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Breaking the Swing Down: Options for Cutting It

Learn the different phases and key concepts of a powerful swing, including ready position, stride, swing, and finish. Explore body components such as the lower half, hips, shoulders, and head. Get valuable tips from Jim Bail's hitting guide.

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Breaking the Swing Down: Options for Cutting It

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  1. Breaking the Swing Down A few ways to cut it… • Options include …. • By Phase: • Ready Position • Stride • Swing • Finish • By Key Concept • Balance • Rotation • Hand Action • Tracking • Timing • By Body Component • Lower Half (PowerL) • Hips (square to pitcher at contact) • Shoulders (rotate 180 degrees – back shoulder ending up at pitcher.) • Head (eyes level, track ball with nose for entire pitch, Hold contact point through finish) WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail

  2. Hitting By Phase • Ready Position • Feet athletically spread (approx shoulder-width- a little wider is good) . Weight on balls of feet (not up on toes though) • Hips and shoulders in line with feet. Slight bend in waist toward plate (upper body weight slightly into the plate). • Hands are just in front of the back shoulder. Front elbow 90 degrees. Bat barrel either cocked or straight up. • Head – eyes are level • Swing • Stride • Lift stride foot exactly when pitcher releases • Short stride toward pitcher (4-6”) – directly to mound. Land on inside of foot and keep weight back. Body should be stacked (Hips on top of feet, shoulders on top of hips – head on top of shoulders.) • Center of balance and Hands stay back through completion of stride phase • Rotation • Power L (Back knee fires to mound) – brings hips square to the pitch • Hips face pitcher at contact • Back shoulder finishes directly to the mound on follow through • Hand Action • Hands go directly to the pitch, while staying “inside the ball. • Hands accelerate through contact • Continue to extend toward mound after contact • Finish high • Finish • In balance (body stacked) • Hips square to pitcher • Hands extend to mound and finish high • Back shoulder pointing to mound • Head glued to contact point WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail

  3. Hitting by PhaseReady Position • Feet, Hips, Shoulders in line to pitcher • Hands in front of back shoulder, Front elbow at 90 degrees (ideally, back elbow too) • Bat barrel cocked or vertical • Eyes Level WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail

  4. Hitting by PhaseSwingStride • (Timing – lift stride foot at pitcher’s release) • Short, quick stride (6-8 inches max) – DIRECTLY TO MOUND • Land on inside of ball of stride foot. • Keep weight and hands back and loaded • Slight upper-body lean into plate • Stay stacked WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail

  5. Hitting by PhaseSwingRotation • Power L – Knee fires to mound • Hips square to pitcher at contact • Back shoulder to pitcher at finish WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail

  6. Hitting by PhaseSwingHand Action • Sold starting position • Stay back and high through stride • Stay “inside” the ball and go directly to pitch • Keep front elbow at 90 degrees vs. Bar-arming • Extend after contact • Finish high WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail

  7. Hitting by PhaseFinish • In balance, still stacked • Hips square to pitcher • Back shoulder pointing to pitcher • Head stays on contact point WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail

  8. Hitting by Body Component • Lower Body (Power L) • Hips (Rotation) • Hands • Start strong • Stay inside pitch • Keep front elbow at 90 degrees on approach to pitch • Accelerate through contact • Extend after contact • Finish high • Contact Point (in FRONT of Plate – or, more accurately, before ball gets to landing foot) • Ball deeper when going to opposite field • Head (Track with your nose) WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail

  9. Hitting by Key Concepts • Balance(before, during and after the swing) • Rotation (Getting the hips to face the pitcher at contact)and for the shoulders to rotate completely after contact) • Hand path (good starting position, powerful, quick and direct path to contact – and extension toward pitcher after contact) • Tracking– See pitch at release, keep nose pointed to ball until contact –then hold. • Timing – (Short soft stride at pitcher’s release and make contact in front of front foot (back more when going opposite field) WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail

  10. Demystifying / simplifying hitting • Make sure your batters have a balanced and strong starting position. • Make sure your batters rotate their trunk. Easiest way to teach it is through the PowerL. • Make sure your batters are striding on time (at pitcher release) – and that they’re keeping their weight and hands back when they do stride. Best way to teach this is in soft toss (stride, stop, swing), bp, and lob-toss bp (or bounce stickball). • Make sure your batters have a good hand path – direct to the ball (while keeping hands inside pitch) and extending after contact (toward pitcher). Best way to teach good hand path is the Wall drill. • Make sure your batters work on this stuff in practice – during game time, it’s critical they not think about mechanics – but solely on seeing the pitch with everything they have. WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail

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