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Kids Baseball- Kids getting their hands rung/jarred by the bat..

Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:12 pm
Posted by LSUballs
RayVegas LA
Member since Feb 2008
37754 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:12 pm
Coaching pitching machine. Have a few kids that literally can't make contact with the ball without getting the shite jarred out of them. I know from experience that this is caused by poor contact and cold weather. But yesterday it was pretty warm and getting them to make better contact is just a matter of practice. Is there anything they can do in the mean time to help suppress some of the vibration other than maybe batting gloves? Equipment, drills, grip change etc... tia
Posted by Sellecks Moustache
NC
Member since Jun 2014
5994 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:13 pm to
Salt tablet
Posted by LSUballs
RayVegas LA
Member since Feb 2008
37754 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:14 pm to
Can you expound on that?
Posted by Respublica88
Lake Charles, LA
Member since Nov 2011
3618 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:14 pm to
are they over-gripping the bat? Swinging through the pitches?
Posted by LSUballs
RayVegas LA
Member since Feb 2008
37754 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:16 pm to
quote:

are they over-gripping the bat?



I don't think so, but I probably need to look into this

quote:

Swinging through the pitches?



Could be contributing to the problem. A lot of them have problems swinging thru after contact
Posted by KosmoCramer
Member since Dec 2007
76519 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:16 pm to
Tennis balls working on contact point


They also sell bats designed to damper vibrations.
Posted by bodean45
Ville Platte
Member since Oct 2007
1099 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:19 pm to
Had pitching machine tryouts yesterday. Saw the same thing over and over. I think it's poor grip strength coupled with bats that are too long/heavy for these lil ones. I encourage them to swing as hard as they can despite what it does to mechanics for now. I'd rather them hit the ball solid (without the sting) than become scared that it will sting every time they will hit the ball during the season. Other coaches also thought the same way. Just my .02
Posted by CJD4LSU
Ray-Vegas, La
Member since Sep 2006
3504 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:24 pm to
Are they swinging with their arms only? I know its pitching machine, so they don't have many of the fundamentals down, but if you can coach them up on stepping into their swing and making better contact, it might help.

There really isn't a lot of meat behind a swing that is done with only their arms. I umpired on that field for about two or three years. Some of the kids will get it, others will still look like they do right now, in the last game of the season.
Posted by TROLA
BATON ROUGE
Member since Apr 2004
12338 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:25 pm to
Gloves may help a bit.. Are the bats new? May need to be broken in and if they are old, may be cracked on the inside. Making sure they swing through the ball and not swinging only to contact will also help
Posted by southernelite
Dallas
Member since Sep 2009
53177 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:32 pm to
Maybe have them choke up on the bat.

Are they too close maybe? If the ball is jamming up near the neck of the barrel its usually going to jam you.
Posted by LSUballs
RayVegas LA
Member since Feb 2008
37754 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:33 pm to
Yea, bats are probably ill fitted, new and the swings/mechanics are fundamentally whacked. Sounds like there is no cure all and I need to just keep practicing and bring some Kleenex.
This post was edited on 3/11/15 at 2:36 pm
Posted by PrimeTime Money
Houston, Texas, USA
Member since Nov 2012
27305 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:34 pm to
Getting jammed doesn't hurt like hitting it off the end of the bat.

Maybe they are standing too far away.
Posted by LSUballs
RayVegas LA
Member since Feb 2008
37754 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:35 pm to
quote:

Are they too close maybe? If the ball is jamming up near the neck of the barrel its usually going to jam you.



I've scooted them closer and further back. Seems to be more issues with balls hit off the end of the bat (cue shots) and probably has a lot to do with timing.
Posted by PrimeTime Money
Houston, Texas, USA
Member since Nov 2012
27305 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:37 pm to
I mean I don't think there is really anything you can do.

Hitting it off the end of the bat happens sometimes even with much older kids. It's just a fact of life when you don't make good contact.

Maybe they are scared of the ball and are stepping out when swinging, which causes them to hit it off the end of the bat.

This post was edited on 3/11/15 at 2:39 pm
Posted by SystemsGo
Member since Oct 2014
2774 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:41 pm to
quote:

I know from experience that this is caused by poor contact and cold weather.


And hands that just aren't strong yet.

I like the idea of tennis balls for practice.

Or just a wooden bat? I'm assuming this is an aluminum bat?
Posted by rlebl39
League City, TX
Member since Jun 2011
4740 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:46 pm to
LINK

Buy some of these. They go on the knob of the bat and help suppress the vibration.

Eta: they aren't some miracle fix solution to the stinging, but they help some. The most important thing is mechanics. The other suggestions of using tennis balls and soft toss are also great suggestions for teaching proper mechanics and contact that won't sting.
This post was edited on 3/11/15 at 3:00 pm
Posted by Moustache
GEAUX TIGERS
Member since May 2008
21556 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:46 pm to
Over gripping the bat is a big one. It happens more often to kids with smaller hands. If the bat sits too deep in the hand the vibration is more felt.
Posted by Tiger in NY
Neptune Beach, FL
Member since Sep 2003
30361 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:47 pm to
They should quit baseball if they cant learn to square up a pitching machine


ETA: NVM, I didn't realize this was about 8 year olds
This post was edited on 3/12/15 at 1:30 pm
Posted by Lester Earl
Member since Nov 2003
278418 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 2:57 pm to
how old we talking?


soft toss and hitting off a tee are the 2 easiest ways to develop hand eye coordination, and where they want to make contact on the bat.
Posted by LSUballs
RayVegas LA
Member since Feb 2008
37754 posts
Posted on 3/11/15 at 3:39 pm to
6-8. We'll do soft toss, tee and cage work. I guess my original question was pretty stupid and I should have known better. We had our first practice yesterday and had a bunch of issues with them getting their hands rung in the cage. I was hoping for some sory of new miracle product, bat or something that would help out. But in the end it's just a bunch of kids that need to learn how to hit a baseball. I am going to mention the Easton vibration device listed up above to some of the parents as something they may can try. Thanks for the replies..
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