|
Key
Concepts of Hitting
The key to being an effective teacher and coach is
to develop a simplified, comprehensible approach to
instruction. When working on batting skills, my goal
is to develop hitters who understand the key
concepts in hitting. What follows is a summary of
those concepts, starting with the mechanics of the
swing: stance, stride, swing, position at contact,
and follow-through. I teach what I call linear
hitting versus rotational hitting to create more
power through the ball. The following describes a
linear hitting motion, with a “short to, long
through” approach.
Stance
The stance may vary from player to player, but there
are some characteristics of the stance that have
general applications. The feet should be about six
inches (15 centimeters) wider than shoulder-width
apart. A stance that is too wide will inhibit weight
transfer and hip rotation. One that is too narrow
may produce a long stride, causing too much head
movement and poor ball tracking. The knees should be
slightly flexed, with the upper torso bent slightly
forward (toward the plate) at the waist. The head is
turned toward the pitcher with both eyes level, and
the chin is near the front shoulder at the start of
the swing.
There are three types of stances: open, closed, and
square. In the open stance, the hitter is turned 30
to 60 degrees on the balls of her feet toward the
pitcher so that her front foot is about two or three
inches (five to seven centimeters) farther from home
plate than the back foot. The weight is distributed
evenly on both feet. In this stance, the hips are
more open to allow for a shorter swing. The
disadvantage of the open stance is that it limits
plate coverage on the outside third of the plate.
In the closed stance, the player’s front foot is
moved about two or three inches closer to home than
the back pivot foot. The hips are closed,
restricting hip rotation. In this stance, the
right-hander can drive the ball to right field. The
disadvantage of the closed stance is that it
prevents the batter from reaching pitches on the
inside of the plate.
The square stance is the most workable because it
gives the hitter the best plate coverage without any
disadvantages. No matter what the stance, successful
hitters stride to a square position to get maximum
coverage.
Complete plate coverage is an important aspect to
consider when choosing where to stand in the
batter’s box. The depth in the batter’s box depends
on the nature of the hitter and the type of pitcher
throwing. The farther back the hitter is in the
batter’s box, the more time she will have to read
the pitch. In most situations, I’ll have my players
stand in the back of the box. Against average
pitchers, they have the option of moving up in the
box. This will decrease the reaction time for those
hitters having trouble waiting on the ball.
A player’s grip on a bat is equally important. The
hands should be set near the back shoulder and
should be no more than three to six inches (7 to 15
centimeters) from the body. The lead shoulder is
pointing at the pitcher or is slightly closed in the
stance. To find a proper grip that ensures maximum
power at contact, the player should let her hands
hang freely in front of her with palms facing each
other. She should grip the bat and pull the bat up
to starting position without allowing her fingers to
move again. The bat should be held in the fingers of
the hands with the grip placed at an angle in the
top hand from the base of the pinky to the middle of
the index finger. The second knuckles of each hand
are aligned when gripping the bat.
When the hitter is in her stance, her focus is soft
with her eyes relaxed and looking at the pitcher. As
the pitcher’s hands come apart, the batter should
change the focus to the pitcher’s release point (a
hard focus). We all know what it feels like to stare
with a hard glare at something. That is a hard
focus.
Stride or Trigger
As the pitcher is moving toward the release, the
hitter is beginning to initiate some preparatory
movement—either a stride or a trigger. The stride or
trigger establishes timing and helps achieve a
strong and powerful position to start the swing.
During the stride, the batter takes a small step
toward the pitcher. If she does not use the step,
she should use a movement that helps get the swing
going. The stride should be soft, closed (45 to 90
degrees in relationship to the plate), soon enough
in relation to the pitch, and only a few inches.
During the stride, it is comfortable for some to
initiate a small movement of the hands in a C
pattern. As the pitch approaches, a coiling action
begins. The front side (shoulder, hip, and knee)
slightly turns in, and the back knee also turns
inward. During this coiling action, the front
shoulder should be lower than the back shoulder. The
hands should always remain inside the back shoulder.
Swing
The swing begins from the bottom up. The back knee
will begin to move in as the hitter shifts her
weight toward the ball with the legs and hips; the
hands and shoulders stay back. As the ball
approaches the plate, the hitter pushes off the back
foot to start the linear movement. During the
movement of the legs and hips, it is vital that the
head and eyes remain level and still. The hands
begin to move toward the pitcher, not toward the
plate, to stay inside of the ball. The hitter needs
to keep the bat above forearm level (a line passing
from the elbow through the hand), and the front arm
maintains a 90-degree angle. The
shoulder-elbow-wrist motion unlocks similar to a
Frisbee throw. As the bat head moves closer to
contact, the top hand begins to rotate so that at
contact the palm is nearly facing up. The back leg
continues to drive into a now firm (not locked)
front leg, and the back foot begins to turn toward
the pitcher. This method of approaching the ball
helps ensure that the hands stay inside the ball to
allow for a more powerful contact position.
Stress to the hitter to drive the front shoulder to
the ball. If the front shoulder pulls away from the
ball, one or more of the following problems will
happen:
- The head will come out of the proper position, and eye contact with
the ball will be reduced.
- The back shoulder will drop down, which
creates an unlevel position for the shoulders in
their approach to the ball.
- The hands will drop, creating a loop in the
swing.
- The back leg will collapse and eliminate any
positive hip action in the swing.
- The coverage of the outside part of the
plate will be reduced.
The front arm starts the hands toward the ball while
the back arm finishes. The batter should allow the
front shoulder to track the ball from the pitcher’s
hand to the contact zone. As the bat is approaching
the ball, the arms remain bent. If the arms are
extended too early in the swing, the swing arc will
be too long, and the hitter will sacrifice bat speed
and power.
|
|
