When looking to solve a baseball batting problem, always look for the easiest “solution” first. Here is a list of some very useful baseball tips on hitting and possible solutions if you are swinging late and not reaching the field of play:

• Make sure you don’t use a bat that is too heavy for you. That is the easiest solution of all.
• Make sure you charge early enough and give yourself plenty of time to get the bat into the hitting zone. You never want to charge late, so if necessary, charge earlier. I have seen many 10-12 year olds turning back to the catcher when the pitch is on its way. This makes hitting the ball impossible. Be on the lookout for this with younger players. I’ve seen it many times.
• Many youngsters in particular have a bad habit of charging twice. Come back once, not twice. They charge once and then make the common mistake of charging a little more. You can’t go back to the catcher when the pitch is on the way.
• You may be taking too long a path to the ball. Be more direct when you go from point A, where it is “charged,” to point B, where it makes contact.
• The first move after loading should be down toward the ball and the bat should be leveled only at the point of contact. Many weak hitters have the bat parallel to the ground at the beginning of the swing and this is wrong and will present you with a lot of batting problems in baseball.
• Another possibility of being late is that the bottom of the bat’s knob is too far back toward the catcher. This will cause the bat to have to travel a much greater distance to reach the ball and delay the swing.
• The bat may be too wrapped around your head. Again, the bat will have to travel too far and you will be late for the field.
• Do not hold your hands too far from your body, causing the front arm to straighten too early. This will lead to a longer, more indirect swing, which will make you late on the field.
• Maybe the bat is holding up and down too much. If you are doing this, try a compromise midway between straight up and down and parallel to the ground.
• Maybe you are holding the bat too tightly. It is a known fact that you can swing the bat more efficiently and quickly if you don’t grip it too hard. It is exactly the same principle as when a pitcher grabs the ball harder to slow down the pitch and mislead the batter. Gripping the bat too tightly will actually slow down the speed of the bat just like it slows down a pitcher’s pitch.

Remember, one of the best hitting baseball tips you’ll ever hear is to keep your front elbow pointed down at the start of your swing and the swing levels out only at the point of contact. If you are not doing this, start now and your stroke will improve immediately!