8 Brutal Hitting Mistakes (And How To Correct Them)

Hitting a baseball is arguably one of the hardest techniques to master, in any sport.

Even after players learn and understand the basic mechanics of the swing, it’s very common for them to develop bad habits that hamper their hitting effectiveness.

As coaches, we need to be able to identify these bad habits, and make the necessary mechanical adjustments to guarantee that player’s success.

In this article, we will cover eight  of the most common hitting mistakes  you will find at all levels of play. You’ll learn exactly what causes the mistake, and how to correct it with simple, effective hitting drills that can be performed during team batting practice, or private hitting workouts.

Mistake #1 - Uppercutting or Dipping

The Mistake

• Hitter dips his back shoulder, drops the barrel down and swings from low to high
• Results in loss of power and weak pop flies

Solution

• Keep shoulders level
• Bring the hands down to the ball during the swing

Recommended Drills

• Hammer Drill – Top Hand
• Hammer Drill – Bottom Hand
• Hammer Drill – Both Hands
• Tee Chair Drill

Mistake #2 - Stepping Out or Flying Out  

The Mistake

• Hitter’s stride foot opens up so his toe points to pitcher.  Shoulder and head open up early
• Results in loss of power, difficulty hitting outside pitch
• Head movement makes pitch tracking difficult

Solution

• Keep stride foot semi-closed – toes pointing at an angle toward first base.
• Keep head still, lead shoulder and elbow tight to the body

Recommended Drills

• Ping Pong Paddle Drill
• Outside Soft Toss Drill

Mistake #3 -  Head Jumping (No Backside Hitting)

The Mistake

• Head shoots forward during swing
• Head movement makes pitch tracking difficult
• “No backside” arms-only swing – no power from hips or back leg Isolate the head and keep it still

Solution

• Create strong backside force by driving the back hip in to the ball and rotating off the back foot

Recommended Drills

• Attack Drill
• Fastball Curveball Bounce Drill
• No Stride Batting Drill
• Stride-Backside-Hands Drill
• Medicine Ball Drill
• Figure 8 Partner Drill

Mistake #4  -  Poor Ball Tracking

The Mistake

• Player is unable to track the ball out of the pitcher’s hand
• Results in inability to identify the pitch, decide whether to swing, or watch the ball meet the bat

Solution

• Fine focus on the ball at the pitcher’s release point.
• Improve perception and tracking skills with drill work

Recommended Drills

• Pinto Bean Drill
• Release Point Drill
• Color Ball Drill
• Hit or Get Hit Drill

Mistake #5  - Slow Bat  

The Mistake

• Sluggish reaction time to the pitch (ie. poor bat speed)
• Results in difficulty with higher velocity fastballs and loss of power

Solution

• Improve hands, hips and reaction time through strength training, isometrics and cage work

Recommended Drills

• Hard Toss Drill
• Weighted Bat Swing Drill
• Isometric Swing Training

Mistake #6  -  Poor Hand Position at Contact

The Mistake

• Hands are tilted diagonally at contact point or top hand rolls over prematurely
• Results in barrel of bat being  dipped above or below ball – leading to  weak pop files or ground balls

Solution

• Hands should be palm-up/palm-down at contact point

Recommended Drills

• Tee Challenge Drill
• Soft Toss Challenge Drill

Mistake #7  -  Locking Out the Arms

The Mistake

• Front arm is fully extended and elbow is locked out throughout entire swing, creating  a slow, sweeping or casting swing.

• Also results in difficulty hitting inside pitch

Solution

• Front arms should have slight bend at the elbow and hands should stay inside the ball

Recommended Drills

• Fence Drills

Mistake #8 -  Poor Balance

The Mistake

• Diving into the plate or falling back away from the pitch
• Results in loss  of power and difficulty making in-pitch adjustments

Solution

• Take a smaller stride
• Maintain balance through the swing

Recommended Drills

• 2×4 Balance Drill

All of these hitting mistakes and corrective drills are explained with detailed and instructions inside the Hitting Faults and Fixes eBook. You get instant access to 22 proven drills to help you improve your hitter’s mechanics, correct swing errors and boost your team batting average.

Best of all, it’s in PDF format, so you can download it to your mobile device and take it right to the field! Or just print out the pages you need for your coaching binder. Download Hitting Faults and Fixes today!