Need to work on hitting or the field is too wet? Play a Game of Stickball

One game I love to play with children is a game of stickball played on asphalt.  I implement the game for three reasons.  Primarily, I like to play when the fields are too wet to play on and would like the children to get swings.  Secondly, I like to have the ball players work on their hand-eye coordination in trying to hit a smaller ball with a thinner bat.  Lastly, the children love it!  It brings out their competitive juices.

Stickball is a street game related to baseball, usually formed as a pick-up game, in large cities in the Northeastern United States (especially New York City and Jersey City). The equipment consists of a broom handle and a rubber ball.  I like to use racquet balls.  There are no gloves used.  There are three outs per inning and a game is 6 innings in length.  The rules come from baseball and are modified to fit the situation, i.e., use chalk on asphalt to mark the bases or use buildings for foul lines. This game was widely popular among Irish, Italian, Jewish, and Puerto Rican youths growing up from the 1920s to the 1980s in Boston, Philadelphia, New York City and Northern New Jersey.

There are several forms of stickball but in the game I like to play, the batter bounces the ball in front of them at the plate and attempts to hit the ball.  Each batter gets only one swing.  If you swing through without hitting the ball, you're out.  Any ball that is hit foul is considered an out.  Any ball that does not get hit beyond a certain line (usually 25 feet from home plate) is considered an out.  There are no overthrow rules.  That said, runners can keep running until the defensive players, playing without gloves, stop the runners from running the bases. 

Balls hit off of cars or buildings or other structures that are in fair territory are considered in play.  Balls hit either over a fence line or beyond a certain distance (if no fence exists) is considered a homerun.  In some leagues, if the ball lands on a roof, porch or breaks a window far away it is usually ruled a home run.

Coach's Point:
I love this game because it keeps the players interested and having fun.  In parallel, the players are tested in the skills to hit a small ball with a thin bat.  It is harder than you think it is if you have never played before.  It can be frustrating.  But, I have never encountered a child that has not loved the game.

2-1 Count or 2-2 Count Scrimmage

To increase the pace of a scrimmage and teach the players to be more aggressive at the plate in hitting, accelerate the pitch count to either 2-1 or 2-2.  Divide the team into two teams.  Every batter starts with either 2 balls and 1 strike or 2 balls and 2 strikes.

Coach's Point:

Because of the advanced count, pitchers must be aggressively throwing strikes and hitters are compelled to swing the bat.  Quick pace to this drill.  Hitters get more at bats and pitchers face more hitters.

Hitting Drill: One-Handed Hack

The hands work as one unit in hitting with two hands.  But when you break down each hand, they each have a specific purpose.  This drill will allow hitters to learn the role of each hand and how it contributes to a fundamentally sound swing.

Set up the hitter for soft tosses against a fence or in the batting cage.  Lightly toss the ball in front of the hitter.  The hitter takes his stance and positions himself to hit balls directly into the fence or net.  The hitter chokes up on the bat and uses his top hand only.  After a series of balls, switch to the other hand.

Coach's Point:

Learning the individual roles of the top and bottom hands allows hitters to feel what each should contribute.  To hit the ball successfully, the hands must fire the barrel of the bat directly to the ball.

General Hitting Philosophy

There are five (5) basic elements to solid hitting:

1. the longer a hitter can wait, the better a hitter they will become
2. Line drives and grounders are more likely to win games (statistics say so)
3. The hitter must have a plan at the plate
4. The hitter should understand patience, persistence and poise
5. drills and fundamental mechanics are important- work on them often

the longer a hitter can wait, the better a hitter they will become


Most problems in hitting are caused by starting the swing too early before getting a good read on the ball.  It is paramount to identify the pitch and location before commiting to a forward movement of the swing.  The added challenge is to perform these acts in less than 1 second.  An pitched ball traveling at 80mph takes approximately 0.4 seconds to travel to home plate (60 feet, 6 inches).  The hitter has 0.2 seconds to read the pitch properly and anoth  0.2 seconds to swing and deliver the blow.

In order to accomplish this and be successful, the hitter must develop a short, compact stroke and keep his power base intact throughout the swing.  The hitter must adhere to the rule of transferring weight from back to middle, not from back to front.
Line drives and grounders are more likely to win games (statistics say so)

A large percentage of games are won by the team with the highest on-base average rather than the team with the highest slugging percentage.  It is simply easier to catch a fly ball than it is to stop a ground ball, throw it accurately to a base and have a teammate catch it.  Likewise, line drives are harder to catch than fly balls.
The hitter must have a plan at the plate

Hitters should normally 1) hit the inside pitch to the pull side; 2) hit the outside pitch to the opposite side; and 3) hit the pitch down the middle of the strike zone to the middle of the field.  Successful hitters rarely deviate from thiese guidelines.

Successful hitting requires aggressiveness.  The hitter must be prepared to respond aggresssively to the pitcher's action and it may help overcome any weaknesses in the swing.

Thinking, rehearsing it mentally and having a high percentage plan is critical.
The hitter should understand patience, persistence and poise

The 3 P's (patience, persistence and poise) are present in all good hitters.  The hitter must learn all elements of the swing and can't learn and excel at them at all the sam etime.  It takes practice.  Patience and persistence must prevail.

Persistence has a more aggressive tone than patience.  If a player wants to become a good hitter, they must work harder than most others do.  Find additional activities and time to get more swings in at practice.

Poise is resiliency.  Hitting is one of the few activities where the standard of 3 hits out each 10 at bats is excellence.  In another words, a good hitter will fail 70% of the time in getting a hit and getting on base.  But a good hitter with poise will have a positive attitude and believe that they will get a hit, especially when it really counts with players in scoring position.
drills and fundamental mechanics are important- work on them often
 
Achievement in all areas of expertise requires learning fundamental principles and skills.  Fundamental must be taught and learned.  It helps to break down the fundamentals into smaller units and then placed back together again and repeated often.  Repitition is the Father of Learning.