Beyond Baseball's Launch Angle: The Critical Exit Velocity & Timing Context Most Hitting Coaches Overlook

Beyond Baseball’s Launch Angle: The Critical Exit Velocity & Timing Context Most Hitting Coaches Overlook

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Go beyond baseball’s launch angle, and discover the critical exit velocity and timing context most hitting coaches overlook.

Here are the “parts” of Perry and my conversations:

 

Introduction

Joey Myers, the host from hittingperformancelab.com, welcomes Perry Husband from effectivevelocity.com for part two of their series. They focus on addressing the misunderstood emphasis on increasing exit velocity in baseball training.

Context

A certain ‘hitting guru’ recently mocked instructors emphasizing exit velocity, prompting Myers and Husband to address the topic and provide clarity. The conversation was sparked by the negative connotation that came with increasing exit velocity in baseball.

Key Insights

Understanding Exit Velocity

  • Exit velocity isn’t just about how hard the ball is hit but also about the timing and the context in which it’s hit.
  • Timing plays a crucial role. If you’re off by even a millisecond, you won’t achieve the desired result.

Major League Observations

  • Many Major League hitters are being judged based on metrics like ‘hard hit rate’ and ‘sweet spot percentage’.
  • However, some critiques argue that the metrics punish hitters for ‘ugly hits’ like bloop singles, undermining their actual value to the game.

Effective Velocity (EV) Perspective

  • The concept of effective velocity (EV) is often misunderstood.
  • EV helps players understand the actual time they have to react to a pitch, taking into consideration the speed and location of the ball.
  • Most pitches in the major leagues are classified as ‘twos’ and ‘threes’, indicating that understanding and mastering EV is critical.

Mechanics and Approach

  • Proper mechanics combined with the right approach allow hitters to make solid contact.
  • A major observation is that a swing plane matching the pitch plane yields better results, contrary to some teachings that emphasize extreme upward swings.
  • Hitters need to adjust their timings based on the pitcher’s tactics.

Corey Seeger’s Case Study

  • A highlight of Seeger hitting a 98 mph fastball showcases the importance of having the bat’s barrel on plane with the ball’s trajectory.
  • Seeger’s hit, although not perfectly aligned with the ball’s sweet spot, was still successful because of his timing and approach.

Conclusion

While launch angles and exit velocities are vital metrics, understanding the context, especially the importance of timing and pitch anticipation, is crucial. The game’s evolution should be towards refining these metrics rather than merely relying on them.

Additional Resources

For more insights, followers can look up Perry Husband on YouTube, where he intends to post more content, on his website, and on Twitter (@EVPerryHusband).

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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.

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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

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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
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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

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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…

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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

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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 😀

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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

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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.

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Stop Late Swings! Simple Baseball & Softball Batting Drills to Dramatically Improve Hitting Timing

Improve Hitting Timing Problems: Drills To Fix Late Swings In Baseball Or Softball Game

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Learn how to improve hitting timing problems using simple drills to fix late swings in a baseball or softball game.

Hitting Timing Drills: Get Rid Of Hitters Feeling Dominated By Upper Level Pitchers Once And For All

 

 

In this timing hitting drills post, I’ll be addressing the following reader question…

“How to teach fearlessness when facing upper level pitchers and timing the hard throwers?”

We’ll be addressing the following in the above video:

  • Barry Bonds one step towards machine after every swing,
  • Two or three-plate drill, and
  • Develop hunting approach at the plate…

 

Barry Bonds One Step Toward Machine After Every Swing

  • CLICK HERE for a link to get more information on the golf whiffle ball MaxBP pitching machine at The Starting Lineup Store.  Get 15% OFF by using the: GET15OFF coupon code at checkout.

 

Two or Three Plate Drill 

 

Develop Hunting Approach at the Plate

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Can A Hitter See The Ball Hit The Bat & Keep Their Eyes On The Ball During The Swing?

Can Hitter Keep Eyes On & See Ball Hit Bat While Batting? Keeping Head Still During Swing IS NOT What You Think

Discover IF a hitter can keep their eyes on the baseball or softball and see the ball hit the bat while batting.  Learn IF keeping the hitter’s head still during the swing is what you thought it was in this study…

“Baseball Players Cannot Keep Their Eyes On The Ball”: A Study By A. Terry Bahill

 

 

 

Well, we’re about ready to debunk both of these well worn coaching cues by sharing the results of a scientific study.  This study was sent to me by one of my readers (and friend) Joe Yurko…THANK YOU 😀

Here’s where you can find the full cited study: A. Terry Bahill and T. LaRitz, American Scientist, 72, 1984, pp. 249-253

I recently presented the study to my Toastmasters club as a “Technical Paper”, and we recorded it so I could share the findings with you.  Sorry, I wasn’t mic’d up, so the audio isn’t the best, but I think you’ll get the message.  CLICK HERE for the Powerpoint slides I used for the speech.

In this video presentation, we go over:

  • Statement of the problem,
  • How it was solved,
  • Data Conclusions,
  • Experiment Applications, and
  • The study’s limitations…

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

In a nutshell, the study goes into debunking the two coaching phrases:

  • “Keep your eyes on the ball”, and
  • “See the ball hit the bat” (which Ted Williams said he could do “on the rare occasion”)…

The study findings will SHOCK you.

What’s more…

There was one Powerpoint slide I accidentally skipped over during the speech, and you can view the information on elusive slide #11 in the above-mentioned Powerpoint link.

The forgotten slide contains the following study findings:

  • Slowest pitch for hitter’s eye not to fall behind would be 21-mph assuming no wind and thrown at a 45-degree angle. To see the ball hit the bat? Would need an anticipatory saccade*…jump from first 1/3 of the plate to last 1/3, but you’d miss the middle 1/3 distance to plate.
  • *Saccade suppression – look at your image in mirror, look at your left eye, then look at right eye…did you see the eyes move? Process that turns off visual system during saccadic eye movements…otherwise, we would think the world is flying around us.
  • Hitter uses predictive abilities to track the ball the last 1/3 of ball flight…using peripheral vision.

I’d love to hear your comments about this below…

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Learn Correct Head Position, Keeping It Still, & Seeing Ball Better While Hitting A Baseball

Learn Correct Head Position, Keeping It Still, & Seeing Ball Better While Hitting Baseball Or Softball

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Learn the correct head position, keeping the head still, and seeing the ball better while hitting a baseball or softball.  Discover how in this Albert Pujols swing breakdown.

Albert Pujols Swing Breakdown: A Big Misunderstanding

 

 

People always want to know how to hit the ball harder, with more consistency.  And it all starts with how the head moves during the swing.  Who better to look at for consistency than Albert Pujols, AKA “The Machine”…

According to Baseball-Reference.com, a few key offensive stats based on his 162-game average are:

  • On-Base + Slug% (OPS) – .991…league average is .730
  • Batting Average on Balls In Play (BABIP) – .303 (Fangraphs.com)…league average is .300
  • Homers – 40
  • Doubles – 43

Albert Pujols may not be the same hitter he was with the Cardinals…BUT…what he has working for him is friction-free head movement during the swing.  An oftentimes, misunderstood topic.

In this video post, we’ll hold head movement during the swing to the fire of science:

  • Albert Pujols: understanding the 1/3 Vision Rule,
  • Why breaking the One-Joint Rule bleeds force at impact, and
  • Two most common head position mistakes & how to fix…

SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:

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

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Albert Pujols: Understanding the 1/3 Vision-Rule

One of my readers, Blake Blackwell, took his son to a Tom House pitching camp.  For those who don’t know Tom House, he’s the founder of the National Pitching Association.  Blake said that Tom House was teaching his pitchers to gear pitch movement for the last 1/3 of the distance to home-plate.

Why?

Studies show that Professional hitters lose sight of the ball within the last 5-7 feet of ball flight.  Consider the 1/3 Vision-Rule…

  • First 1/3 Distance to Plate – hitter sees the pitcher’s release point out of the corner of the front eye,
  • Middle 1/3 Distance to Plate – hitter sees the ball with both eyes, and
  • Last 1/3 Distance to Plate – hitter sees the ball with the corner of the back eye.

Late breaking movement adds to the pitcher’s deception because a hitter like Albert Pujols isn’t picking up pitch detail during the last 1/3 of ball flight.  You see, peripheral vision (out of the corner of the eye) is about picking up motion, not detail.

Understanding this is important to hitting because you’ll learn…

 

Why Breaking the One-Joint Rule Bleeds Force at Impact

And upsets vision…

CLICK HERE to watch a demonstration of the One-Joint Rule I did with Shak, a Kansas University Jay-hawks wide receiver.  Dr. Kelly Starrett from TheReadyState.com says this about the One-Joint Rule:

“The musculature [in the spine] is designed to create stiffness so that you can effectively transmit energy to the primary engines of your hips and shoulders.  If you don’t preserve trunk stiffness while moving from your hips and shoulders, you will lose power and force.    The is the basis for the one-joint rule: you should see flexion and extension movement happen at the hips and shoulders, not your spine.”

He then adds…

“Hinging at one of the segments [vertebrae in the neck]…when we put a hinge across the central nervous system, the body recognizes that as a primary insult, or threat to the body, because you’re basically guillotining or kinking the nervous system.  You’ve kinked ‘the tube’, so it [force production] just drops off.”

 

Two Most Common Head Position Mistakes & How-to Fix…

Here they are:

  1. Chin to chest (a la Andrew McCutchen), AND
  2. Ear to rear shoulder (a la Bryce Harper).

How do we fix these?

First you have to understand the spine can move Globally or Locally…CLICK HERE to watch this demonstration.

Then, the hitter must understand that their head can ONLY move like it’s rotating on a “spit” (the spine), from side to side.  Unless we’re talking about Global Extending or Flexing.  In other words, the spine can Globally Flex towards the plate – say on a low pitch – but the head MUST stay in line with the spine as it turns towards contact.

At lastly, train this head movement with variance:

  • Setup up five swing rounds,
  • On swings 1-3-5, practice keeping the head on a “spit”, turning the head to get the nose behind the barrel (the right way), and
  • On swings 2-4, practice moving the chin to chest OR ear to rear shoulder (the wrong way).

Note the difference.  I guarantee Albert Pujols makes a conscious effort to keep efficient head movement during his swing.  Can you see why pitchers armed with the 1/3 Vision-Rule, and hitters getting excessive head movement by breaking the One-Joint Rule can really affect repeatable power?

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NCAA & NCSA College Softball Recruiting: What Hitting Coaches Look For And How To Get Recruited 2023

NCAA & NCSA College Softball Recruiting: What Hitting Coaches Look For And How To Get Recruited 2023 | Pitch Recognition Training & Drills To See Ball Better

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Learn about NCAA and NCSA college softball recruiting about what hitting coaches look for and how to get recruited in 2023.  Also, discover what pitch recognition training and drills to see the softball better from a division one college softball hitting coach…

Podcast Interview With Division-1 College Softball Hitting Coach Justin Lewis

 

 

In this softball practice drills interview with Justin Lewis, Softball Hitting Coach for the Fresno State Bulldog softball team, we’ll be looking at…

  • How did you get to being the hitting coach for Fresno State softball?
  • What do you do when you come into a new program?
  • What are you looking for when recruiting hitters?
  • Do you guys do game planning?
  • Do you have your girls hunt the rise ball?
  • Softball practice drills: do you do pitch recognition stuff with the girls?
  • You’re getting ready in a short amount of time? What’s high priority right now?
  • Anything else that you’re working on?

Coach Justin and I ran into each other a few years back when he was doing his Coaching Minds podcast.  Justin is a good friend of mine, so I think you’ll enjoy learning about softball practice drills and many other things a coach has to deal with coming into a program during COVID…

Below is the audio transcription of the interview.  CLICK HERE to download the transcription PDF. This is one of 24 expert interviews included in my new Swing Smarter book.

Enjoy!

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