Question: Two questions please. 1) My 11 year old son has decent mechanics and makes contact with the ball but he seems to pop up or fly out too often. He does not have a long swing and my hunch is that he is dropping the head of the bat. Any corrections, drills, or advice to correct the problem? 2) Has it become a requirement for 11 and 12 year olds to play year round on travel teams and club teams in order to advance in baseball to their junior high and high school team?  

Answer: 1) Dropping the bat head may not be the problem. Good hitters "drop" or position the barrel of the bat below their hands on contact on all pitches middle to down in the strike zone. Check to see where in relation to the plate is he making contact. Fly/pop outs are typically the result of being early/in front of the plate. Fight the temptation to have him swing down on the ball or keep the shoulder levels during the swing, all impossibilities but the most miss-taught components of the swing.