on the ball and where to step. After watching this i think it's likely me just causing him to overthink. He is 6 so he likely won't develop any bad habits.
mind blowing in such a great way. it really was a huge gut check and eye opening. thank you I cant wait to get out there and try it with both of my kiddos.
I will be the first to admit, I over coach my players. However, I have seen the results of swinging and throwing as hard as you can without proper technique. It will NOT correct itself. Shoulder and elbow issues are rampant from the lack of proper technique, including my own. Over swinging causes imbalances in the swing and lacks the ability to make a good connection with the ball. Hitting the "sweet spot" with a bat will do more for the hitter than swinging the bat as hard as possible. While I agree, less coaching is not a bad thing for 7-8 year old kids, specially from 3-4 different people at the same time, this method is not good for children to learn. I am 36 years old, been playing baseball and softball all my life, the harder I try to swing and throw, the worse the results are.
You say you agree for less coaching but then you say it’s not good for kids to learn this way. This guy isn’t saying they should NEVER learn proper technique. He’s saying for super young kids just getting into the game, it’s not necessary. That’s mainly because their brains haven’t even developed enough yet to handle the instructions.
Joshua...
Thanks a bunch man! Never read Nurture Shock, sounds like I need too. Thanks for the referral, gonna check it out.
Just came across this video, what a great way to help in the early stage of playing, just awesome! my son is 4 now and I'll be using this "method" Question how should I throw BP to him or about how fast should I throw the ball. any info would be greatly appreciated
My son is 6 and just started Cosch pitch. He gets frustrated because he keeps swinging and missing the ball. I hsve tried correcting him on where to step, keeping eye on fhe ball and elbow up. Maybe your right and it's just confusing him. Telling him to hit it as hard as possible may change his mindset amd allow him to track the ball
Thank you for sharing this intelligence.This is an excellent insight.
thanks for the video, but how do you tell kids to throw the baseball as hard as they can to another kid who can't catch? We really can't teach kids to throw or catch it by emulating how we as adults throw and catch. I believe teaching mechanics is a must. A simple thing like catching the ball bare handed and keeping your fingers up helps kids immensely. The smaller kids don't love it right away unlike swing it as hard as you can, but over time they learn how to catch a ball. I think learning to play a sport is similar to learning to play a musical instrument. It does no good to tell a kid to play the piano "as hard as he can" and praise the effort. Kids have to learn the bio-mechanics and build new motor skills. But I do like "hit it as hard as you can" in addition so some motor skills teaching. The kids can control how hard they swing and they relish that. I came to that conclusion before I saw your video!
Awesome video!! Thanks!!
great thought on praise for effort. i will definitely use this with my coachs pitch team. thnks
What I share with my boys:
WORK HARD!
RUN HARD!
THROW HARD!
SWING HARD!
AND HAVE FUN!!!
Enjoyed the video and plan on utilizing but any tips to help my 6 year old son with catching abilities?
You had some good stuff to say, thanks for the vid!
First time I have seen the film. The boy swings naturally and effortlessly. My son is on Tball team and swings at a motionless ball. Will introducing a bigger bat and wiffle ball confuse him when he practices and plays the real thing T-ball? I was a swim coach for 10 years teaching fundamentals from ages 3 and up. I learned two things for sure. Do not tell them more than one instruction at a time and old folks can not learn a single thing past 50. out.
Thanks for sharing your secrets. I plan on using this with my son.
I liked everything you had to say but it didn't fit with the video. Your son had perfect form and stance. He kept his back foot planted and released the hand as the bat came around that doesn't just happen. I have a 5yo that swings like hell and he spins around with no control if he got absolutely no advise. I like what you said and I think your right but your kid has had instruction or he wouldn't swing so perfect.
I agree! His stance and mechanics are on point, for someone who's never been coached. I highly doubt its natural, he had to learn it from someone
Couldn't agree more! The video does seem a bit dishonest seeing how well that little guy's form is. My guy is 6 and didn't have t-ball and is quite literally just starting out. He isn't even close to that form. There is no way that wasn't taught. My god, my little guy wants to chop downward at the ball every time. If I told him to do that as hard as he could, he'd be hacking at dirt. I don't think he could get to swinging at a ball somewhat properly without instruction. But I do like the "as hard as you can" bit. And actually think it's a great idea, at least to work from there. Also the bit about doing what he sees, like me throwing as hard as I can. That's a great idea too and makes sense. So I'm not all down on this vid, but again, it does seem a bit dishonest, the absolutely no instruction bit.
That kid had amazing mechanics. I think he is past the skill level of this video though.
Jaytech Designs thanks for the kind words. He's 6 now and I've yet to give him an instruction. Nothing more than challenging him with a goal that promotes what I'd normally tell him.
My son at 4 had a great natural swing without instruction, so it's possible. I tell him these same things. I appreciate the idea of the inside pitch forcing a better swing. We will begin to try with our coach pitch team as instruction is frustrating the player and coach at this age.
hey man I'm trying to get my nephew into baseball, seeing that is a great sport. what are some ways I can convince him to play?
Thank you so much! Great Vid
Just saw this trying to find something to give to my son in law to help my 5 yr old grand son and no offense but this is the worst advice I have ever seen beside elbow up. Ever hear you play how you practice? And those kids in the video did not pick this up naturally , they had some instruction.
If my Son is 15 now, what should I be doing? I do not really coach him at all anymore. I just try to praise his intent when he is working hard on his own or for his team and coaches.
Same question here. I hope we can travel back on batting. My son also pitches and I've luckily fallen into the "as hard as you can" realm on pitching long ago...mainly because I was never a pitcher so I can't begin to coach that. But I'll have to say, no coach has ever had to talk about his balance or release point. When we work on pitching at home we have 2 workouts; one is mainly like pitch/catch, the other is throwing as hard as he can at objects at the end of our batting cage. We throw at things as small as light bulbs placed in the top of a batting T, on up to old bedroom doors wherein we just try to smash the ball through the door. The smashing is satisfying for sure. And the result has been absolute control of his fast ball which has speeds in the 85th to 90 percentile for his age.
I definitely think going as hard as you can is a great message, but there has to be some type of instruction. There is no kid out there, especially at the age of 4, who's gonna know how to field a ball let alone know what to do with it after he has it in his hand... "No instructions at all"? Hard to believe that coming from the guy that has his 4 year old swinging like Albert Pujols.
Thank you!
You're very welcome! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
How to coach your youth baseball players, including YOUR SON even if you've never played the GAME!
" Do you know the 5 most important words you can say to your son"
1) Hard
2) as
3) you
4) can
😂😂😂
All jokes aside great content coach.
Hmph. Different. I coach a team of 7/8 yr olds. I'll give this a try. Thanks!
5 most powerful words inside the development process!
Please respond to what everyone is curious about....you say you don't coach fundamentals, but your 5 year old had better form than many high school players. I understand coach's sons pick up on the fundamentals because they are around the game, BUT not like what your son was doing in the video. As others have said, the video of your son did not match up with what you are saying. Disappointing.
Marc McMillan his son was loading up and everything. Loading up is taught.
Thanks Derek
Great video. Excellent advice!
*or daughter*
Loved it!!!
How do you feel about Travel baseball for kids under 10?
Recommended
I'm managing my son's pinto (7-8 year olds) for the first time this spring. I love the concept, but what do you do for stance and form issues. Also, what about catching?
Hey Brandon,
Thought you loved the concept? Haha. You missed the point, you don't do anything. It takes care of itself, what the "form" should look like is your opinion and what the "form" should look like will change from coach to coach and that's the issue every kid faces!
I've got tons of info on my site. I'm sure you'll find what your looking for there. My advice, don't coach the form!
Fair enough, old habits die hard. 😁
Great vidoe Lantz, I'm a brand new baseball coach getting ready to coach 8-9 year old girls and looking for tips. Thanks
SirGunsnstuff Thanks for commenting and glad I could help. Be sure to subscribe to my site, I've got tons of info for youth coaches and would be glad to help. Thanks again!
My son is 6 he wants to step out bad . What do you think?
Hi Lantz, this video is baseball life changing. As a new president of little league is there a way I can reach out to you personally? Thank you
aj2674 sorry I just saw your comment a year late. Sure. Do me a favor and reach out on twitter @LantzWheeler and I’ll be sure to get back to you
Cool video thanks for the tips
This is good stuff
As nice as this sounds, this advice doesn't seem great to me. Especially the part about no instruction.
Some kids aren't nearly as skilled as others. In fact, some 5-6 year old kids don't even know how to hold a baseball bat properly, or which hand to put their glove on. That being said, just allowing a 5 or 6 year old to grab a bat and swing away or (swing as hard as you can) isn't exactly the type of advice I want to give my t-ball players.
This advice seems like it would only work for the player who already has strong natural born abilities.
No instruction at all? That seems far fetched Lantz. I understand the motivational aspects of it, but you have to be able to teach the kids proper form somehow, right??
Matt Beisner agreed, I have always taught my young ones fundamentals first. Like he said, winning isn't important right now, but seeing them improve throughout the season is. If you don't teach them how to hold the bat, where to stand, and get a decent swing going, they don't improve much. Same with throwing. Some of the kids who have played before or have some of that natural ability, I agree, you can cut them loose to see what they can do.
He's more or less right. No instruction, NO. But that is a great one liner to tell them after instruction. I coach a little league team and I can tell you FIRST HAND. IT'S WORKING!
Ryan Morelli glad it's working for you. You have to figure out what works for different kids. I coach two of my kids teams and I drill fundamentals every practice. Most kids I start out teaching them a balanced stance, and swinging only, as they get better they will naturally start to step into the pitch. If you don't do this, most kids will start out with feet together, bat resting on their shoulder, elbows tucked into their side and they'll never hit the ball. I feel strongly about my ability to coach and knowledge of the game, but it is still always good and interesting to see others way of doing things.
What he's trying to avoid with these little kids is paralysis by analysis. You get a kid in the batter's box and several well-meaning adults in the stands all giving good advice - keep your elbow up, swing down on the ball, keep your head still, weight on the back leg, rotate the hips, see the bat hit the ball etc. and pretty soon the poor kid is overwhelmed and his brain freezes up and he makes a weak swing. Sometimes it's better to just let them go maximum effort and let their intuition take over.
Eric Herbert I understand that line of thought, but you can't turn off the people in the stands. When it comes game time, yes that's all the advice I give them: keep your focus on the ball only and swing hard. Sorry, I'll never agree not going through all the fundamentals and drills to teach them proper technique. Eliminating bad habits is a lot harder than teaching them the right way from the start. It becomes second nature for them pretty quickly, you can't teach the kids as if they are stupid and incapable of learning.
How do you teach stance?
It really does work!!!
THE SECRET EVERY BASEBALL DAD NEEDS TO KNOW...to coach your son on the field!
Great stuff
I agree that we are all guilty of over coaching, but no instruction at all? Imagine if you went to a karate dojo and the instructor just said - ok, side kick, front kick, etc and gave no instruction. The form would be awful, there would be some very unhappy parents, and the kids would be learning virtually nothing. To say that you will learn how to properly throw a punch, kick, or hit a baseball without any instruction, except in some very remote cases where the athlete is a "natural" is not true. Maybe Lantz's son is a natural, but I can't imagine that there was no instruction there. It is true that if you yell something at the child - "take the bat off your shoulder", it may distract him on that swing, but how about the next time or the time after that? Do we want the children to establish bad habits? In this case, Lantz's son hit the ball with his bat on his shoulder, but most of the time, when the bat is on the shoulder, the batter swings and misses. I may be misunderstanding, but I think technique is way more important than ability. You could be the fastest, strongest guy around but if you're not taught correct technique in an encouraging way, you are most likely going to get killed by an MMA fighter who is not as skilled as you but has proper technique, and you will almost certainly be struck out by a pitcher with less skill than you but with proper technique. This video is too black and white. You don't want to over coach someone - this is true, but a hybrid of not over coaching and helpful, constructive coaching and stressing that you need to try your best and have fun is the way to go in my humble opinion.