Unlocking Secrets Of Optimizing Launch Angle To Increase Your Ball Exit Speed & Hitting Distance

Ideal Line Drive Launch Angles & Ball Exit Speeds For Optimal Distance While Hitting A Baseball Or Softball

Discover the ideal line drive launch angles and ball exit speeds for optimal distance while hitting a baseball or softball.

Addressing The Biggest Lies In Hitting: Improve Line Drive Frequency In A Few Short Weeks

 

 

ABCA Hitting Think Tank: Matt Nokes, Taylor Gardner, Jarrett Gardner, & Joey Myers

This Hitting Think Tank will be doing more talks like this at the 2017 ABCA in Anaheim in our booth (from left to right: Matt Nokes, Taylor Gardner, Jarrett Gardner, & Joey Myers)

I have a confession to make…

But first, the context,

After driving 7 hours down to San Diego, I met up with a couple boss hitting/pitching dudes.

I had the privilege to sit down and talk hitting with the two co-founders of the Backspin Tee (brothers Taylor and Jarrett Gardner), and 1987 All-Star Silver Slugger Matt Nokes.

Now, the confession…

We only spent 15 minutes “sitting down” (for the above interview), the other time was spent talking hitting in:

  • Underground parking garages,
  • A library,
  • Down the streets of Padre’s Petco Park,
  • At a USSSA Pride professional fast-pitch softball game, and
  • In a Hilton Hotel lobby over beverages with USSSA Pride infielder Shelby Pendley….

SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:

Improve your hitting strategy dramatically by applying human movement principles.

Learn not only how and what to train but also the science behind the methods.

Right Course For You? Take Quiz Now

Not to mention, Matt Lisle graced us with his presence to talk hitting for over an hour at the Pride game.

Also, we narrowly missed Ryan Lehr on account of him having to be home late night to be a good dad and husband 😉 lol j/k Lehr just busting your balls.

…By the way Lehr (if you’re reading this), Matt Lisle’s wife allowed him to attend the All Star festivities in San Diego (he’s from the Bay Area), for 4+days away from the her and their 4 kids!!

I told him, he must have a lot of money in the family’s ’emotional bank account’ to have the ability to do that.

So, there’s NO excuse Lehr 😛

Needless to say, my brain hurt on the 7-hour drive back home the next day (not a hangover, believe it or not, I only had one beer the night before)…

Moreover,

We’ll be sharing a booth at the 2017 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) conference in Anaheim,

And will be doing more of these LIVE Hitting Think Tank Q&A’s during the conference, so if you find yourself out that way, at that time, then please stop by booth #383 and say hi.

In addition, there will be other mystery guests at the conference coming to our booth to talk about things like pitch tracking, recognition, bat lag, and distraction training.

So, DON’T MISS IT!!

Besides me, here are the cast of characters in the above video:

In this interview, we discuss the following:

  • Defining a line drive (Matt Nokes at 2:13 mark)
  • How to get a line drive? (Matt Nokes at 3:20 mark)
  • Making adjustments to get to the line drive (Matt Nokes at 4:20 mark)
  • The right swing path to get a line drive (Jarrett Gardner at 6:00 mark),
  • The idea of a “flat swing” (Matt Nokes at 7:37 mark),
  • The goods and bad of “Feel v. Real” & making bold adjustments (Joey Myers at 10:20 mark),
  • Correlation DOES NOT necessarily equal causation (Matt Nokes and Joey Myers at 13:31 mark).

We’d love to get YOUR take on what was discussed in the above video,

And, please respond below by letting us know what else you’d like us to discuss at the upcoming ABCA event…by the way, we may record these Q&A sessions and make them available to you at a later date.

THANKS in advance!

3 Comments/by
Hitting Training For Baseball & Softball Swing Trainers | Hitting Performance Lab

What Do College Baseball & Softball Coaches Look For In Recruits? | NCAA And NCSA Recruiting In 2024

Learn what college baseball and softball coaches are looking for in recruits, and what does the NCAA and NCSA college recruiting landscape look like in 2024 and beyond?

College Recruiting: How To Improve Your Athlete’s Chances (Help!!!)

 

Do you consider yourself a generous person?  Yes?  Good.  If you have any advice, be it from your parent or coaching hat (preferably college coaches who are actively recruiting), please share in the comments below the post.  If you’re just looking for college baseball and softball recruiting advice, then that’s great!  Read through this post AND then read the comments below it.  Lots of fantastic advice!

Recently, I received the following college recruiting ask from one of my avid readers, Alan Rudy:

“Hey Joey, I don’t want to step out of bounds but recruiting is wild and woolly.  Jack Renkens was invited to give a presentation at East Lansing High School where our oldest plays ball. There was a great deal of really good info in his talk and, at the end, he strongly encouraged us to join and use NCSA.  By contrast, coaches at the HS – and people like Paul Reddeck – have suggested that the NCSA can become a very expensive means of getting access to too many, too expensive meat markets/showcases that rarely pan out.

These people say that Aiden should ask himself where in the country he wants to go to school, what size of school and kind of degree programs he is interested in, what kind of social life/college culture he wants and to explore schools where he’d be likely to get on the field before he’s a junior… and then to contact coaches at those schools with introductions, links to stats and videos, sending emails from HS and travel coaches, etc.

I can’t remember seeing a post from you in this topic. If you have one, could you help me find it? If it’s less trouble do you have someone who’s approach you like that you’d be willing to share?”

Honestly, the topic of college recruiting isn’t in my wheelhouse, and is not where I put my energy.  Here was my email response:

“Alan, I appreciate you reaching out about this. I haven’t done a post on it, and haven’t really spent a ton of time researching this. Back in the day companies like NCSA were a competitive advantage, now everyone does it, so that’s why the price you pay can be ridiculous for what you’re getting. Supply and demand. That aside, I’d still work it because you don’t want all your eggs in one basket. I’d get in touch with area scouts and get an honest opinion from them as to Jack’s current evaluation. That way you know where to focus training efforts. But here’s the reality, your son cannot be ignored if you’re working the process to get to:

  • At least 90 to 95-mph Ball Exit Speeds,
  • At least a consistent 15+ degree Launch Angles,
  • Above average OPS numbers on the field, and have a…
  • Sub 7.0 sec 60-yard sprint time wouldn’t hurt either.

Not to mention a 3.5 GPA in school! These five things make it real easy for his current coach/scout to recommend him, and a college/pro coach/scout to look at him as a reasonable prospect. In the weight room, I’d work on getting him to a 400 to 500-lb dead-lift, that would help A LOT of things on the field. CLICK HERE to see what this training would look like. 

Maybe I’ll do a post on this in the future, asking for advice from other coaches out there that are doing this and are successful in promoting/recruiting players and what they’re looking for.  I hope this helps brother. I really appreciate your continued support, so whatever I can do to help you out. Happy Holidays! – Joey”

Also, I forgot to mention Brian Domenico’s National or International Power Showcase – CLICK HERE for a post I did on that.  After my attempted response on college recruiting, Alan added:

“If you do the post on recruiting, would you see if you can get stuff from coaches at DIII and II as well as I? Just as you’ve insisted that most players aren’t Albert Pujols or Giancarlo Stanton, I think too much recruiting material focuses on “IF YOU WANT TO PLAY DI!!!!!” kinds of hype and it feeds the exploitative side of your business. It is so clear that you care about the guys you work with however they end up finding success in life… but it is also clear that a lot of guys are too much in it for the glory and money.
I’ve loved the last few blog posts!”

College Recruiting: The Ask…

I’ve heard that if you want to get, you have to give, and it is the giving time of year.  To those coaches, Academy owners, instructors, and/or parents out there, can you offer any advice no matter how small, to parents like Alan?  A million THANKS in advance for your generosity… (please REPLY below in the comments)

19 Comments/by
Hitting Training For Baseball & Softball Swing Trainers | Hitting Performance Lab

Load Stride: How To Fix Lower Body Swing Mechanics, Weight Distribution, & Proper Footwork For Beginning Baseball & Softball Hitters

Discover the load and stride!  Learn how to fix lower body swing mechanics, weight distribution, and proper footwork for beginning baseball and softball hitters.

Gain Distance The Easy Way PART 1

 

 

We’re going over:

  • How to feel lighter in the Final Turn using the rule of Un-Weighting,
  • Moving the body forward to create momentum, and
  • Turning Yourself into a Projectile Missile (Broad v. Triple Jump).

It’s amazing what happens when you add a little momentum.  Muscles don’t have to work as hard, and the body moves effortlessly through space.  We get a “head start” using our body’s weight more than we realize…to get up from the floor, the couch or chair, or to step up into the bed of a truck.  Why should hitting be any different…heck, just about every good player uses momentum in some way.  I hope you enjoy Baseball Hitting Video Gain Distance PART-One.

CLICK HERE to watch a YouTube video on how Babe Ruth gains distance the easy way.

 

MLB Small-Boppers Who Use Forward Momentum…

Jose Bautista (4-Time All-Star):

Baseball Hitting Video Gain Distance the Easy Way: Jose Bautista

Video courtesy of MLB.com

Andrew McCutchen (2013 NL MVP, 3-Time All-Star):

Andrew McCutchen Spine Engine

Video courtesy of MLB.com

Robinson Cano (5-Time All-Star):

Robinson Cano Baseball Hitting Video

Robinson Cano is one of the best examples I can think of for Baseball Hitting Video Gain Distance the Easy Way PART-One

 

Jumping World Record Holding Athletes Who Use Forward Momentum:

Standing Long Jump, Korean World Record holder at almost 10.5 feet:

WR Standing Long Jump

Look at how he uses his arms to gain Forward Momentum…video courtesy of YouTuber Hyrugaful

Triple Jump World Record Holder Jonathan Edwards from Great Britain at 18.29 m (60 ft 0 in):

Jonathan Edwards GBR WR Triple Jump

Look at how much Forward Momentum is gained before breaking the world record. Video courtesty of YouTuber MCTnF

CLICK HERE for Baseball Hitting Video PART-2, where we go over how to apply what we learned in this video.

8 Comments/by
Hitting Training For Baseball & Softball Swing Trainers | Hitting Performance Lab

Best Launch Angles For Distance: How To Hit Line Drives & Square Up Baseball Instead Of Hitting Ground Balls

,

Discover the best launch angles for batted ball distance, and learn how to hit more line drives and square up the baseball or softball instead of hitting too many ground balls. Check out this interview with EffectiveVelocity.com’s Perry Husband…

Why You SHOULD NOT Teach Hitters To Hit Homers?

 

 

Here’s the Hitting Jam Session Interview Collection with Perry Husband:

  1. [YOU ARE HERE] Why You Should Not Teach Hitters To Hit Homers?
  2. What’s The Biggest Mistake Coaches Make In Boosting Ball Exit Speeds
  3. How To Make Teaching Proper Weight Shift In Swing More Understandable To Hitter
  4. Teach: How To STOP Hitting Excess Of Ground-balls & Fly-balls
  5. 5,000 Swing Experiments Validate Locked Lead Arm Is Superior To Bent
  6. Overload Bat Training: Hitting Has To Work Butt Off To Resist “Casting”

Here’s what we discuss in Hitting Jam Session #1:

  • Formal Introductions
  • Carlos Pena and Boston Red Sox hitting coach phone conversation for segment on MLB Now Show,
  • Bro-Science v. REAL Science,
  • How to know who/what to follow,
  • Demystifying Launch Angles, and
  • Q&A…

You can also CLICK HERE to view the original video and comments from the Jam Session on Facebook.

 

Show Notes

  • At about the 3-minute mark, Perry Husband shares a phone conversation he had with Carlos Pena and Boston Red Sox hitting coach Tim Hyers about Effective Velocity (EV) tunnels from a hitter’s perspective (watch Liquid Analytic videos to MLB Now segments below)
  • At about 5-min, 30-secs mark, cool swing experiment Perry did with Tim Hyers in the past, showing how same speed pitch “appears” faster or slower depending on location in the zone, and how this disrupts a hitter’s reactionary timing (aka hitter’s “attention”).  Gear hitters to a speed, they focus on that speed – changing it causes hitters to be early or late.
  • At about 12-min, 30-min mark, the basic idea of Liquid Analytics, and how to look at pitchers through EV “eyes” we can get hitters to understand the best approach against certain pitchers.  How pitchers adapt to changes to hitter’s approach, it’s like a Chess game, approaches can shift and change multiple times throughout the game, and how to use Liquid Analytics to make these changes predictable.
  • At about 15-min mark, we talk about sabotaging hitting coaches who have no clue how to counter EV by releasing EV 101, 202, and 303 to pitchers.  This will take a couple years for younger pitchers to catch up.  Our hitters will have the anecdote.  2018 World Series was a great picture of a team using EV on both sides of the ball (Red Sox), and a team that really wasn’t (Dodgers).  Any hitting approach right now will get away with murder, but when pitchers get EV efficient, most approaches that don’t take EV into account will die off.
  • At about 20-min mark, Perry using the football cornerback analogy to explain EV tunnels and where hitters tend to stay when it comes to timing pitches.
  • At about 22-min mark, what is the main operating system you’re teaching your hitters? Decrease strikeouts? Hit homers?  Increase Batting Average?  Hard Hit Contact %?  Every drill, teach, hitting aid, etc. will lift up the main operating system, example of the early armbar teach in mechanics.
  • At about 25-min mark, these Jam Sessions are an experiment in themselves, what you’re doing right now may be working, but someone somewhere is doing it better, how to find out what “optimizing” hitters looks like, tinker and test, tinker and test, Growth Mindset v. Fixed Mindset, swing experimentation, REAL Science v. “bro-science”, Scientific Method: question, hypothesis, research & study, collect data (experiment), conclusion, is data Science? Jam Sessions going forward…
  • At about 31-min 30-sec mark, Perry starts talk on Launch Angles, Jay Bell experiment (at 10-degree Launch Angle), hit center of circular target at about 10-feet to measure Launch Angles, early or late hitter pulls or pushes the ball away from the center of the target, more ground-balls – hitting ball later in the swing arc, pop-fly – hitting ball earlier in the swing arc, comparing 9 possible golf shots to hitting, precision in golf.
  • At about 36-minute mark, ranking 10 swings off a tee using the circular target, how many times hit the target, measuring precision how often swing line is inline with pitch, hitter is going to miss more than they hit it good, Aaron Judge 75% of his one-rep swing max a majority of the time, it’s not about hitting it perfect, it’s the quality of your misses.
  • At about 41-min mark, are ALL ground-balls bad? 100-mph+ GB’s equals batting over .500 at the Big League levels, take out ground-ball hits and Donaldson hits .205, it’s about maxing out the Ground-balls, 90-mph fly-balls – how many guys hit .400? zero.  Did you know MLB skews data on fly-balls by adding line drives in the formula.
  • At about 45-min mark, I talk with my hitters about hitting the ball back through the “tube” that it came from, roughly misses are 40% up, 20% on a line, and 40% are down, trying to hit fly-balls causes more ground-balls?  Base your hitter’s operating system on the Jay Bell 10-degree Launch Angle, -5-degrees to 25-degrees highest exit velocities – keep misses within 10-degrees above or below the 10-degree line, extreme up Launch Angles will create a big hole in the swing for EV-minded pitchers to exploit, it’s about the “miss”
  • At about 50-min mark, we finish with Q&A…

Where you can find more about Perry Husband:

  1. HittingIsAGuess.com (Effective Velocity) use discount code: EV25 for 25% OFF
  2. Twitter: @EVPerryHusband
0 Comments/by
Hitting Training For Baseball & Softball Swing Trainers | Hitting Performance Lab

How To Get Out Of A Hitting Slump | Heads Up Baseball 2.0 Mental Toughness Psychology Training | Dr. Tom Hanson Coaching Program

Discover how to get out of a hitting slump! Learn how Dr. Tom Hanson’s Heads Up Baseball 2.0 is second to none mental toughness training and coaching program for the psychology of baseball and softball hitters.

How To Give 100% Of What You Have Right Now To The Next Pitch

 

Click Here to Listen or Download to the podcast episode.

Tony Robbins has said that success is 80% psychology, 20% mechanics.  Certified Hypnotist and creator of the cartoon comic strip Dilbert, Scott Adams, has said humans are irrational 80% of the time, in his recent book: Win Bigly: Persuasion in a World Where Facts Don’t Matter.  We’re only rational when deciding on things like which soap to buy!  He adds that we make decisions based on emotion, THEN we rationalize.  Not the other way around.

The best athletes in the world are better at controlling the mental part of the game, and their emotions.  They focus on controlling only what they can control.  Which leads me to this interview with Dr. Tom Hanson…

I stumbled onto a first edition of Heads-Up Baseball back in 1995 when I was in High School.  It helped clear my mind of all the hitting mechanical books I was reading at the time that left me more confused than when I started.  I owe a lot to Drs. Hanson and Ravizza for helping me play 4-years of Division-1 baseball at Fresno State, tuition free.

SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:

Improve your hitting strategy dramatically by applying human movement principles.

Learn not only how and what to train but also the science behind the methods.

Right Course For You? Take Quiz Now

Without further adieu, here are some time-stamps to help you navigate the interview:

  • About 2:30 minute mark, Dr. Hanson talks about his experience coaching baseball at UVA and D3 Skidmore College. It’s a challenge to find someone who has a PhD in psychology and experience coaching the game at the college level.
  • About 4:30 minute mark, I talk about how I stumbled upon the first version of Heads-Up Baseball, and how the information helped me cut through the white noise at a time when I felt overwhelmed with hitting mechanics, reading every book I could get my hands on.
  • About 6:00 minute mark, what were the top two or three things you and Dr. Ken Ravizza changed in the 2.0 version of Heads-Up Baseball?  One was this idea of changing “Trust” to “Compete”. The purpose of a routine is to compete.  Give 100% of what you have right now to the next pitch.  Problem right now is players are coming to college with a “showcase” mentality.  The importance of hitters being patient AND being aggressive.  Thoughts on including quotes and anecdotes from fresh coach and player faces in the book.
  • About 11:30 minute mark, if you could direct coaches to two concepts in the book, what would they be and why?  I liked the “Heads Up Practice” Chapter, but Dr. Hanson suggested “Chapter 2: The 3 Levels of Learning to Compete”, Know it, Do it, Own it. He also recommends reading Mike Scioscia’s Introduction of the book.  The Goldilocks Golden Rule, what’s right for the hitter right now (or today – know yourself).
  • About 18:00 minute mark, Dr. Hanson talks about the importance of having a model to explain the questions that come in about the mental game.  He goes into the RAMP-C model: Responsibility – the ability to respond, choose what you focus on, great question to ask: “How did you choose to respond?”  Awareness – being conscious of and how you typically respond under pressure or when you’re hitting well, extrovert/introvert, how are you feeling right now.  Dealing with “yellow” or “red” lights.  Mission – what would you like to have happen, purpose or swing intention.  Preparation – what can I do to get myself to feel a “green” light, training in the off-season, what am I going to prepare for the next pitch or season.  Compete (changed from “Trust”) – give 100% of what you have right now to get to win the next pitch.  Nobody on the Cubs felt like they had a “green” light for Game 7 of the World Series when they win it.  Control, Plan, Trust changed to Control, Commit, Compete
  • About 30-minute mark, what have you found most valuable utilizing information in this book with your own kids while navigating the craziness of travel baseball, son C.J. is 14yo and daughter Angelina is 11yo.  First edition of Heads Up Baseball was before kids, now 20-year reflection period to version 2.0.  Before 13/14yo Dr. Hanson wanted to create an environment of fun for his son.  Helping kid fall in love with sport.  Not constantly picking the kid apart.  It’s all about Relationship building.  No matter the message, if the relationship isn’t there, then the message doesn’t have its optimal effect.  Joe Maddon talked about building relationships as his priority in first 3 weeks of Spring Training with Cubs that first year, was building relationships with players.
  • About 39:00 minute mark, can you be a coach that can stretch out of being the best at conceptualizing and doing, and get more into understanding relationship.  Knowing your players, where they are in life, and how to relate is huge with players.

Unfortunately, the phone recording app I was using cut off another 20 minutes of the interview.  Here are some nuggets that were inconveniently left out:

How to change an athlete that has an emotional “red” or “yellow” light from his book Play Big: Mental Toughness Secrets That Take Baseball Players to the Next Level. Using the ABC model:

  • Act Big,
  • Breath deep, and
  • Compete.

Dr. Hanson shared a conversation he had with Reggie Jackson, where he asked Reggie if he was confident all the time.  Reggie responded with, “Heck no!”  Reggie said he faked it a lot of the time.  Act Big.

Dr. Hanson shared a conversation between Mike Trout and Dr. Ken Ravizza.  Mike Trout likes to finish his exhale before getting in the box.  If he gets in the box without doing that, he steps out and finishes it.  That’s Breathing deep.  Mike Trout also said he likes to stride slow to the plate in order to slow down the moment.

We also talked about where you can find Dr. Hanson online and the socials:

 

Book Resources Mentioned in the Interview…

0 Comments/by
Hitting Training For Baseball & Softball Swing Trainers | Hitting Performance Lab

Do Push Barrel Path Hitting Drills Fix Steep Swinging Under Ball Swing For Baseball & Softball Players?

, , ,

Discover if push barrel path hitting drills fix a steep swinging under the ball swing for baseball and softball players…

The Sooner You Know ‘Swinging Down’ Can Be A Disaster The Better

The funny thing is…

That was actually ME in the above video!  This was a two tee drill video I did a long time ago for my old site SwingSmarter.com (not around anymore), between 2008 and 2010.  Like many at the time, I was taught to swing down and through the baseball my whole career.  This is where I agree AND disagree with Sean T. Plouffe’s comment to my video….

I agree, swinging down MUST not be a blanket teach, like many were taught in my era.  However, I DISAGREE with him because ‘swinging down’ is VERY helpful to pitches middle in and middle up in the zone.  And THIS is what guys like Sean DO NOT understand.  They’re just as bad as the blanket ‘swing down’ coaches, but they use the opposite blanket teach, ‘swing up’!  Click Here for a post I explain in depth why BOTH of these blanket teaches are WRONG.

Jake C.: Swinging Down

One of my HS Frosh hitters swinging down at the beginning of one of our first lessons together. We’re using the RopeBat to fix this. Photo courtesy: ME

We’ll discuss:

  • ‘That’s what he was taught’,
  • The journey that led me away from conventional wisdom, and
  • The bottom line… (how to fix)

‘That’s What he was Taught’…

Take this email I recently received from one of my readers, Bryan Nugent:

“Good morning,

My predicament is that over the last year or so I have been working with my son using your style  (catapult loading) from your book. My son is like a night and day difference when he doesn’t load like you point out. Some of my cue words I tell him are tuck, hide, see and drive.

  • Tuck – for his shoulder
  • Hide – his hands
  • See – keep his eye on the ball
  • Drive – hit through the baseball

Ok, now to the issue his baseball coach is trying to get him to have a different approach, stance and pretty much a different swing all together. From what we have been working on. How would I or what is the best way to approach the Coach and tell him to leave his swing alone in your opinion?”

And here was Bryan’s response after I emailed him a couple questions…

“Thank you for responding to my email. My son is 10. This past Saturday morning before our first pool play game we went back to the cage and got back to doing what we have learned from you. His results were outstanding including a solo shot that the opposing coach told him he hasn’t ever seen a 10 yr old hit the ball that far before.

The coach is young(23) just graduated from a local college where he played baseball. Not knocking him in any way but when talking to him he states ‘that’s what he was taught’ quite a bit. So maybe since this is his first time to coach young boys he is trying too hard, if that makes sense.

I did talk to him a little bit and told him I would bring him your book so he can see where we are coming from. Hopefully he will see there are 2 ways to skin a cat to get the same result. Which is to be able to get the kids to reach there full potential. Thanks again”

Thank you Bryan for sharing and for your continued support.  And yes, I asked his permission before sharing with you coaches.

 

The Journey that Lead Me Away from Conventional Wisdom

I can honestly say that I was where this young coach is when I first started teaching hitters.  And I know many of you coaches out there, if you’re being honest with yourself, can relate.

I had stopped seeking knowledge about the swing…stopped reading…stopped asking questions.  My mindset was VERY fixed.

Needless to say, I came to the realization that my hitters weren’t getting better.  At the time, my local lessons weren’t growing.  I was teaching what everyone in my area was teaching.  There was zero differentiation.  And you know what Mark Twain once said,

“When you find yourself on the side of the majority, it’s time to pause and reflect”.

It wasn’t till about 2011 that I started asking questions, and bought Jaime Cevallos’s book Positional Hitting (who’s a good friend of mine).

Then met Chas Pippitt of Baseball Rebellion, and helped him develop an online presence in 2012.

This was a good start, but there were still A LOT of unanswered questions that I had.

You see, I found a passionate curiosity for corrective human movement science back in 2005.  I got educated by gathering a large wicker basket full of alphabet soup certifications.  In a short time, I was training athletes and non-athletes by helping them troubleshoot their mobility and stability issues to improve performance or quality of life.

This led me down a rabbit hole that went pretty deep.

When my son was born at the end of 2012, I had an epiphany after reading a couple highly influential resources.  I digested the following books over and over, using them to reverse engineer the swing from a human movement principles validated by science perspective:

 

The Bottom Line…

If you’re a young coach – or more seasoned – who still teaches swinging down on the ball, squishing the bug, and that the hips are where the power is at…I know how you can feel married to these because you’ve put a lot of time, effort, and emotion into them while coaching and/or playing.

Believe me, I felt the same way.  Looking back now, it was a form of collective wisdom brainwashing that runs rampant in baseball and softball circles.

Here’s what I found teaching young hitters to apply human movement principles that are validated by science to hitting a ball:

  • My hitters see and feel productive outcomes within a reasonably short amount of time (huge for getting them to ‘buy into’ the system),
  • The online and local lesson part of my business has increased 5-fold (the word is getting out!),
  • The coaches that learn this from me are getting the same productive results with their hitters – if not better (and their hitters are raising the eyebrows of other coaches), and
  • The best news is, the knuckleheads on social media have a VERY difficult time arguing the true science of the swing!

My recommendation is this:

  • Educate yourself like I did with previously mentioned books,
  • Question very things you teach by asking, “What don’t I know?”
  • Do swing experiments like I do to see if a hitting mechanic is inferior or superior to its counterpart (CLICK HERE for a post on how to do this), And…
  • Above-all, be big enough to swallow your pride, regardless of how many years coaching or playing, or if you had the privilege to coach or play at the highest level, and admit you may be wrong.  Because let me tell you, many are, so you’re not alone.

Rest assured, if I can change, then so can you.

Believe me, your hitters will THANK YOU.  Learning can start when ignorance admits its ignorant. You don’t know what you don’t know, right?  Well, now you do 😉

2 Comments/by
Swing PreLoad And Coil Hitting Drills For Power To Increase Bat Speed At Home For Beginners

Swing PreLoad And Coil Hitting Drills For Power To Increase Bat Speed At Home For Baseball & Softball Beginners

,

Discover swing preload and coil hitting drills for power learning how to increase bat speed at home for baseball and softball beginners.

What Everybody Ought to Know About Softball Batting Drills for Power…

 

 

This softball batting drills for power “Hit-Bit”, or hitting tid-bit, is an answer to questions from my readers when I asked them, “If you could have a private conversation with me, what two questions would you ask?”  The answers are meant to be short, actionable, and tips you can use today.

Today’s Hit-Bit answers the reader questions:

“How much can your shoulders turn on the load? Do you transfer all your weight to the front leg at sometime during the forward swing?”

We’ll talk about:

  1. The shoulder load & the “back eye” test,
  2. Weight transfer & the ‘Float’, and
  3. Weight transfer & the ‘Free-Fall’…

 

The Shoulder Load & “Back Eye” Test

I often relate the Goldilocks Golden Rule with my hitters.  Some movements we can do too much.  Some not at all.  We want to practice softball batting drills for power, such as loading the torso, “just right”.  And to make sure our hitters do this, in the video, I demonstrate the “back eye” test.

 

Weight Transfer & The ‘Float’

The “Float”, or as some call it a “negative move”, is a movement back towards the catcher before shifting the hitter’s body weight forward during the stride.  It’s a timing mechanism.  Hitter’s use different kinds of Floats: High, Medium, and Low Leg Kicks & Toe Taps.  See link below for different examples of this…

 

Weight Transfer & the ‘Free-Fall’

For the definitive guide to the Free-Fall, or Forward Momentum, Click the following HPL post link: “Baseball Batting Techniques: Simple Way To Use Forward Momentum That Works For Elite Hitters“.

Please comment below with any questions or comments about this video post…

0 Comments/by
Hitting Training For Baseball & Softball Swing Trainers | Hitting Performance Lab

Hitting Drills To Use Legs, Footwork, & Ground Forces In Baseball And Softball Swing According To Matt Nokes

,

Matt Nokes REVEALS hitting drills to use the legs, proper footwork, and ground forces in baseball and softball swing…

(UPDATE: this webinar is no longer available, but there’s great information shared here)

Learn 3 Things Hitters Can Do To Make Them Irresistibly Attractive To Recruiters

 

In this post, I have the privilege of sharing with you a FREE webinar opportunity that Matt Nokes is putting on and you’re getting first crack at it…

But before I get to that, I wanted to let you know this guy is the real deal.

I’ve had numerous hitting conversations with him in underground (and above ground) parking garages, libraries, conferences, and over dinner.

If you remember, I did three past blog posts showcasing a bit of his hitting knowledge:

And let me tell you,

He’s an former Big Leaguer who knows what he’s talking about.  And that means a lot coming from me because I listen to current and past Big Leaguers talk hitting with a VERY skeptical ear as most of you do.

Oftentimes, what gets lost in translation with Big Leaguers is what’s real and what’s feel.  Matt tows this line very well.  He understands the difference.

The reason I’m sharing his information with you is because he has quite a different approach than me, but yet it’s very similar when we have our talks.  His system is very complimentary to mine.

What I have for you in this post is:

  • Matt Nokes introducing himself and building a case for why coaches and parents managing High School hitters on up MUST register and attend this free webinar,
  • The Tyler Moore Nokes student case study, and
  • The Matt Forgatch Nokes student case study.

Without further adieu,

Enter Matt Nokes…

SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:

Improve your hitting strategy dramatically by applying human movement principles.

Learn not only how and what to train but also the science behind the methods.

Right Course For You? Take Quiz Now

—

I’m a 10 year MLB Veteran, Silver Slugger Award Winner, MLB American League All Star Catcher, and I have the most successful hitting advisory program in baseball.

I’m sure you’ve had some good coaches that you’ve really liked over the years!

Yet year after year the pitching gets better, and it’s easy to get caught over thinking, with your timing getting all messed up more often than not.

I remember when I was I senior in high school and I told my dad I wanted to quit baseball all together… I was going through a tough time and there wasn’t anyone around me who I felt understood what I was going through, and could get me back on track.

I don’t know about you?  But it’s easy to fall into a trap of over processing, looking for an adjustment that’ll give you that “In The Zone Feel Again”…the feel you have hitting soft toss from 12 feet, and yet in the game you’re looking at it from 60 feet…that’s what I call a cross your fingers approach.

In life, if you want to accomplish great things, you seek out someone who’s the best in the world at what they do! (Hall of Fame) Frank Robinson gave me the MLB plan and 2 years later I was in the big leagues at 21 years old! No I wasn’t just a freak hitter, before I got perspective from Frank Robinson, I was having trouble even making contact.

Are you ready to put that kind of frustration behind you?

Do you look at other players around the league or on your team for that matter, and you know you have equal ability, but you’re not producing or getting the recognition from the recruiters and scouts that you’ve set your sights on?

The frustration is exhausting and affects your home life, your social life, your school work, every part of your life and on top of that, you feel like crap as person if you’re not hitting!

Whatever your biggest challenges are, I’ve seen them, and I know how to help you overcome them.

I know you gotta be sick of the roller coaster ride of emotions, the pain and uncertainty about your future.  Inside this FREE Master Class Webinar (Sorry, this webinar is no longer offered)…There are 5 Simple Shifts you need to make to put all the talent you know you have inside you, and get it working for you again, and not against you.

It’s time for the scouts and recruiters to start pursuing you, but you gotta make a shift where you’re not hitting like you’re defending yourself with your back up against a wall, but instead you’re ready like a SNIPER, ready and you never miss your pitch when it’s in your zone.

Learning the 12 Touchstones, Simple Natural Hitting Moves that deal with the plan, your timing, mechanics and solves 99 out of 100 problems that will ever come up.

Tyler Moore Case Study

Matt Nokes: Tyler Moore Case Study

Tyler Moore, a kid I coached in the minor leagues with the Nationals, was all but buried with nearly 300 AB’s in July with 6 weeks left and only hitting .195, a hand full of home runs and 20 something RBI’s.

It’s very difficult for a player to dig himself out of a hole like that after so much of the season has passed. But like most hitters, I was sure he’d been burned by coaching in the past and felt like he was better off making adjustments on his own.

One of the many MYTHS in the main stream hitting community is that “you gotta go back before you go forward”.  Going back first is great for practice when you’re hitting off a tee or when you’re hitting soft toss, but in games if you’re going back at the wrong time, you’ll get beat every time…and that’s what was happening.  We reviewed the 12 Touchstones, the one big one was “you gotta already be back and be going forward at release”…

So we finally sat down and talked…I said, “what’s there left to lose at this point, you’re hitting .195, let’s get something positive out the rest of this season and see what happens in the last 6 weeks.

Now with Tyler I was dealing with a young professional player, very in tune with the way his body feels when he moves, he can feel what his body is doing, and because of his advanced awareness of his body, we ripped through the 12 touchstones in less than an hour.

THAT VERY NIGHT HE HIT 4 SCREAMING LINE DRIVES shot out of a cannon like the pitcher was throwing front soft toss to him.

By the end of the season he was hitting:

.269   |   31 HR’s    |   111 RBI’s    |    43 Doubles

That Season – We WON the Carolina League Championship.

Tyler won player of the week 4 out of the last 6 weeks of the season, and was named Carolina League Player of the Year!

Inside this Master Class Training Webinar (Sorry, webinar is no longer available)…There are 5 Simple Shifts you need to make to put all the talent you know to get it working for you and not against you.

You’ll learn 3 things you can do to make you irresistibly attractive to RECRUITERS, even if you don’t get a hit while they’re WATCHING YOU!

 

Matt Forgatch Case Study

Matt Nokes: Matt Forgatch Case Study Webinar

Matt Forgatch came to me from a small D3 College (Denison University) and was playing football and baseball. He was very athletic but did NOT know how to use his tools and translate it into the powerful hitter he would become.

I took him through the 5 Shifts and he transformed immediately.

His first season back from training, he hit .444 and led the league in 12 of 15 offensive categories.

Matt, made the decision that baseball was important enough to fully commit to this process!

He knew he wanted a program that was organized so he didn’t have to think about his workouts day to day…he just had to follow the workout each day before he went to the ball park and it took 5-10 minutes a day to do his rehearsals and focus work…it’s simply what successful people do.

Today the modules are on your phone or computer and even easier to work with.

Since he was playing D3 baseball, he was already on a team, playing games, working out, taking BP, doing drills, all the physical “bat to ball” training…

He liked and respected the coaches, so he obviously wanted to be cool and not disrespect them in any way so he was discrete about what he was doing. It wasn’t very far into the season when he was dominating the league in hitting, that he revealed to his coaches that he’d been working with me on the side in a way that didn’t interfere with the team program.

The last thing you want to do is be the guy who’s the “know it all” and bucks the team system and workouts, doing odd drills and things that stand out in an almost distracting way.

I explained it to him like this…

Be a good soldier and follow your coaches drills and workouts, because he’s put his own time and energy into it his program and you owe it to him to follow his lead, if for no other reasons than he’s in authority and you can always learn everyone.

Because you’re going through my program, it’s an at home Tai Chi type program where you learn all the natural mechanical and timing moves, along with the plan that came from Frank Robinson himself (hall of fame).

I said…

“If I were your age and on your team, with all that I knew after 30 years of professional experience and the research I’ve done, with a 10 year MLB career, Silver Slugger Award, All-Star Catcher.”

If I could go back in time, yet retain all my memories in tact so I had all the skills of the big leaguer I was, how hard would it be to get along with a coach who see’s you’re a talented hitter, with all the high level moves and YOU DON’T MISS YOUR PITCH! He’s going to love you, especially if you respect him and thank him for the feedback he gives you every day.

You guys would just relate on a different level than the other players because he’d have more respect for your abilities…you’d have a more collaborative relationship with him…But he’s your coach and having your name written in the lineup card every day, partly depends on how you relate to your coaches, no matter how good you play.

So he learned how to apply the 5 Shifts to his Mindset quickly each day, by following simple videos in the modules every week.

You learn the 12 Touchstones (The natural timing and mechanical hitting movements with the correct technique)

You learn 6X Rules for the INSIDE PITCH (The moves you rehearse on deck to make sure you’re never get sucked into a MYTH idea every again).

The system is designed so you don’t have to think…you just REHEARSE!

Everything becomes automated and you become a hitter with natural timing and natural mechanics…AND THOSE AMAZING RESULTS ARE YOUR NEW NORMAL!

—

Who is this webinar for?

Mostly for those coaches and parents managing High School and College level players.

Will younger hitters get something out of Matt’s information? 

Yes.  But the information in the webinar is geared more towards those hitters getting ready for college or pro ball.

Is Matt Nokes’s information good for fast-pitch softball?

YES!!! It’s outstanding information for ALL humans.

Please let me know what you think of the webinar y’all 😀

3 Comments/by
How Edwin Encarnacion Used Ground Reaction Forces to Smash Home Runs!

Private Youth Hitting Lessons Fresno, CA: How To Use Lower Half Ground Reaction Forces, Baseball, & Softball Drills For Beginners

,

Discover private youth hitting lessons in Fresno, CA.  Learn how to use lower half ground reaction forces, baseball, and softball drills for beginners…

How To Use Your Legs Like Edwin Encarnacion

 

 

I recently worked with Christopher Solis one-on-one, from Pasadena, CA.  He just signed with the University of Sioux Falls, South Dakota this Fall to play for the Cougars division-two baseball team.  He’s in his third year of eligibility, and found me after watching a video I did analyzing Lou Gehrig’s swing.

We talked about a lot of current hitters, but one in particular was Edwin Encarnacion.  In this video, we’ll be discussing:

  • What “Blocking” is (according to German Champion discus thrower Robert Harting),
  • How Edwin Encarnacion “Blocks”, and
  • Building Chris Solis 2.0.

SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:

Improve your hitting strategy dramatically by applying human movement principles.

Learn not only how and what to train but also the science behind the methods.

Right Course For You? Take Quiz Now

What “Blocking” Is (According to German Champion Discus Thrower Robert Harding)

From what I’m told, the current German discus throwers “block” very well.  Other throwers end up spinning around and hopping after they throw.  What’s the significance of Blocking?

My friend Rob Suelflohn (top-5 national Shot Putter in mid-80’s) sent an email about a Facebook comment from former Shot Put world record holder Brian Oldfield, about Blocking:

“I have been looking back one of my experiences with Gideon Ariel at Casa de Cota and remembered throwing from a force plate that measured the P.S.I.’s [pounds per square inch] in my foot work/technique. I don’t know the exact pressure I put on each step of the transition but I think it went something like this. The first left foot pivot out of the back of the circle beginning the drive was 500 PSI’s then lunging down to the middle of the circle to the next right foot  pivot created a 750 PSI pressure . Finally, a shorter deeper step at the toe board registered 1000 PSI’s. I used my speed and torque down through the “J” phase pushing on the earth until the earth pushed back.” 

 

How Edwin Encarnacion “Blocks”

This home-run was Edwin Encarnacion’s 26th of the 2014 season, and a walk-off.  Interesting to note, he was out in front of this 85-mph hanging breaker.  And this is where “Blocking” becomes really important.  Two things:

  1. The swing is a snapping towel – move forward to landing (Fight Position), then snap back (Blocking) through the turn, and
  2. Blocking is a combination of falling and pushing into the ground (Gravity), and the ground pushing back (Gravitational Reaction Forces).

“Sit back” hitters will have a difficult time with Blocking because they’re moving forward during the Final Turn.  A hitter would have to be at least 6’3″ and 230-40 lbs to get away with sitting back.

 

Building Chris Solis 2.0

In our time together, we focused primarily on footwork.  Getting to the proper Fight Position, then Blocking, or pushing into the ground as hard as we could to initiate the Final Turn.  In the after video, we were able to:

  • Get him “shorter” with his back leg through the turn (90 degrees versus a 104 degree angle),
  • Detach, or un-weight, his back foot during his turn, and
  • Shift his head/spine angle back (Blocking helps with this).

Blocking is how to fix the “racing back elbow” or “bat drag” so rampant in Little League.  If you watch a racing back elbow hitter – not necessarily arm barring – you’ll see a bent front knee throughout the swing.  Blocking with the front side is virtually non-existent, and their swing is inefficiently being driven by the backside.  The racing back elbow is the back shoulder joint fighting to get into a stable position during the Final Turn.

We have to re-condition the front side to Block like Robert Harting and Edwin Encarnacion.

14 Comments/by
Turning Vs Pushing The Barrel: Modern MLB Bat Path Swing Drills To Fix Misguided Advice

Turning Vs Pushing The Barrel: Modern MLB Bat Path Swing Drills To Fix Misguided Baseball Or Softball Hitting

,

Discover turning vs pushing the barrel by looking at the modern MLB bat path from Andrew McCutchen.  Learn drills to fix misguided baseball or softball hitting advice.  Turning the barrel is fantastic for middle away and middle down pitches, while pushing the barrel is great for middle in versus middle up pitches, Click Here for a post I did on that.

Modern MLB Bat Path Swing Like Andrew McCutchen

 

 

In this video post, we’re going to talk about:

  • Discuss when barring the front arm is okay,
  • Explore the science of spinning fast vs slow,
  • See how effective The Cutch is at turning, and
  • Look at how to work on this at home.

CLICK HERE to watch the – 2 min, 5 second – PBS Circus Physics video about the Conservation of Angular Momentum, or turning faster.

 

Straightening the Front Arm Out…Good or Bad?

I’ve shifted my thoughts on this since doing this video back in 2014.  I’d rather have my hitters bar their front arm out (or slight bend in front elbow) to and through contact.  Click Here to watch an interview I did with Perry Husband of EffectiveVelocity.com about arm barring.  This will answer all your questions on the topic.

SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:

Improve your hitting strategy dramatically by applying human movement principles.

Learn not only how and what to train but also the science behind the methods.

Right Course For You? Take Quiz Now

The Science of Spinning Fast vs “Slow”

There are two Physics principles working with the Conservation of Angular Momentum:

  1. When an ice skater moves her arms in towards her center-line while spinning, then her turning speed goes UP, but inertial mass goes DOWN.
  2. And when an ice skater moves her arms away from her center-line while spinning, then her turning speed goes DOWN, but inertial mass goes UP.

What does this mean for hitters?  Two additional things:

  • Firstly, swing tempo means something.  If you accelerate a small part without the big part, then the spinning top becomes wobbly.
  • Secondly, you can’t “spin” faster and maximize force at contact, when inertial mass goes down.
  • And thirdly, the longer front arm accomplishes the best of three worlds: it promotes healthy swing tempo, increases inertial mass (balancing turning speed), AND encourages predictability in barrel path because it keeps the front arm shape at a constant versus the inconsistent “bending” of the front elbow taught by a few.

 

Did Cutch Pass the Turning Speed Test?

In the above Andrew McCutchen baseball hitting video, science clearly says that ‘Cutch’ can in fact turn faster during his Final Turn.

However in this Andrew McCutchen baseball hitting video, he can get away with it because of his shorter arm span in comparison to a hitter with a longer one, like Miguel Cabrera.  Cabrera would have to stand farther off the plate to make an early arm bar work.  Similar to what Ken Griffey Jr. did.

And as we’ll discover what force bleeding compensation he makes – possibly – because of his early arm barring in Part-3 of the Andrew Mccutchen baseball hitting video: Do This For Longer Drives video series.

UPDATED NOTES: Cutch is doing just fine in this swing analysis.  Just how it’s suppose to be 😉

 

How Do We Practice a Faster Turn at Home?

  1. Break the swing into two-steps: 1) To the Fight Position (Landing), and 2) the Final Turn
  2. Use a mirror or batting tee
  3. Video analysis feedback – either Coach’s Eye app (free for android) or Ubersense app (free for iphone)
  4. Hitter “hides their hands from the pitcher”, while keeping front arm straight or with a slight bend
  5. Going into the Final Turn, the hitter will try and “crush the proper catcher’s glove”

CLICK HERE for Part-3: Do This For Longer Drives: Andrew McCutchen baseball hitting video series, where we look to see if Cutch breaks the One-Joint Rule…If you missed Part-1, then CLICK HERE.

9 Comments/by