Youth Hitting Mechanics Troubleshoot Guide: Failure to Launch-Bat Drag 

Hey Bobby, The transition is very tough from tee swing to pitched ball for sure. The players habits kick right back in when the balls in the air. This is frustrating and I wish there was a quick drill. I believe the remedy is more reps...letting the player see on video how well he/she is doing on the tee and the difference when the ball is in the air. Sometimes they are not aware the breakdown is happening. Video is the best teacher we have. Good luck

bobby let us know how the progress goes. some of us are struggling with the same exact things.

It's taken alot of reps, tee work, discussion, and patience, but it's starting to pay off! He's a huge baseball fan and watches games pretty much everyday, so he knows what a swing should look like. We use video a lot, and he'll watch his swings. Like i said, his tee swings are as good as i could ever ask of a (almost) 9 year old. No bat drag, perfect launch, etc off the tee. So he knows he can do it, it's just a matter of maintaining the bat angle and launch when facing a live pitch. He's worked since his season ended to fix this before fall practice starts, but we weren't seeing any change for a long time. I was even questioning if it was worth it, because he's very serious about baseball and i figured he'd work it out eventually. I was ready to move on, but he wanted to keep trying. Finally, a couple of weeks ago I started to see a change. His launches were getting much better, and I got a few swings with no bat drag. Then more and more. We kept working, and tonight, he didn't have 1 swing with bat drag. He's always hit well, but tonight he smashed one further than he's ever hit one before. I always told him that he's a strong kid, but the bat drag was not letting him use all his power. So it helps when the kid can see the results so clearly. Very proud of him.

Really nice work London! Hard work pays off every time.

No doubt :)