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Learn the essential elements of a perfect swing: start, load, explosion, and finish. This guide provides tips on body positioning, weight distribution, hand placement, and more.
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http://www.usatoday.com/sports/gallery/bonds/flash.htm This picture says it all. Head down and between his feet. Balanced with a good base. Hips and hands are on the ball. Weight is back behind the ball. Front side closed with perfect L.
The Big Four 1 3 1. Start 2. Load 3. Explosion 4. Finish 4 2
The Start/Base • Base should be comfortable to help you keep balance throughout the swing. • An athletic position is always a good start. • The chin rest on the front shoulder with your eyes fixed toward the pitcher. • We are preparing ourselves for launch so keep the body relaxed only thinking about the approach. • The hands grip the bat lightly in the fingers and in an area near or around the back shoulder. • Knees stay relaxed with our weight on the balls of the feet. Never the heels.
What start is best for you? Notice the placement of the head, eyes, hands, and feet. Also look at the back and front elbow. The weight distribution for each hitter.
What start is best for you? Notice the placement of the head, eyes, hands, and feet. Also look at the back and front elbow. The weight distribution for both.
The Load/Launch • The load should be short and rhythmic. • It can be a slight turn of the hands, a leg lift, or rolling knee. • Timing of the load is when the mind can adjust with the pitch: The harder the throw the smaller or sooner the load. • The load and hands will be almost one with each other (the foot comes down the hands should fire, the knee rolls the hands explode, etc.). • This is the most important part of the swing. You have to create movement to generate an explosive swing. “An object in motion is easier to move than not in motion!”
The Load/Launch • When you get to your launch the weight should stay back. • If you stride or have a leg lift you must land with a soft toe and a soft front side. • Soft front side: meaning weight does not shift to the front of the stance. • In a good launch 70% of you weight will be on the back foot and 30% on the front. • This will allow us to use are hips and the force of our legs to generate bat speed and power. • Good hitters can tell when they are out on the front foot usually when they take a pitch. That is why it is important to establish a good take. • Keeping the weight in the proper position will allow us to hit with more power and easier to adjust to off speed pitches.
The Load/Launch • The hands should be close to the back shoulder or ear. • The back elbow will be pointed away from the pitcher. • When loading do not wrap the bat around the head because it makes the swing longer to the ball.
The Load/Launch • The head must have little or no movement. • Your eyes should now be fixed on the window or box at the pitchers release point. • The chin is still positioned on the front shoulder.
The Explosion • The hips should drive to the ball while keeping the weight balanced and not drifting forward. • When the hips start, pull the bottom hand through without showing the knob of the bat to the pitcher. • The top hand is the driving force to contact. It’s just as if you were punching the ball. • Our concept will be to keep the hands inside the ball. Trying not to go around the ball or creating a long swing. • We want the angle of the bat to go from A to B A C B
A controlled explosion!“Thunder scares but lightning strikes” • We should be able to have balance again during the swing to contact and beyond. • The head must remain down on contact all the way through the swing. • The hips do drive through the ball but the front side must remain closed. In order to do this the front foot cannot fly open or spin. • The head will remain between the feet while keeping our weight back. • For explosive hips try to emphasize pinching the knees and creating the L on the back side. Remember we do not shift our weight forward when trying to accomplish this position. If you do, this is a term I call leaking.
The Drive • The body should have and imaginary axis going down through the head to the ground. Just imagine that there is a wall against our front side hip. • Our axis of rotation should be as small as possible. Picture an Olympic figure skater. To spin faster what do they do with the body? Do they make themselves bigger or smaller? The smaller or shorter we can make our path along that imaginary line the quicker our hands will be and the more consistent the swing will be in the strike zone. The key is to keep the head between the feet.
The Finish • “We finish where we started!” • The head should end up in the same place throughout the swing. • A helpful tip is to think shoulder to shoulder with the chin. • Stay on that imaginary line an try not to drift even during the swing. • We should still remain balanced ending up with a sound base.
The Finish • The damage is done on contact but in order to have solid contact we must follow through to get maximum drive or launch. • To get a good feel for when the hips and hands finish you must know where to be or end up. • The hands will finish high and the belly button should be facing toward the direction of the ball. • The backside or but cheeks will be clinched together. • The chin will travel from the front shoulder to the back shoulder. The head should stay down in the zone as long as possible. If you lift the head too soon the ball may be topped or capped. • The back leg will create an L shape and the front leg will be slightly stiff. • The last is balance. Where you finish after contact will determine if the swing was correct.
Key points to check for a good finish. • The head has to remain free from the swing. If the head moves so does the ball. • If you fall over the plate you are probably going around the pitch instead of staying inside. • If you have trouble with your balance you should adjust your base. • Is my head coming off the ball too soon? You can tell by the flight of the ball ( topspin or a diving ground ball). • We are trying to create back spin. Emphasize hitting down through the ball.
The Outside Pitch • When hitting the outside pitch you must allow the ball to travel deep into the box trying to hit it off of the back leg. • To notice pulling off look at the ball in reference to the swing. A left hander that pulls usually hits the outside pitch weakly to the second baseman, and a right hander usually hits it weakly to the short stop. • Hitting the ball deep in the stance helps you drive that ball with the meat part of the bat. • This is the only exception with balance on the outside pitch. That is you may fall toward the direction of the ball after contact.
COACHING POINTS AND PHYLOSOPHY • You should always finish where you started. (Start where you finish) • Emphasize the use of the hands. They are what control the bat. • Stay inside the ball and not around, trying to keep a short quick swing (A to B). • Think hips and hands with a controlled explosion and good balance (unselfish). • Drive the hips and create a good L on the back leg with the front foot closed & a little flexed. • Hit in an athletic stance and on the balls of your feet.
From physical to mental • Have an approach before you enter the box. • Fastball! The only pitch I look for in an aggressive count. The good hitting counts ex: 00,10,20,21, and 31. • The box is your property, protect and guard it with authority. If a pitcher takes too long call time and step out. • Know the situation before you step into the box. Moving runners, driving them in, or the position of the fielders. • Picture in your mind the pitch and see it through the infield. See yourself getting a base hit or double, etc.
Release Points • Find a spot to focus on. • Never stay focused for more than a few seconds on one spot because our eyes tire at long periods of time. • I focus on the glove then when the pitch is delivered I find the release point or window. • Find something that is comfortable for you. Ex: hat, jersey, number
Timing, Timing, Timing Timing is the key element to hitting. If we can’t learn to make adjustments hitting will be a difficult task to do. It is important to create perfected word habits. How will you work? Take this approach! Which is the easiest way to cut a tree? Using a sledge hammer or an axe? An axe of course! You may think you are working hard everyday, but are you working the right way? Even the professional hitters have to better there swing. Look at it this way! If you want to be a 500 hitter than you should get 500 quality cuts at least everyday. I feel that hitting is confidant driven with the more cuts you take, along with quality practice, success can be achieved. Study the game and especially your opponent and the umpire, because knowing what you are up against and their tendencies will make consistency easier. Never press! Hitting requires patience and self confidence. Without the two you will always put yourself into bad hitting situations. Study film on your swing at games and practices. Make sure you are putting yourself in the best position to succeed. It was said that Tony Gywnn study every at bat after every game to perfect his swing (182). Allow your swing to develope! Don’t go changing you swing for every bad day at the plate. Remember 3 out of 10 is a good hitter. Here are some key points.
Key Points • Study/ know your swing and your opponent. • Find the release and see the ball. • Be a patient hitter. • Put yourself into good hitting counts. • Controlled explosion with balance. • Visualize what a hit feels like and savor that emotion.
