One of the things that you'll commonly hear when listening to coaches and dads working with their players is "keep your back elbow up". This is a hitting tip that has been used for years. In fact, I can remember my Little League baseball coaches telling me to keep my back elbow up. Many coaches say the reason to keep the back elbow up in the batting stance is to ensure the hitter "stays on top of the ball". Although the idea is correct, keeping the back elbow up is actually a fault, not a fix. If the back elbow is too high in the batting stance as the hitter strides with the front foot the back elbow comes down quickly which causes the front elbow to raise. When the front elbow raises it causes the barrel of the bat to drop below the hands and creates a longer swing. Instead of keeping the back elbow up in the batting stance, simply allow the back elbow to relax at approximately a 45 degree angle (see photo) or make sure the back elbow is no higher than the back shoulder.