Fundamentals Covered

Basic Hitting How to Select A Bat Proper Grip Where to Hold the Bat Batting Stance Position of the Bat Position of Your Head

Bunting Square to the Pitcher Rotating the Feet Keeping the Bat Head Up Key Elements Bunting to 1st or 3rd

Swing Mechanics The Trigger The Stride Hip Rotation The Swing Hitting the Top Half of the Baseball Keeping the Back Elbow Down

Drills for Youth Level Coaches

Double Tee (prevents loop) One-Hand (top and bottom)

Hip Rotation Regular Flip

Behind the Hitter Flip Three Ball (bat quickness)

Two Ball

Coach JP Says
Dave Altopp provides a visual overview on how to teach and coach youth players ages 7-13. His double DVD collection should be considered as a set to maximize their effectiveness. You'll use them year after year!

Altopp came to Lee in 1997 to reconstruct a baseball program that had been discontinued for several years. Under his direction, the 2003 Flames won the Region XI title for the first time in the University's history, and advanced to the NAIA Super Region for the first time. His team finished the year ranked 14th in the nation. Altopp won his 300th game at Lee on April 12, 2005.

Before coming to Lee, Altopp served as the head coach at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville. He began his collegiate coaching career at him alma matter, Greenville College (IL), where he spent 16 years beginning in 1975.

Only the fourth NAIA coach to serve as president of the ABCA in its 60-year history, Altopp was inducted into the NAIA Baseball Hall of Fame in January of 2001, and in his 34-year career has recorded over 750 wins. In 1995, he was named one of six coaches for the USA Baseball National Trials.

Altopp earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education and a Master of Science degree in Physical Education from Arizona State in 1969. He completed his Doctorate in Education at Southern Illinois University in 1981.

Widely renowned as one of the most gifted clinicians and knowledgeable coaches in the game, Altopp began his coaching career at Phoenix Christian High School, where his team won the Arizona state championship in 1968.