June 21, 2013 at 2:21 p.m.
20 kids take part in inaugural Hodag Hitting Camp
20 kids take part in inaugural Hodag Hitting Camp
Waksmonski said 20 campers, ages nine to 15, took part in the four-day Hodag Hitting Camp, which concluded Thursday.
It was the first year for the camp and Waksmonski said the small group led to plenty of individualized instruction.
"It was definitely a lot of one-on-one instruction," he said. "I think the guys got a lot out of it. Each camper walked away with a CD with two days-worth of video and hitting evaluation as well. I think the guys got a lot out of it. I think they learned a lot from it. I told them, 'you are not going to magically become a .400 hitter at the end of the week. It's about learning the mechanics of the swing and going back and practicing on your own. It's going to take hour after hour to perfect your swing.'"
The camp focused on hitting and bunting through different drills, including hitting off a tee and soft toss. Proper balance and pitch identification were also stressed.
Waksmonski said there was an emphasis on getting kids to use both their upper and lower bodies to produce strong, consistent swings.
"We kind of break down our hitting mechanics into halves (of the body) - upper half and lower half," he said. "It seemed like whenever someone was good with their upper half, they struggled with their lower half. If they were good with their lower half, they'd struggle with their upper half. Hitting is a constant perfection chase where we are trying to perfect so many different things. Along the same line, it's going to change - your mechanics - depending on what pitch you get."
The majority of the campers also participate in Rhinelander's Little League or Babe Ruth baseball programs. Having them at camp this week gave Waksmonski a chance to work with players who may play on the varsity baseball team one day.
"It's a benefit for me just to get to know some of the guys," he said. "I'll stop every now and then to watch a Babe Ruth game, so it's kind of neat to put a name with a face. And they got to work with the varsity head coach as well. Hopefully, they get to go back and there's some positive feedback when they go back and talk to some of their teammates and they get to pass on some of the knowledge they got this week."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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