How to Teach a Little Leaguer to Switch Hit in Baseball

Teaching a Little Leaguer to hit a baseball right handed and left handed usually requires an experienced hitting coach.

But, you can quickly learn how to teach the batting skills needed to hit from both sides of the plate.

Boys and girls who learn switch hitting will also excel in other areas of the game of baseball.

This eHow article will teach you the fundamentals of switch hitting instructions.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Baseball bat
• Protective helmet
• Home Plate
• Batting Tee
• Soft balls

1. Start by placing the protective helmet on the youth batter's head. Teach safety first when playing baseball. Make sure the helmet fits properly.

2. Next, turn the hitter around to the unnatural side of home plate. Position the batter's feet apart and allow her to assume a comfortable hitting stance.

3. Now, instruct her to swing her arms like she is hitting a ball. Avoid placing a bat in her hands at this point. Look at her face to determine her level of discomfort with the new batting stance.

4. Then, give her a bat and let her take a few swings. Place a batting tee in front of home plate. Put a soft ball (they're larger and easier to see and hit) on top of the batting tee. Give the batter permission to swing and hit the ball.

5. Afterwards, allow the baseball hitter to practice hitting soft balls. Give her at least 100 swings from the new side of the plate. Continue to assess her level of comfort.

6. Finally, videotape the switch hitter. Make her view her new batting stance and analyze what she is doing. Switch to baseballs once you feel that the hitter has mastered making contact. Supervise batting practice at least three times per week until she is ready to hit in a game.

Tips & Warnings

• Switch hitting is not for all baseball players.
• Never allow a youth baseball player to hit without a helmet.