Little League Hitting - fast pitchers

Question
I coach a 10 year old travel baseball team.  I am comfortable with their swings in general and we can hit most average to above average pitchers.  However, when we face hard throwing pitchers we can not adjust to the faster speed of the pitches.  Typically we only strike out 2-3 times per game as a team but our last 2 games against harder pitchers we struck out 10 and 12 times.  What drills can I teach so players can start their swings earlier to be able to hit faster pitching.

Answer
The biggest thing in order to be able to hit fast pitching is the load of the swing. Work with your players on getting their hands back sooner than normal; make sure the hands come back before the pitch is released.

Another thing is to make sure their hands are "thrown" forward during the swing instead of looping around. Have your kids stand facing a fence. Have them stand just far enough away that when they hold the bat out the end touches the fence. Have them swing a couple times and slowly move closer to the fence until they cant shorten their swing any more. This is a great drill that speeds up the swing.