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
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

,

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

0 Comments/by
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…

7 Comments/by
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

,

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:

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

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?

2 Comments/by
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

,

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!

0 Comments/by
How Mike Trout Uses His Golf Footwork To Hit Homeruns Better & Farther Every Time

How Mike Trout Uses Golf Footwork To Hit Homeruns Better & Farther Every Time | Hitting Drills To Increase Bat Speed & Power

, ,

Learn how Mike Trout uses his “golf” footwork to hit home-runs better and farther every time.  Discover hitting drills to increase bat speed and power like Trout’s golf swing?

Mike Trout Hitting Golf Ball: Same As Baseball Swing?

 

 

What we go over in this Mike Trout hitting golf ball video:

Let’s get started…

 

“…rear leg is slave to middle of body” Quote

As Physicist, Electrical Engineer, and author of The Spinal Engine, Dr. Serge Gracovetsky says the arms and legs ARE NOT necessary for locomotion, they’re an enhancement.  When it comes to spinal movement, hitting is basic locomotion.  Fact.

Shifting Foot Pressure

A couple recent posts I’ve done complimenting the above video…

Very few are teaching this.  This is at the heart of a stable swing.  I see a lot of hitters over-rotating their lower half.  Back foot heel moving closer to the the plate versus staying far away.  When the hitter shifts pressure to pinky side of front foot, we should see them shift back foot pressure to the big toe side.  If instead hitter shifts back foot pressure to outside (over-rotates), then hitter is unstable with low half.

 

Catapult Loading System – BIG-3

Recent posts I’ve done on this topic…

The Big-3 are fundamental to building consistent power in hitters.  They’re a combination of using springy fascia and the spinal engine.  Responsible for 70-80% of consistent power.  Legs contribute only 20-30% to power.

2 Comments/by
Hit Consistent Line Drives How Christian Yelich Is Doing It Better Than Everyone Else

Hit Consistent Line Drives Instead Of Ground Balls & Square Up Baseball Or Softball Using Rope Bat?

, , , ,

In this Christian Yelich tongue-in-cheek swing analysis, can we discover how to hit more consistent line drives instead of ground balls and square up a baseball or softball better using a Rope Bat?

Here Are 6 Christian Yelich Swing Analysis Hitting Mechanic Strategies Helping Him Dominate (or Not? 🤔)

 

 

WARNING!  This Christian Yelich swing analysis video has been done tongue-and-cheek…sarcastic…mocking…joking…so please don’t send me HATE email because of this cheeky Christian Yelich hitting mechanics video.

Here are some of the topics we cover…

  1. Head movement,
  2. Back knee inside back foot,
  3. Over rotating back foot,
  4. Getting taller,
  5. “Launch angle” swing!
  6. Keep shoulders square (no counter rotation!!!)

By the way, at the beginning of the video, we look at the following Forbes article titled: “NL MVP Christian Yelich, Bucking The Launch Angle Trend”.

We teach our hitters to hit the ball back through the “tube”.  Imagine the pitcher throwing the ball through a tube.  Our hitters must hit the ball back through the tube.  For example is the pitch comes in hitting zone at 4-feet from the ground, then ball comes off bat four-feet off the ground.  If ball comes in two-inches off ground, then ball comes off bat two-inches off ground.

Consider this…

Major League average batted ball type percentages:

  • Line Drives = 20%
  • Ground-balls = 43%
  • Fly-balls = 38%

20% of the time the best in the world are hitting a line drive, and 80% of the time they’re miss hitting a line drive.  By hitting the ball back through the tube, the hitter matches the plane of the pitch better.  If ball is hit above or below the tube, then we use the adjustment principle paradoxical intention to get back to the tube.

12 Comments/by
Coaching Footwork Hitting Mechanics Yordan Alvarez Slow Motion Frame By Frame Swing Breakdown

Coaching Footwork Hitting Mechanics Slow Motion Frame By Frame Swing Breakdown | Teaching Perfect Youth Baseball & Softball Drills For Beginners

, , ,

Discover how to coach footwork hitting mechanics with this Yordan Alvarez slow motion frame by frame swing breakdown.  Learn how to teach perfect youth baseball and softball drills for beginners.

Yordan Alvarez Swing Analysis: Where Should Hitter “Adjustability” Be And How To Get It 

 

 

Before we get to the Yordan Alvarez swing analysis … we MUST …

This is our 300th hitting blog post!!!! 😀

Golly, time has flown since we started HittingPerformanceLab.com back in 2014.

Since 2013, we’ve had almost 20,000 coaches, instructors, and parents – just like you – invest in our books, courses, and resources.

One of the comments we sometimes run into on the socials, is that we’re not credible to talk hitting because we’re “just trying to sell something”…

What these people don’t understand about our Goodwill…

  1. This is our 300th FREE blog post on hitting!! And,
  2. As of today, we’ve given away – for FREE – 8,293+ ebook versions of our books currently being sold on Amazon (majority of those are our Amazon bestselling book The Catapult Loading System).
  3. You don’t know what you don’t know…you know?

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

And yes, I spend A LOT of time, money, and effort researching, studying, and working with hitters.  This is what I do for a living.  This isn’t a side hustle for me, like it is for some.  100% of my attention is spent researching, studying, tinkering, experimenting, testing, and talking to others who do the same…

So yes, I deserve to monetize my time, effort, and knowledge.  I don’t go to this cotton headed ninny muggin’s workplace or business, and tell their customers not to buy from them because they’re “just trying to sell something”…

And by the way, just because someone sells a hitting product, DOES NOT automatically relieve them of credibility on the subject.  Test their theories, philosophies, or products, and if they don’t work within 1-3 weeks, THEN call them a snake oil salesman.

That aside, one more thing…

Today (8/15) is my birthday!  39-years young.  For some of you, I’m still a young buck…to others, an old fart…and for those around my same age, what did you think about the Beverly Hills 90210 reboot? 😛 lol

“Okay, I get it, lots to celebrate, so what can you teach me in the above Yordan Alvarez swing analysis video?”

 

Yordan Alvarez Swing Analysis Video Includes…

This Yordan Alvarez swing analysis video explores where hitters SHOULD build “adjustability” in the swing (HINT: it’s not in the upper half or the front arm).  Here’s what we go over:

  • Sideways back foot,
  • Skipping back foot,
  • Front knee used to buy time, and
  • Back leg bend versus straightening.
4 Comments/by
STOP: Head Movement, Lunging, Drifting, & Front Shoulder From Flying Open In Baseball Swing

STOP: Head Movement, Lunging, Drifting, & Front Shoulder From Flying Open In Baseball & Softball Swing

, ,

STOP when hitting NOW: head movement, lunging at the ball, drifting in the swing, and the front shoulder from flying open in the baseball or softball swing.

Ryan Braun Swing Breakdown…

 

 

In the first installment of the Hitting Backwards: 4 Common Mistakes Hitters Make video series, featuring Ryan Braun, we’re analyzing why “Sitting Back” is so destructive to friction-free mechanics.  The WHY boils down to a strange word…

According to IdeaFit.com,

“Proprioception is the body’s ability to transmit a sense of position, analyze that information and react (consciously or unconsciously) to the stimulation with the proper movement (Houglum 2001).”

The brain does whatever it needs to balance physical movement.  Let’s discuss the following compensations caused by “Sitting Back”:

  • Eyes and head shift forward during Final Turn,
  • Lunging, and
  • Front shoulder flies open.

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

Eyes and Head to Shift Forward During Final Turn

Ryan Braun’s friction-free swing is like snapping a towel.  Throw the towel end towards the intended target, then quickly snap it back.  We’re getting eye-head movement out of the way early, then shifting our spine up and back towards the catcher –  snapping the barrel into the impact zone.  Ryan Braun does this!

Sitting back makes the hitter do the opposite…

  • Keep the hitter back till the last possible second, then
  • The hitter has to shift their weight forward to counter-balance because of proprioception, and
  • As a result, shifts the head and eyes forward.

 

Lunging

What’s your definition of lunging?  When Ryan Braun lands his front foot, his knee virtually floats above his ankle. My definition of lunging is when the front knee continues to float over or passed the ankle during the Final Turn.  It’s a very ineffective position to hit in because the head will continue moving forward.

Here’s how sitting back causes lunging:

  1. Hitter shifts weight to back leg,
  2. Reaches out softly with the stride foot, like a cat (and oftentimes too early)
  3. Waits till ball is on the way, then
  4. Because the body isn’t balanced, the brain shifts the hitter’s weight forward with no hope of getting back,
  5. So the hitter continues forward until he or she hits (or misses) something.

 

Front Shoulder Flies Open

Unlike Ryan Braun, most ‘Sit Back’ hitters:

  1. Have hand dominant swings.  Since the shoulders are closest to the hands, they have to start earlier to get the hands working.
  2. Don’t set up the natural rotation counter-rotation relationship of the pelvis and shoulders* before the front foot hits the ground.  This causes the shoulders to compensate and open prematurely.
  3. Open their hips and shoulders at the same time.  If this happens, a hitter will max out at 60-70% of their ability to transfer energy efficiently from body –> to barrel –> to ball.  This put smaller hitters at a disadvantage by dramatically decreasing power output.
  4. Have a difficult time keeping the front shoulder in with off speed and breaking balls.  It’s easy for pitchers to disrupt a Sit Back hitter’s timing.  Their brain is focused on too many things at once: timing, proprioception, and pitch speed/location (because of late head-eye movement).

*CLICK HERE for an in-depth look at spine engine mechanics according to Dr. Erik Dalton.  Read below the subtitle, “The Spring-Loaded Spiraling Spine”.

CLICK HERE for Part-2 to the Hitting Backwards video saga, where we’ll analyze Adrian Gonzalez and Common Mistake #2: loading the swing incorrectly…

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

Pitch Recognition Swing Timing Batting Drills To Keep Eye On & See Ball Better For Baseball Or Softball Hitting

Learn about these pitch recognition swing training timing batting drills to help keep your eye on and see the ball better for baseball or softball hitters.

Batting Baseball: Discover 4-Secrets To Tracking & Timing

Batting Baseball: Discover 4-Secrets To Tracking & Timing

Bob Gibson photo courtesy: BleacherReport.com

Thank you Dr. Mitchell Fung for your questions during our hitting session this week.  I also had a reader bring this up recently, so I figured the following Batting Baseball FAQ was worth doing (works for softball too):

  • Broad v. Fine Focus,
  • Fast v. Slow “Stuff”,
  • Fisherman OR Hunter? and
  • “Start slow and early”.

 

Broad v. Fine Focus

According to Wikipedia, Coach Bob Bennett retired with a 1,302-759-4 win-loss record. #26 was the first number ever retired by Fresno State. He was once president of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) as well. He was inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame and College Baseball Hall of Fame (2010).

I was lucky enough to learn batting baseball tips from Coach Bennett as a player for three years, and to have had multiple conversations over lunch, with him since.

When it comes to batting baseball vision and tracking, Coach Bennett talked about having Broad v. Fine Focus.  Broad Focus would be looking at a spot on the pitcher’s chest, overall physique, or delivery.  It’s basically a rest period for the eyes.

You see, the eyes are highly attracted to movement.  They LOVE to dart and “space out”.  And HATE to stop and stare at one object for any length of time.  Broad Focus is good until after the pitcher breaks his or her’s hands.

Then…

A hitter uses Fine Focus by shifting the eyes to the pitcher’s release point window.

 

Fast v. Slow “Stuff”

I tell my lower level batting baseball hitters to look for either fast or “slow stuff”.  95+% of the time, at the Little League level, hitters should be looking for fast stuff.  It’s rare getting a pitcher to throw slow stuff for consistent strikes.

I use the Batting Baseball Random Pitch Drill, where hitters:

  • Are to look for either fast OR slow stuff (they can’t tell me),
  • Have to stick to their “plan” through a 5-swing round (then evaluate after), and
  • Have to hold their “mechanical layers” together (whatever they’re working on).

CLICK HERE to read a Cal Poly baseball study as to why “massed practice” doesn’t develop good game hitters.  The Random Pitch Drill is geared for zero-or-one-strike counts.  Of course, with 2-strikes, the hitter has to cover ALL pitches.

 

Fisherman OR Hunter?

One of my friends and blog readers from Canada, Bob Hall, shared this batting baseball tip with me awhile back.

He took a “beast” of a hitter, his son Quin, to a showcase camp where a scout revealed a simplified hitting strategy.  You’re either a:

  1. Fisherman – throws bait out and waits for fish to bite, OR
  2. Hunter – that stalks their prey…

I tell my hitters, when the pitcher is wild, then be a fisherman.  When they’re throwing a lot of strikes, then become a hunter.  I work this in with my hitters during the Random Pitch Drill…somedays I’m wild OR am trying to bait them in biting on slow stuff (when I know they’re looking for fast), and in these cases, they become a fisherman.

 

“Start Slow & Early”

This was the “magic pill” Jose Bautista swallowed (featured commentary in the video above) before the 2010 season.  It’s a batting baseball glimpse into explaining how he changed his swing.

I explain this to my hitters in this way…imagine an Olympic archer looking to use precision to hit the bullseye of a target.  He or she uses the bow string to load that arrow with potential energy.  They start slow and early.  Once the decision is made to release all that potential energy (the arrow/bow string), BOOM!  The arrow explodes to its target.

The batting baseball hitter needs to think about preparing their swing the same way.  Take it from Joey Bats, one of the smallest big hitters in baseball!

18 Comments/by