Use Colored Dots to Improve Batter Recognition

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      One of the biggest challenges encountered by youth baseball  coaches is the difficulty that players have in following and  identifying the pitch. In younger players, a common problem is  that the batter doesn't pick up the ball until it is too close  to hit. In older players, the issue is more that the batter  doesn't identify the pitch until too late, leaving him at the  mercy of his pitch guess. <BR><BR>The solution to both of  these issues has a similar fix - get the hitter concentrating  on the pitch as early as possible. <BR><BR>But how to  accomplish this? You can tell the player to "watch the ball"  until you are blue in the face, but odds are that they won't  connect what you are trying to convey. <BR><BR>Take a  selection of baseballs and, using a marker (colored sharpies  work great for this), draw coin-sized colored dots on the  surface of the ball. Repeat the process with at least one  alternate color, making sure that it is clearly  distinguishable (red and blue work well for this). <BR><BR>To  begin with, pitch to your batter from reglation distance, but  instruct them to not swing. Instead, have them call out the  color of the dot on the baseball as soon as they can identify  it. <BR><BR>As the hitter's recognition improves, call out a  certain color and only allow them to swing at that color ball.  In all cases, make sure to mix up the colors used (this is why  three colors are better than two), and hide the ball in your  glove until you actually begin to make the pitch.<BR><BR>What  have you acomplished? Your players are truly watching the ball  from the very instant it leaves the pitcher's hand, giving  younger players more time to nail down thier timing, and oldr  players more time to recognize the movement of the pitch. It  goes without saying that players of all ages can benefit from  this drill.<BR><BR><p></p></td></tr><tr><td align="left" class="main-text14">
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Use Colored Dots to Improve Batter Recognition

Olan Suddeth

One of the biggest challenges encountered by youth baseball  coaches is the difficulty that players have in following and  identifying the pitch. In younger players, a common problem is  that the batter doesn't pick up the ball until it is too close  to hit. In older players, the issue is more that the batter  doesn't identify the pitch until too late, leaving him at the  mercy of his pitch guess. <BR><BR>The solution to both of  these issues has a similar fix - get the hitter concentrating  on the pitch as early as possible. <BR><BR>But how to  accomplish this? You can tell the player to "watch the ball"  until you are blue in the face, but odds are that they won't  connect what you are trying to convey. <BR><BR>Take a  selection of baseballs and, using a marker (colored sharpies  work great for this), draw coin-sized colored dots on the  surface of the ball. Repeat the process with at least one  alternate color, making sure that it is clearly  distinguishable (red and blue work well for this). <BR><BR>To  begin with, pitch to your batter from reglation distance, but  instruct them to not swing. Instead, have them call out the  color of the dot on the baseball as soon as they can identify  it. <BR><BR>As the hitter's recognition improves, call out a  certain color and only allow them to swing at that color ball.  In all cases, make sure to mix up the colors used (this is why  three colors are better than two), and hide the ball in your  glove until you actually begin to make the pitch.<BR><BR>What  have you acomplished? Your players are truly watching the ball  from the very instant it leaves the pitcher's hand, giving  younger players more time to nail down thier timing, and oldr  players more time to recognize the movement of the pitch. It  goes without saying that players of all ages can benefit from  this drill.<BR><BR>

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