"Squish the bug"

I need to warn you about an extremely common mistake that WAY too many youth baseball coaches are making. This one misguided "coaching cue" will not only sabotage the development of your player. It will also ruin your coaching rep and credibility. 

Know what it is?

"Squish the bug"

Don't feel bad if you've used this one before. It's been around since the 70's, and it's easy to see why so many Little League coaches adopted it. 

The goal with "squish the bug" is to try and help your hitter generate more power  by getting the lower body involved in the swing. 

Coaches (incorrectly) started teaching kids to rotate on the back foot during the swing. 

Similar to how you would squish a bug: 

It turns the back leg but not the hips. 

Weight stays on the back foot. 

Player spins off the ball.

The correct approach. 

Rotate the back hip around the front hip.

Weight transfers forward.

The back foot will roll up naturally.

How much you rotate depends on the location of the pitch and where you're trying to hit it. 

Below is what we call "line of hitting" or "ideal contact points"

Above is how you'll hit those specific pitches.