T-Ball University Squash The Bug Drill www.tballu.com

[WiFiToaster]

I point my friends to this video whenever I say I majored in T-Ball in University. For some reason they never believe me.

[Vinselator]

man...I was a beast at T-Ball...coulda went pro

[spankytdx]

taught my 4 ypo how to open up his hips...good stuff

[spankytdx]

my 4 yo son and I watched the video together and although he doesn't comprehend all of it, his hitting has improved. Squashing the bug teaches the child to open up their hips. Also, he has fun saying "Squash the bug" good stuff!

[Rotneybot]

At school, I was at P.E., And I was wearing my Ichiro Shirt, and I got 2 homeruns in T-Ball. I got 3 homeruns total. Tomorrow, I'll try to get 1 or 2 more homeruns.

[themetsfan861]

@TBALLUNIVERSITY- You reprimanded the kid for doing it the correct way (coming up on the toe.)

[cpacol1]

try explaining 60% to a 6 year old.. might take longer than learning to hit

[patsoxwon]

Hitters should be taught that squashing the bug is the result of proper hip rotation. Try to rotate your hips without squashing the bug. Impossible. But it's very possible to squash the bug without rotating your hips. That's why kids end up with a swing that uses a lot of leg and no hips. The result is late swings, no pop. I show kids my belt buckle and take a swing, demonstrating that my belt buckle ends up facing the pitcher. If they forget, I remind them with a simple verbal cue: belt buckle.

[jeterlover03]

@crankermo yes...."squashing the bug" is very outdated...we do not teach that to our kids anymore. It either creates "spinners": kids that keep their weight back instead of attacking the ball....Coach Candrea has a great batting video that discusses weight distribution. A lot of coaches confuse kids pulling their heads out of the contact zone with the weight moving forward when in fact it's that the head should stop moving once the rotational part of hitting begins...

[harley4myride2]

How come nobody in Major League Baseball squashes the bug? How come MLB players have most of their weight on the FRONT foot? How come Stan Musial put 100% of his weight on his front foot? I have never seen any successful batters who do what you are teaching.

[carlosspeck]

Great coaching, Coach. Really great to see adults taking so much care to teach young kids. You set a great example in more ways than one. Please keep it up.

[MrSluggerman]

wow no step. That is true for young kids but when they are older stepping helps.

[esalazar008]

Hey coach that is a great concept. One of the toughest things to teach these young hitters is to "stay back" and squash the bug. I am a professional hitting instructor and yes I did play professional baseball. I recommend the no stride also because when you stride, and don't actually get the pitch you were looking for, you have already committed most of your weight on the front side instead of the back side. I can go on and on....to keep it short. Great concept.

[noo41]

I'm a little offended by "squashing" a bug. I'm trying to teach my kids to respect all animals. I wonder if something else can be squashed, like a strawberry?

[glendaarffa]

ummm well you just twist your ancle you dont spuash a bug

[Headswithsacks]

@noo41 If you're joking it's funny. If you're serious...this here is the reason the country is going down the tubes. Are you kidding me? Just because someone uses the term squash the bug doesn't mean all kids are going to walk about killing bugs. Sheesh. If you want to use strawberry...use strawberry but for goodness' sake don't make something into something crazy. A brown recluse bit me one time. It took a year to heal almost. Sometimes it's ok to SQUASH THE BUG! Play ball!

[asheyblack]

@noo41 i'm a little offended at the idea of "squashing" a fruit. I'm trying to teach my kids to eat as much fruit as possible. I wonder if something else can be squashed, like a BUG? LOL i love this video

[marinecorpscop]

@noo41 You have got to be kidding me. Keep your kids out of sports. For all of our sakes. He/she might accidentally kill an ant while sliding into home. How horrible THAT would be. We would have to suspend play while we give the poor ant a funeral.....at our expense no doubt. Then we would have to close the field while a study is done on the habitat of the domestic ant and learn that baseball is encroaching on their natural habitat. We may have to close all fields for good.

[TBALLUNIVERSITY]

One recent post was deleted because of profanity, but the poster questioned the lack of stride. They indicated that all high school age players do take strides. This is true, there is an age when a stride is added to the swing, however at the t-ball age, we are more focused on developing the hand eye coordination and a level swing. The steps disorientates beginning players and reduces the odds of hitting the ball correctly. Therefore we highly advice "no step' during a swing at this age.

[jbauer22275]

This kid looks like he should be playing pony league or babe ruth. I think this is a good drill but don't expect your 4 to 6 year old to get this right away or pay attention like you see in this video.

[TBALLUNIVERSITY]

Yes some of our T ball U alumni appear in our videos and we do disclaim this in our program. It helps illustrate the correct form for the drills. The reality is that it will take some time for your younger players to create the "muscle memory" to do these things correctly. However, we have learned that the earlier you start them, learning correct fundamentals, the better players they will become...and the less time you and other coaches will waste, fixing mistakes. Have a great season!