» SWITCH HITTER

by Pete
(New Jersey)

I have a 9-year-old, who since t-ball, has hit from both sides of the plate. He originally started writing with his left hand but threw with his right. Eventually, he changed to write with his right hand as well. He continued to be a switch hitter through coach pitch and did pretty well in his first year of traveling baseball last year. I think he can hit from both sides of the plate equally well, although he pulls from the right side and pushes from the left.

Should I have him concentrate on one side for now or continue to let him switch as he sees fit until one emerges as the clearly better side, if ever? For the record, he plays golf from both sides as well.

THE COACH’S ANSWER

Thanks for the question Pete!

In my opinion, the earlier you work with your switch hitter, the better. Based on what you have told me, he should continue to work on and develop his switch-hitting skills. You could, however, determine his weaknesses from each side of the plate and have him work on those during batting drills.

It sounds like he has a very good start and is comfortable from both sides of the plate. If you decided to make him focus on one side of the plate, he could lose much of the skill he has already developed. I am assuming that he has put a lot of time, over his young life, hitting from both sides of the plate. If you stopped now and came back to it in a few years, it wouldn’t be the same. He needs to continue working on being a switch hitter now.

Keep consistent with what you have been doing. Even though he might struggle occasionally, he will benefit from it in the future.

I hope this helps!

colin99

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