Head Position Archive
Question:	My 10 yr old son has followed your program this past winter, but has gotten off to a slow start and continues to struggle. His swings are short and compact. He appears to be getting in the position of power, but he is not driving the ball like he has in the past. He seems to either hit the top or bottom of the ball. Any suggestions or things I should be looking for. Thanks
Dave Hudgens:	If his swing is short, make sure he is not rolling his top hand too soon, if he is rolling the top hand too soon, he will hit weak ground balls. Also, have him keep his head down through contact, this will keep him through the ball longer. Have him use the tee and front toss, hitting balls back through the middle and to the opposite field. Let us know how he is progressing. Good luck
Question:	I was wondering if I should encourage the kids to try to move their head to follow the pitch coming in. On your videos of hitting off the tee the hitter looks where the pitcher would be and then moves his head to "track" the ball on the tee. You also talk about the importance of keeping your head as still as possible when hitting against the pitcher. Watching major league hitters I seem to see it both ways. What should the goal be regarding that? Is it even important? I had a Dad tell me he was encouraging his son to the point of taking pitches just to practice moving his head to track it into the catchers mitt and he wanted my opinion, I had to tell him I wasn't sure. Thanks and congratulations to you and Jordan for him graduating and also moving on to the next level!
Dave Hudgens:	I find that hitters who practice tracking the ball in all their drills tend to see the ball better in games. It's a good drill to practice taking pitches so that in games you will always have a consistent approach to the ball. With my hitters I say that their takes are as important as their swings. If I see a hitter whose head moves all around on their takes I already know that they are going to take an inconsistent swing.
Question:	My 12 year old son has been struggling with frequent strikeouts. He swings and misses a lot. At home when we practice he has a real nice short swing and hits wonderfully off the tee, with soft toss, and when I throw him whiffle golf balls. During a game it's another story. I don't know if he's not seeing the ball soon enough or recognizing the height of the pitch or what. Any suggestions on what are some common faults and corrections in this age group for this problem? I tell him to try to just relax and hit it up the middle but that's not working. Tonite during 3 at bats he took 8 swings and missed badly on 7 of them. He popped out to 2nd on his only contact. Thanks.
Dave Hudgens:	There are two common problems with that age group. The first is mechanical, he may not be starting his stride early enough, so he would not be able to see the ball. I have found that if a player is not making contact, it is usually because he is not seeing the ball. Have him start his stride sooner, this will give him a better method to see the ball. The second reason that he might not be making contact is the fear of failure. Many times hitters are so afraid of striking out that they only focus on the negative instead of the process that they need to do in order to have success. So make sure that you are always building up his confidence with the words you say and the things that you do. At his age, what you say or do will have tremendous impact on his performance. If you keep on building your sons confidence up, eventually he will start to believe in himself and then he will start having success. Good luck with the training.
Question:	My son struggled at the 16 year old JV level this season. The bottom line is he just doesn't pick up the ball consistently. The zone he has the most problem with is that first zone, leaving the pitcher's hand to the first 10-12 feet. He fights off a lot of pitches because they get on top of him, sees it too late. He can't ever attack it out in front of the plate. When he sees it early and likes it, he most of the time jumps at it and gets out on his front foot, either topping the ball or getting under it. I have Harvey's Vision Training, have used it a bit, he's into his Legion Ball now for the summer and I want to help him NOW ! That's where you come in, Dave. It's not as easy as saying "See it coming out of the pitcher's hand". What now !!????
Dave Hudgens:	The first action that needs to take place is that when his stride foot comes down, the hands have to go back. This will get him into a good position of power and allow him to see the ball. It sounds like he usually starts too late, and gets beat on balls, or he starts too early and all his weight comes forward. I would rather him start too early then too late, if he starts too late he will get beat on balls every time. However, he can start as early as he wants if he gets into the position of power. Once he is in the position of power, don't have him thinkn about seeing the ball out of the pitcher's hand, have him only think about seeing the ball. If a hitter thinks about seeing the ball out of the hand he might follow the hand instead of the ball. Have him start early, and only think about seeing the ball. Good luck with the season.
Question:	My 10-year-old, right-eye-dominant son recently developed the habit of cocking his head to the right (backwards) when batting right handed. I think this is caused by a subconscious attempt to align his sight with the plane of the ball. Before this habit developed, he stayed on top of the ball well. I think he is now starting to have collapsing backside problems. How do we correct this before it gets worse?
Dave Hudgens:	The tilting of the head will cause a dropping of the back shoulder and collapsing of the back side. You might have to open up his stance if he is having problems keeping his head square. Get the tilting problem corrected and your collapsing will go away.
Question:	My son is a 10 yr old left-handed batter. He is having a very difficult time keeping his head on the ball - he tends to let his left shoulder pull his head out on his swing. I have been working with him and giving him many soft-tossess, and also working with a tee. Any suggestions?
Dave Hudgens:	I would suggest having your son work on releasing his top hand on his follow through, but because of his age, and also I am not familiar with his size and strength I hesitate to suggest this. If you feel he is strong enough, have him release his top hand after extension and just before his left shoulder pulls his head off of the ball. Have him keep his head down well after contact is made. Get back to me if he is unable to perform this.
Question:	Can you explain the proper head position.
Dave Hudgens:	This is a very important subject: If your head position is not correct your mechanics will break down and your vision will be affected. Keep your head still with both eyes on the pitcher's release point. As you take your stride your head movement must be kept to a minimum. As you make contact with the ball, your head must stay down past contact. Make sure there is no tilt with your head. Do not lift your head during the swing. A major reason for lifting the head is overswing, keep your effort level under control and keeps your head down past contact.
Question:	My 10 year old, right eye dominant son recently developed the habit of cocking his head to the right (backwards) when batting right handed. I think this is caused by a subconscious attempt to align his sight with the plane of the ball. Before this habit developed, he stayed on top of the ball well. I think he is now starting to have collapsing backside problems. How do we correct this before it gets worse?
Dave Hudgens:	The tilting of the head will cause a dropping of the back shoulder and collapsing of the back side. You might have to open up his stance if he is having problems keeping his head square. Get the tilting problem corrected and your collapsing will go away.

© 2001 MasterPlan Sports, Inc. All Rights Reserved.