Baseball Workouts: “I Think We’d Like to Tell Guys More Than Seeing How They’re Pitching Him…See How They’re Adjusting to Them…” – The Game Day Guy
Learn about youth “Game Day Guy”, Geoff Rottmayer’s mental approach hitting training for baseball and softball players. Discover how to get better at two strike batting and most important psychology and anxiety tips for transitioning grooved practice swings into games.
Here’s what we cover in this baseball workouts Geoff “The Game Day Guy” Rottmayer interview (you can 2X the video speed above, if wanting to watch video in half the time):
What are your 5 Baseball Workouts Pillars to Preparation Success?
Who is Geoff Rottmayer?
What are some of the two-strike mindset approach type things that you guys talk about?
Basing your plan at the plate on pitcher observations & PBR?
“Pregame data research, where you combine on and try to figure them out…”
“Every pitcher is different, his fastball, not his fastball, his curveball, not his curveball. It’s really individualized and everything. That’s the key to it individualizing as much as you can…” (we do that with Geoff’s seasonal baseball workouts…)
“I think we’d like to tell guys more than seeing how they’re pitching him…see how they’re adjusting to them…”
“There are three mindsets that we’ve been able to identify over the last five, six years, and then it’s really been an eye opener…”
What are some of the baseball workouts questions that you ask to take a player from compare-convince phase to compete-contribute?
So where can people find you as of today that want more information on seasonal baseball workouts?
I’m currently working with Geoff to bring an online video course to market that goes step-by-step through his process of helping hitters become fantastic game day hitters. I think he holds an important piece to the puzzle of transitioning grooved batting practice swings into games. CLICK HERE to download pdf of video transcription.
We’re going to be doing a launch soon of his course, and will be giving away A LOT of really good information you can use to help your hitter or hitters no matter what part of the season you find yourself in! I’m going to be giving away some baseball workouts hitting mechanics bonuses as well, so stay tuned…
Enjoy the interview I did with Coach Geoff!
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https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/baseball-workouts-e1632349553622.png281500Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-05-24 09:15:082022-05-24 14:15:23Youth Game Day Mental Approach Hitting Training For Baseball & Softball | How To Get Better At 2 Strike Batting & Most Important Psychology And Anxiety Tips
Answering Baseball Stride Drills Reader Question: “How Important Is Forward Momentum I Know We Must Go Forward But Does It Matter If Stride Is Big Or Small?”
Learn the answers to the following questions: when to use front foot hitting technique, where does the stride foot land, batting step length, and should you use no stride for baseball and softball swing?
“…Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Goldilocks. She went for a walk in the forest. Pretty soon, she came upon a house. She knocked and, when no one answered, she walked right in. At the table in the kitchen, there were three bowls of porridge. Goldilocks was hungry. She tasted the porridge from the first bowl.
“This porridge is too hot!’ she exclaimed. So, she tasted the porridge from the second bowl. ‘This porridge is too cold,’ she said. So, she tasted the last bowl of porridge. ‘Ahhh, this porridge is just right,’ she said happily and she ate it all up…”
More in a bit on how Goldilocks and the Three Bears relates to baseball stride drills, but first…
In the following post, we’re addressing the following concerns regarding baseball stride drills(also works for softball):
Stride direction and amount,
Stride type (experimenting with the ‘Float’),
Head movement from stride, and
Controlling center mass in stride.
Before getting into the how to baseball stride drills guide, I want to preface that the PURPOSE of a stride shouldn’t be power. CLICK HERE for a Zepp swing experiment that may confirm this. If it’s power you seek, then I’d advise looking at the “Build More Power” category. What purpose does a stride serve? A stride is for timing and initiating directional force. CLICK HERE for this post on that.
Let’s get started…
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.
Watch this video from Chris Welch at ZenoLink. Using data and science, he’s found reasonable markers in guiding baseball stride drills…
Here are highlights from baseball stride drills video above:
Stride length should be about 3.75-times hip width (hip-center-to-hip-center)*,
At landing, stride direction is to be closed about 10-degrees(straight forward toward pitcher is zero-degrees), and
Stride landing foot position to be about 65-degrees open (pointing perpendicular to home plate is zero-degrees, and straight at pitcher is 90-degrees).
(*Denotes 3.75-times hip-center-to-hip-center is length of stride measured from back foot to stride landing. NOT the measurement of the stride itself.)
Chris says in the video that if a hitter is under or over striding, then they’re hampering body’s ability to create torque. Stride landing MUST align ball of the foot with ball of the foot.
CLICK HERE for a post I did on how to fix “stepping in the bucket” using Reactive Neuromuscular Training (RNT). With the image to the right, it’s another one of my baseball stride drills using colored bands to fix stepping in bucket or crashing the plate. If the hitter is crashing too much with their stride, I get them to feel stepping out, and the reverse is true if they’re stepping out. I use variance to get them in the middle (blue band).
…Goldilocks Golden Rule.
Stride Type (‘Experimenting with the Float’)
For most intensive purposes, there are 3 stride types:
Leg kick – medium (Mike Trout) or large (Josh Donaldson),
Slide step – most Big League hitters use this. Aaron Judge, Robinson Cano, Joey Votto, and Andrew McCutchen just to name a few.
Toe-tap – I recommend this for my younger hitters. Troy Tulowitzki, Giancarlo Stanton, and Victor Martinez employ this.
Of course, there are variations to these, but these are the three broad categories of stride types. I call the stride the ‘float’ and ‘fall’. The ‘float’ is a momentary shifting of weight back towards the catcher before falling forward. Matt Nokes calls this the ‘Ride’ and ‘Stride’. Some hitting coaches don’t like this idea, but the reality is this is human movement. The Chinese have been practicing exactly this move in Tai Chi for thousands of years…in stepping to my right, I have to make a brief weight shift to the left first. CLICK HERE for a post analyzing this dynamic move.
I included a lot of video examples (CLICK HERE) of MLB hitters using these different stride types to help guide your baseball stride drills. In that post I concluded with this:
“When it comes to [baseball stride drills], Forward Momentum is the objective. How we get our hitters there doesn’t really matter. Just give them examples of how to accomplish more FoMo, and allow them to tinker and test until they find something they’re comfortable with doing.”
…Goldilocks Golden Rule.
Grab This FREE 'Timing Master Class' Video
Struggling to get your hitters ON-TIME in games? Discover HOW TO build effective laser-focused timing, so your hitters can be ON-TIME more often. These principles are validated by REAL science.
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There’s been few online Hitting Guru #57’s saying we want minimal to zero head movement when hitting. They claim, the more the head moves, the less your eyes see the ball. And they point to Barry Bonds as their champion. On paper, this conclusion looks great, and with Bonds as their poster child seems argument seems pretty reasonable.
However, what science says and what the top 50 hitters in the Major Leagues are doing reveals something completely different. The opposite actually. Listen, I agree minimal to zero head movement when hitter’s stride foot lands. And if baseball stride drills are done correctly, this should be a natural result. But I don’t agree with minimal to zero head movement GETTING TO stride landing – BEFORE the turn starts.
The biggest bomb NUKING minimal to zero head movement argument, is this 2013 article by Dan Farnsworth at FanGraphs.com titled, “Breaking Down the Swing: Best Hitters of 2012“. Farnsworth compiled a list of the top 50 hitters from the 2012 season according to Fangraph’s batting component of WAR(this is a big deal metric).
He looked at side views of each of these hitters from highlights of the 2012 season, in which each player hit a home-run. Farnsworth says the main complaint coaches have with early head movement, is that moving the head forward “speeds up the ball”. This may be true, however during the stride the hitter hasn’t made a definitive decision to swing yet. In the Head Movement piece of the article, Farnsworth concludes:
“Next to no relationship here. I think this one can be considered dead, simply based on the fact that all of them moved forward to some degree.”
Did you catch that?! Farnsworth revealed in his research of top-50 hitters in 2012, that ALL moved their head forward to some degree. You see, head movement is inevitable in ALL dynamic movement. Early is okay, late is not. Don’t sit there and point to hitting outliers like Barry Bonds, and tell me the top-50 hitters of 2012 all had it wrong. It was true then as it is now.
Besides, did you know fresh out of the box, humans come with “video stabilizer” eye software? Ask an ophthalmologist. In addition, your knees, ankles (Achilles tendon), and hip joints act as shock absorbers too. If we start our hitters in an athletic position, and most importantly, they land in one, then the hitter will be fully optimized for minimizing the ball “speeding up”.
Not too much, not too little, just right…Goldilocks Golden Rule.
And last but not least…
Controlling Center of Mass in the Stride
Center of Mass (COM) in the human body is located at the belly button. This was established in the womb. The umbilical cord is the center of an unborn child’s universe. I say this to demonstrate the importance of COM in controlling human movement.
Now, we don’t want baseball stride drills to promote too large or too small of a stride. Remember? Goldilocks Golden Rule. Chris Welch from Zenolink said the stride should be about 3.75 times hip-center-to-hip-center, and aligned are back ball of the foot to front ball of the foot at stride landing. How do we teach this though? In this post I received the following question from one of my readers…
“One specific issue I see in a lot of my players is timing and getting over the front knee too far at contact. What are some good tee drills for staying back and any idea how I can get them to feel it when done correctly.”
WHY we separate PROCESS from PERFORMANCE with hitters learning something new,
How it takes time to change ineffective movement momentum into effective, and…
Training 4-5 days per week, for AT LEAST 5-mins each day.
And remember the …Goldilocks Golden Rule.
Grab This FREE 'Timing Master Class' Video
Struggling to get your hitters ON-TIME in games? Discover HOW TO build effective laser-focused timing, so your hitters can be ON-TIME more often. These principles are validated by REAL science.
Click the button below to access the FREE video that has been downloaded over 6K times!
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/step-in-bucket-setup.png435450Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-05-18 09:15:362022-05-19 05:06:11When To Use Front Foot Hitting Technique, Where Does Stride Foot Land, Batting Step Length, & Should You No Stride For Baseball And Softball Swing?
Learn a solid youth baseball coaching 101 philosophy, 18 mistakes to avoid, and how to coach your son or daughter. These principles work for 8u, 10u, 12u, middle and high school players. They also work for softball players…
Coaching Kids Reader Question: “How do you get your own kid to listen/trust your advice as a coach and not as a parent?”
My son Noah and daughter Gracen, who were 4yo and 1yo respectively, at the time of this photo.
Be comforted to know that most parents coaching kids I’ve dealt with have a “coaching kids” challenge – especially when it’s their own! And I’m preparing to have the same challenge with mine…already have coaches lined up who will be working with them when the time comes 😉
Let me start off by saying, this post IS NOT telling you how to raise your kids. That’s not my place. I’m offering advice on what works for me. In addition, I’m not a child psychologist, or any other type of professional dealing in kid behavior. Just like with everything on this blog, try it out for yourself, if it doesn’t work, then toss it. Always be testing.
FYI, I may use the words “coach” or “coaching”, where you could also use the word “discipline” or “parent” or “parenting”.
That being said…
Over the years, I’ve received great advice from the parents of my hitters, before I had kids, and now. When it comes to coaching kids, below is me throwing my brain up on your tech device screen!
In this post I’ll share:
The 30,000-foot view tips to keep “seasons of life” into perspective,
18 ways to get your own kid to listen/trust your advice as a coach and not as a parent, and
Some high priority books and resources to read on the subject…
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.
30,000-foot View Tips to Keep “Seasons of Life” into Perspective
When it comes to coaching kids, one thing to keep in mind from a 30,000-foot view…
I did a 6-week Men’s Fraternity class at my church a few years back. The purpose of the class was to train and equip “Godly fathers”. One thing that stuck out for me at the time, was that your perspective as a dad (or mom) MUST change with the season of life. What does that look like?
Up to 12-years-old, parents are seen as coaches. Most kids in this age range are less resistant to a parent barking orders.
During the psychological warfare teenage years, 13-years-old to college, parents are to be seen as a “listening” counselor. God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason – to listen twice as much as we talk 😛 And,
The years following college, young adults getting into their professional lives, parents move into the “colleague” season of life. New families, babies, etc.
Another great piece of coaching kids advice for those parents who wear both the “coach” and “parent” hat, was to have the ability to be coach on the field, but mom/dad in the car and away from the field.
One more fantastic piece of advice I received from a coach at Fresno State my Freshman year, at a time when I was so frustrated the coaches were tweaking every mechanical movement I did on the field (at least that’s how it felt to me anyway):
“You don’t need to worry when we’re coaching you. You need to worry when we aren’t. It means we’ve given up on you.“
Powerful. That message changed my perspective on coaching the rest of my career at Fresno State! Look, coaching kids is love. Make your kids aware of that.
18 Ways to get your own kid to Listen/Trust your Advice as a Coach and not as a Parent
I want to preface this section with the fact, I haven’t mastered any of the following points. That’s right, still working on them. And I welcome the fear that this process will be a journey, and not a destination. I’m far from being perfect. I heard this expert’s advice on one of my wife’s favorite dating shows Love at First Sight:
“If you want to find a perfect person, then you have to be perfect yourself.” One of the frustrated men who got married on the show responded with, “But I’m not perfect”, and the expert added, “Then it looks like you get the message.” (liiight bulb)
We don’t have to be perfect as parents, we just have to be willing to learn, make mistakes, adapt, and try again. The following list of 18 tips for coaching kids will help (especially when the kids are your own!)…
Don’t overdo discipline. Making mountains out of mole hills – pick your battles. Being consistent with rules and consequences is HUGE. Remember Goldilocks Golden Rule…too many rules, and they’ll rebel later. Little to no rules, and they’ll walk all over you and everyone else. Find the sweet spot. Without consistent rules and consequences, they won’t build the necessary mental muscles to develop self-discipline when they’re adults.
Avoid overuse and burnout – playing multiple sports or being involved in multiple movement activities is key. Variety is fun to kids, and the spice of their life. The same thing over and over can become boring, which leads to burnout. Bodies engaged in a variety of movements is a healthy body. Say no to Sport Specialization early on.
Make sure they’re “listening” (the VAK Model) – did you know that in less than 5-minutes, you can get a ballpark of a player’s learning style by asking them a few questions, and watching for where their eyes go? Up to left or right – visual learner. Side to side – auditory learner. Down to left or right, and straight ahead – kinesthetic learner (feel). Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) calls this the VAK Model. This comes in handy when coaching a child, they don’t look at you, and you tell them, “Look at me when I’m talking to you”…they may primarily be an auditory learner, NOT visual.
Be careful tone of voice – my 5yo son is very sensitive to tone of voice (auditory learner), so I have to be careful when coaching him. I must have good reason to raise my voice during times of correction with him. Also, tempo of words are important when raising the voice or not. You want to strive for keeping the voice under control even when raising it.
Don’t question by entrapment – asking leading questions in order to trap them isn’t very effective. It’s condescending actually. I’m a work in progress on this one. Putting kids through an interrogation is a terrible idea, especially if you don’t want resentment later. The key is coming off with genuine curiosity as to why they made the mistake they did. Remember, they’re not perfect, neither are you. Easy on paper, hard to apply.
Caution them once, then let them make the mistake(providing mistake doesn’t do extreme physical or mental harm) – ever tell your kid to not do something over and over and over and over? Lessons are more effective when we get ‘hands on’ experience learning them ourselves.
Praise them whenever they do something you want them to do – “You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar”. Behavioral conditioning is much more effective when rewarding for positive things, rather than punishing for the negative (i.e. taking things away). See Karen Pryor’s book Don’t Shoot The Dog in the resources below. I take my 5yo to 7-Eleven to get his favorite candy RIGHT after school. We also award stickers for doing certain things like listening the first time, cleaning up messes at home, and being patient with his little sister when she’s hitting him! 10 stickers earn him a toy in the $10-20 range.
Ask their advice, put yourself in a learning mode – genuine curiosity. Be honest, you LOVE when others ask for your advice, and seem genuinely interested in what you have to say. Our kids love giving THEIR advice. Be interested in their thought process. I find it fascinating how clever they are at their age. Sometimes I underestimate them, and they surprise me.
Patience – using guided meditation apps like Headspace or Calm can be a real help with this. The book resources below will help too. Extreme patience in infectious. Kids will model their parents. If you’re an angry person, then chances are high your kids will be too.
Understand what their big WHY is – what inspires them? What motivates them? Are they looking for attention (need significance), love (craving connection), routine (are they overwhelmed), or variety (are they bored)? Knowing what’s driving their bad or good behavior can be a big help in prevention or promotion in the future.
Show them the book, video, etc. you’re getting your info from – show them the hitting information you’re teaching them isn’t just “your” opinion. Show them the science, experimentation, case studies, etc. Give them proof. Kids are pretty intuitive. They seem to know when something has legs or when it doesn’t. Give them proof. Check out this post on How to Get Hitters to Buy Into the System.
Give them options to “experiment” with – instead of saying, “Do it this way, not that way”. Give them options. You like options, don’t you? Remember, these human movement principles are like bumpers in the gutter lanes of a bowling alley. I don’t care what path the ball rolls down the lane, just as long as it stays between the bumpers. A hitter’s stride type (aka “Float”) doesn’t matter, just as long as there is one. Let them test, and choose which they feel more comfortable with. Check out this post on Baseball Stride Drills: A How To Guide
Show them high level movement examples – humans learn best by modeling. Before there were “hitting coaches” – yes, there was such a time – hitters figured it out by watching other high level hitters. And yes, it’s okay when coaching kids, to teach them high level movements. Movement is movement. Just like you wouldn’t teach an 8yo that 2 + 2 = 5 because they’re too young to learn the truth…you wouldn’t do the same with movement.
Fun – coaching kids MUST be fun. I love positively teasing the kids. I like making things up to see if they’re listening, “Where’s the keys to the batter’s box?”, “Do you know where the box of curve balls is?”“After running past third base, you run to FOURTH base…” etc. Keep it light, and the drills fun. Check out this post on: “TBall Drills: How To Coach Tee Ball Without Going Insane“ that may be of interest to those frustrated with coaching younger athletes.
Keep expectations reasonable – “reasonable” doesn’t mean below their current ability level. The expectations will depend on the age group. Operating at or slightly above skill level will help players grow. Learn to manage player frustration, know when to regress or progress a drill.
Break things into small bites – make small circles at first. The accumulation of many small circles build into a BIG circle snowball. Focus on one movement principle at a time for a week or month, depending on the age and ability level. Patience is your friend regardless of what decision the coach whose focus is on winning may be.
Reward effort not talent – reward effort. Reward process not performance. “Good job!”, “You’re so smart”, and “You’re so talented” are not helpful pieces of feedback. Coaching kids in character is best. Remember, kids MUST learn life lessons through sports, not the other way around.
Pat & Pop Method or the compliment sandwich – give the hitter 1-2 things you really like about their swing (the “Pat” on the back), before giving them the constructive criticism (the “Pop” in the mouth). Or compliment-criticize-compliment sandwich. You don’t like to be constantly criticized, and neither do they. Teenagers often call this nagging. Find the good before finding what needs to be corrected.
Coaching Kids Books & Resources
CLICK HERE for a post by the Positive Coaching Alliance titled, “7 Must-Read Books Of All Genres For Parents”. Here are the books mentioned in that post, and a few others helping solve the question we started off with in this post:
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/20170113_131119.jpeg281500Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-05-18 09:00:572023-03-02 22:27:55Youth Baseball Coaching 101 Philosophy, 18 Mistakes To Avoid, & How To Coach Your Son | 8u, 10u, 12u, Middle & High School Cheat Sheet 2022
SwingAway Baseball Swing Trainer: How-To Build A Swing You Can Be Proud Of…
This article presents a general framework to conduct 8th grade science fair project hitting experiment ideas for baseball and softball players. Sweet spot swing experiment topics should include Physics articles, books, facts, and questions. Using the scientific method is key…
I’ve wanted to do a “how-to experiment” post for a long time. But in the past, technology hadn’t quite caught up,
SwingAway Trainer: Pro Baseball Traveler
…and NOW it has!
Mark Twain once said:
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
I want:
…To lay out the landscape, in this Baseball Swing Trainer post, about using the SwingAway for conducting hitting experiments,
…This article to empower you to take up arms with me, and turn conventional hitting wisdom on its stubborn little head, and
…To inspire you to use modern technology to build a swing we ALL can be proud of.
I’m embarrassed to share the following story…
I did my first hitting experiment in the sixth grade with a buddy, for a school project.
My friend and I ran an experiment to see if a wood or aluminum bat could hit the ball farther.
One day after school, we pitched to each other at the Little League diamond we played our games at. We used two aluminum Easton baseball bats and a Ken Griffey Jr. signature Louisville Slugger woody. One aluminum bat was 32-inches and 24-ounces, and the other was 31-inches and 23-ounces. And I can’t remember what the woody measurements were, but it was comparable.
I think we might have hit about 50 balls with each bat (150 balls total) and get this…measured the distance with our feet! 😀 lol
Based on our results, guess which bat hit the ball the farthest? Wood or aluminum? The wood bat!!! Waaa??
Well, it was only because we weren’t being very scientific with our scientific experiment. One of the big reasons we didn’t get a good grade on the project was because we DID NOT isolate the variables…
We threw LIVE batting practice to each other. We should have used a baseball hitting trainer like a batting tee or SwingAway (wasn’t around at the time).
We both took turns hitting, and didn’t separate our individual batted ball distances.
We used different sized bats.
We measured using our own feet…I was a men’s 8/9 at the time, and my buddy was an 11. We should’ve used a rolling tape measure.
We only took a small data sample size. We should’ve hit 100 balls with the wood bat, and then 100 with aluminum. AND we should have only used one of the aluminum bats (preferably the one closest in size and weight to the woody). So 400 swings total (200 swings for me, 200 for my friend). Then compared apples to apples.
Remember, failure is only a detour, not a dead end 😉
The good news is,
You don’t have to be a scientist to run a hitting experiment.
What follows is the exact formula I use now, to run my hitting experiments using the SwingAway baseball swing trainer. My hopes is that you pick up arms, and join me in the fight…
The Definitive Guide to Conducting a Baseball Swing Trainer Experiment
Up until now, here are SIX hitting experiments I’ve run:
You can read the full list at the above swing experiment links. But here are a couple pieces of equipment that will have a drastic effect on bean counting and saving time doing the experiment itself…
Great tool for collecting data. It’s not perfect, but all we need is an apples to apples comparison. Unfortunately, the Zepp app DOES NOT allow you to separate experiment swings from recreational ones. You have to delete ALL swings before doing an experiment, unless you want to do the bean counting yourself.
You’ll also need to create two email accounts with Zepp to separate the two experiment tests. Zepp allows you to “Add a Hitter” in one account, but it doesn’t allow you to separate that data from other hitters or swings and average the data out.
SwingAway Baseball Swing Trainer
I just started using a SwingAway for my swing experiments. I used to hit the ball off an ATEC Tuffy Batting Tee, but it was taking me 2 1/2 to 3 hours to run my experiments. Fatigue could set in and skew the results. Some experiments where you’re looking at ball flight (like Bent Back Knee experiment above) will most definitely need to be done off a batting tee.
Using the SwingAway baseball swing trainer took me only 1 1/2 hours! NO need for:
Ball cleanup,
Ball setup, or
Waiting more than a few seconds for the ball to return to its stationary position.
This saved me a ton of time. All you need is a 10 X 10 space to conduct your SwingAway baseball swing trainer experiment.
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Limit Variables – The main objective of a baseball swing trainer hitting Experiment, is to isolate what you’re trying to test. Like my sixth grade experiment from earlier, there were too many variables that we didn’t control.
Priming the Pump – I always start an experiment by warming up my body with a pre-practice routine, similar to this Dr. Stanley Beekman’s post. You don’t have to do all included exercises, so pick about eight of them. I’ll also take about 10-15 swings focusing on the specific mechanic I’m going to be testing that day. For example, if I was testing showing the pitcher my numbers versus not, then I’d do 10-15 swings both ways, so 20-30 swings total before officially starting the experiment. We prime the pump so nobody can see, “Well, your numbers sucked in the beginning because you weren’t warmed up.”
Counter-Balancing – The two tests in the experiment should be counterbalanced. Which consisted of eight blocks of 25-swings done in the following order ABBA BAAB. Say “showing the numbers” was letter ‘A’, and “not showing the numbers” was letter ‘B’. 200 total swings are to be completed in the experiment, 100 per test. Counter-balancing helps remove the “getting tired” and “not being warmed” up factors.
More Data Points – I take at least 100 swings for both tests in the experiment, so 200 swings total (not counting warm-up swings). So, taking the “showing numbers” as an example, I’d take 100 swings showing my numbers, and then take another 100 swings not showing my numbers. The Zepp App is a useful technology, but isn’t super accurate. But the more data you collect, the closer to the “real” numbers you’ll get.
Break the Swing Apart – If you aren’t confident that you can repeat a specific mechanic consistently for 100 swings, then break the swing apart, like I talk about in this YouTube video. I did this in the showing the numbers experiment above.
Collect Ball Flight Data (optional) – for some mechanics, like testing the back leg angle during the turn experiment, it’s critical to collect ball flight data on the Zepp app. Zepp allows you to manually input where you hit the ball after each swing. Testing the grip on the bat would be another example. Also, adding Ball Exit Speed readings could enhance the baseball swing trainer experiment, Bushnell Velocity Radar Gun (about $80), or Stalker Radar Gun ($500+). ESPN’s HitTrackerOnline.com uses the latter in all MLB ballparks. Just remember, accuracy isn’t as important as an apples to apples comparison.
Recovery – I usually will give my body about 30-minutes rest between the first 100 swing test and the second. I now use supplement timing like Zach Calhoon maps out in these posts. I sip on Zach’s “concoction” throughout the full experiment to keep my muscles fueled. I then take Vitamin C and E capsules afterward to help with soreness.
Brainstorming Experiments – Don’t have any ideas on what to test? I did the heavy lifting for you. And by no means is this an exhaustive list of possible experiments. CLICK HERE for my brainstormed list.
Take Notes – make note of my “notes” in the above experiments. Basically, the notes section are things that you noticed while doing the tests that may not be apparent to the person reading about the experiment.
In Conclusion…
In this baseball swing trainer post about using the SwingAway for hitting experiments, I wanted to lay out the landscape and empower you to help me take up arms. I want to turn conventional hitting wisdom on its head, and use modern baseball swing trainer technology to build a swing we ALL can be proud of.
Let’s revisit the Mark Twain quote from earlier:
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
I need your help and can’t fight this fight alone. I want you to take action…
My challenge to you is let’s band together and conduct 30 Experiments in the next 30 days. If all of us do at least one swing experiment, then we should be able to knock this goal out by July 15th.
Just post your baseball/softball hitting experiment results below in the comments section. Reply with:
What experiment you ran (from the brainstorm list above)?
How many swings per test (i.e. 100/100), and what order did you do the test?
What bat did you use (length, weight, and wood/aluminum)
Hit off tee or Swingaway baseball swing trainer?
What metric changes were significant (bat speed/hand speed/bat vertical angle at impact/attack angle/ball flight/ball exit speed)?
Thanks in advance for your baseball swing trainer experiment comments!
Grab 'Finger Pressure' Video
Frustrated with fixing BAT DRAG? Beat it!
Swing Study reveals how majority of hitters are correcting 'racing back elbow' bat drag within 1-2 weeks WITHOUT overhauling swing mechanics OR buying fancy and expensive hitting aids.
Click button below to access FREE video that has been downloaded over 20K times!
Podcast interview with Mike Gillen. Private pitching velocity training and accuracy development program baseball coaching lessons for youth and beginners in Fresno, CA. We chat about baseball pitching drills, equipment, and balance in this interview.
Baseball Pitching Training Interview: Top Two Mistakes That Coaches Are Making in Baseball Pitching Training?
Here’s what we cover in this baseball pitching training interview with my pitching coach Michael Gillen from PitcherPerfectPro.com: (about 29-minute read time)
Give us a little look at your baseball pitching training setup over there.
Who you are, the kind of your mentors on the pitching side, who guides you and your training?
Top two mistakes that either pitchers or coaches are making in teaching pitching?
What do you feel with the whole Tommy John stuff? What do you feel like the top two issues that are leading to that?
When reading about spinal engine springy fascia, were you were able to apply those principles to pitching?
What are those two baseball pitching training things that you go, alright, we need to fix those right away?
Like hitting, is there such thing as over-rotating when pitching?
Tell people where your website is, your social media, any kind of deals or what kind of deals that you do, obviously, locally, right? But are you doing some online lessons? Let people know that kind of stuff.
As usual, I’ve transcribed the baseball pitching training interview for your convenience with handy-dandy little video timestamps. Enjoy the conversation with my favorite pitching coach, Mike Gillen, as we discuss baseball pitching training…
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.
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/baseball-pitching-training-e1627509055714.png281500Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-05-10 09:00:312022-12-13 23:56:36Private Pitching Velocity Training & Accuracy Development Program Baseball Coaching Lessons For Youth And Beginners In Fresno, CA | Drills, Equipment, & Balance
Little Known Ways To Fix Hitter Closing Eyes During Swing
Discover batting drills to STOP hitters from pulling their head position off the baseball or softball. Works for kiddos aged 10 year old on down. Fix closing eyes, front shoulder from flying open, and swinging too early. First and foremost, make sure to address the fear of getting hit by the ball before trying any of these drills.
The above video, and following copy, gives our advice on a comment from one of our readers:
“I have a girl that closes her eyes when she is about to hit the ball?”
…we’ll go over…
What we can learn from Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie Terminator,
Swinging across face,
Hitting a heavy bag,
Wiffle ball bats and balls,
Hammers, nails, and clapping, and
Repetition.
Hey what’s going on? It is Joey Myers from ‘Hitting Performance Lab’ again. In this video, I’m going to answer another reader question. This is actually an interesting one, and it’s one that I actually don’t see in lot of hitters, but I do occasionally see it. The reader comment we give advice on is: “I have a girl that closes her eyes when she is about to hit the ball”.
Now obviously, vision is a big part of this game – tracking the ball is a big part of baseball and softball. So, that would be something that we want to try and see if we can train into our swings. The moral of the story is repetition. It just takes repetition. A lot of times the hitters that don’t take a lot of swings, on their own at home or whatever, they tend to kind of do this.
What we can Learn from Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Movie Terminator
So, we have to get them the right repetitions. I want to start off with just a quick story on Arnold Schwarzenegger in his book, his autobiography‘Total Recall’, talked about a time when he was talking to I think was James Cameron, whoever the producer was, or I think it was director of ‘The Terminator’. The first one, and it was supposed to cast Arnold, this is after he got off the movieConan the Barbarian, did pretty well with that. Started to become a rising star, and they were gonna cast Arnold as John Connor in Terminator 1, the guy in the future that comes back to try and stop the machines from taking over the world.
So, Arnold Schwarzenegger is supposed to be the good guy, and OJ Simpson ironically was supposed to be the bad guy. He was going to be the Machine. Arnold was sitting there at lunch with James Cameron, whoever the director was going to be, and they were talking. Arnold was saying “Hey, The Terminator is a machine, so tell OJ, coach him that when he shoots a gun or pulls a trigger or whatever loud sounds, his eyes can’t blink, he can’t blink. For those of you out there who haven’t read ‘Total Recall’ maybe don’t know that Arnold was actually in the Austrian army when he was younger, drove tank. He’s very versed, and has been around a lot of guns being shot off, cannons going off, and different things like that.
So, he’s giving James Cameron all these tips to give to OJ, and James Cameron goes “you know what, why don’t you be the Terminator, you know so much about being a machine”. Arnold was like “No, no, no”. He didn’t want to do it because he didn’t want to get typecast as the bad guy. But actually, hindsight being fifty-fifty, that was actually a good move by him. That’s what he ended up doing.
The idea of blinking, right. You can see it encapsulated in that Arnold Schwarzenegger story where you got a guy like OJ, who’s never been around that before, shooting guns and all this at least not till later right. You have Arnold who was trained in the Austrian military. So, you have Arnold who put in the repetition, OJ did not. This is why repetition is kind of the underbelly of a lot of the things that we’ll talk about in this video.
Swinging Across the Face
So, one of the first things though that could be an issue, and I’ve seen in local or some of my online hitters on video, is when I see the eyes closing, I also see the head turning. What Matt Notes calls ‘Chasing your face’, like there are swings chasing their face or pulling their head off the ball, pulling their head out. What they have to make sure that they’re doing first, because it doesn’t matter if they are closing their eyes, turning their head this way, is just as bad as closing their eyes. If you fix the eyes from closing at impact and major leaguers probably do this too, I don’t know if all of them, maybe they all keep their eyes open at impact. But you’re gonna see some blinking going on, but not right before impact. You’re not going to see this.
But you’ve got to make sure you should correct the head, so we want to make sure we’re swinging across our face. It’s not head pointing at the plate, swinging across our face like say Nolan Arenado. Our head actually, it’s gonna be somewhere, our nose and chin, it’s gonna be somewhere out in front of impact. We cannot see impact with the center part of our vision, we see it out of the corner of our eye. We want the head to be somewhere out in front of impact, out in front of the plate. Then we want them to swing across their face, not chase their face. So, that’s number one, and I’ll have a video link, or a link to another blog post where I talk about swinging across your face. Again, Matt Notes came up with that.
If you’re watching this on YouTube, just go down to the About section, click the link, go to the regular post, and the link should be in there. ‘Swinging across your face’. So, that’s number one…
Hitting a Heavy Bag
Also, you can get good practice about hitting something with the bat, again think Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austrian army, shooting a lot of guns. By hitting a heavy bag with a bat or with your fists, then you get used to trying to see the bat or fist hit the bag. Getting used to that and trying to keep the eyes open while doing it. Again, repetition is key, and it’s not hundreds of swings a day. It’s what I tell my hitters, four days a week, five minutes each day, that’s all I tell them.
So, if you just worked on this, if this was a big issue, eyes are closing at impact and before impact, then I would say probably within two to three weeks, you’re gonna see a major change in your softball player, your baseball player’s swing. So, hitting the heavy bag is number one, you don’t have to worry about hitting the ball, about missing it, it’s actually a object that’s there, it’s big, they know they’re gonna hit it. So, they can practice with the eyes being open at impact.
Wiffle ball bats and balls
The other thing is Wiffle balls and bats. Wiffle balls and bats are light, it’s meant to be light, it’s not gonna hurt them, they’re not gonna feel a lot of recoil from the ball off the bat. So, there’s really nothing to be afraid of if they get hit by the Wiffle ball, it doesn’t really hurt that bad, hopefully you’re not chucking it at them. Because it can hurt, but if you’re not chucking it at them, if they’re having a hard time with blinking their eyes, then you want to be kind and soft with the training at the beginning.
So, Wiffle balls and bats, get them used to, try to get them to, keep their eyes open. They don’t have to necessarily need to see the ball hit the bat, but they have to keep their eyes open at impact when the wiffle bat and the ball collide.
So, that’s another way that you can spend your four days a week, five minutes each day.
Hammers, Nails, and Clapping
The other thing is pretty simple, if you have a tool shed at your house or in the garage…maybe you’re big into making stuff, carpentry and you have hammers and nails, best to do this. Because almost similar to hitting, the only thing is you’re hitting a stationary object but you’re taking the hammer, and you’re trying to pound that nail, just put nails out in a stump, if you got an old stump just like the old game who could sink the nail with one hit. Where you’re knocking the nail in, and have her or him, the hitter, practice hitting that nail and keeping their eyes open, and trying to see the contact point of the hammer, the head of the hammer, and the head of the nail.
Another way that you can do that, ‘Clapping’ is another way. So clapping, try to keep your eyes open as you are clapping instead of blinking the eyes. Clap until they can do it, and have their eyes open during that motion. So, that’s another way to help kind of condition it.
Repetition
But again, it’s all about repetition. Repetition is with all this stuff, again if you look at OJ in Terminator vs Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Terminator role. Arnold was better conditioned behaviorally to be able to keep his eyes open while firing a weapon, and act like an actual machine.
I hope this answered your question: “I have a girl that closes her eyes, when she is about to hit the ball”. Make sure that we’re swinging smarter by moving better, and before I let you go…
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https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/closing-eyes-when-swinging-e1573711657346.png260500Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-04-25 09:00:222022-04-25 17:23:11Batting Drills To STOP Pulling Head Position Off Baseball Or Softball For 10 Year Olds | Fix Closing Eyes, Front Shoulder From Flying Open, & Swinging Too Early
Discover some of the best youth batting stance drills for baseball, fastpitch softball, and slowpitch softball. In the video below, Josh Donaldson addresses proper swing hitting mechanics such as power, elbow up or down, closed stances, and hitting lefty or righty.
13 Josh Donaldson Gold Nuggets: You Didn’t Have To Be A Professional, To Teach High Level Baseball Batting Stance & Hitting Techniques
(I apologize in advance…PLEASE set aside about 14 minutes of reading time for the following baseball batting stance & hitting techniques post. It’s a bit of an emotional RANT 😉
Josh Donaldson talks hitting with Mark DeRosa on MLB Network. Photo courtesy: MLB.com
We FINALLY have validation!!! To have 2015 AL MVP Josh Donaldson affirm A LOT of what we teach here at HPL! Some of you may have seen the above video already. If you HAVE NOT seen it, then please watch.
In the following baseball batting stance & hitting techniques post, I go into more depth about the 13 talking points Josh Donaldson mentions about the “NEW science of hitting”, beginning where Ted Williams left off.
I want to address the few ex-Pro and MLB player TROLLS that wrongly tear myself, my colleagues, and my readers down on the socials for bringing up things Josh Donaldson addresses in the above video.
Without further adieu, from my baseball batting stance & hitting techniques video notes…
Note #1: Back knee inside foot or weight inside back knee?
Is Buster Posey’s back knee being prematurely shifted inside his foot in the ‘Float’? Photo courtesy: InWriteField.com
This was a question from Mark DeRosa…
Josh Donaldson responds that he focuses his weight on his back heel and back hip.
I HATE when hitting instructors PREMATURELY force the back knee of every hitter they instruct, inside the foot (even in the stance).
There are phases to the swing, and Donaldson is talking about what my hitters refer to as the ‘Float & Fall’…
Matt Nokes calls it the ‘Ride & Stride’.
During the ‘Float’ or ‘Ride’, the hitter DOES NOT have to prematurely push their back knee inside the back foot…or focus the weight on the inside of the back knee.
CLICK HERE for a baseball batting stance & hitting techniques post I did on this, dealing with a Twitter Troll.
NEWS FLASH…
Self proclaimed elite hitting instruction doesn’t rest on taking a ton of ‘quality hacks in the cage’ and/or debating over millions of hours of video analysis footage of ‘only the best hitters’.
WTF does ‘quality hacks’ and ‘only the best hitters’ mean!!!!!?
Are we suppose to take your word for it that you know what you’re doing?!
Nah.
I’d rather watch The Kardashians.
Okay, back to focusing on where the weight is in the Float…
Prematurely forcing weight on the inside of a ‘dumb joint’, like the knee, can really put undo stress on the ligament material.
Coaches…please DO NOT wear holes in your players’ knees. This is really important for those FP softball hitting coaches.
And on that note,
FP softball coaches, CLICK HERE for a great BreakingMuscle.com post titled, “Women: Protect Your Knees With the Sprinter Stance Squat”.
Note #2: Not thinking about hands going towards the baseball
Derek Jeter is one of the few having a lengthy career with an extreme handsy approach. Not too many hitters could get away with how he did what he did. Photo courtesy: BaseballByTheYard.com
I totally agree!
ALL the following baseball batting stance & hitting techniques coaching cues are destructive for youth swings:
Hands to the ball
Knob to the ball
Be short to the ball
Hands inside the ball
Yes! Especially the last one…
WHY?
Like the others, it gets the hitter thinking about doing something with the path of their hands.
Some of you use this cue when instructing hitters, and may get occasional positive results…
However,
Any coaching cue that requires an extensive explanation or doesn’t get predictably positive outcomes, is INEFFECTIVE.
I’m looking for cues that with a minimal number of words, gets my hitter to do what I want them to do, even if the concept is new to them…over and over.
Note #3: When Josh Donaldson begins his fall forward, that’s when he goes into loading his upper half (his ‘coil’)
Andrew McCutchen ‘showing his numbers’ while his lower half is beginning to turn counter-clockwise. Photo courtesy: MLB.com
YESSSSS!!
I get asked this baseball batting stance & hitting techniques question quite a bit…when does the ‘load’ start?
And this depends on your definition of a load. But in Donaldson’s context…
The timing of Donaldson’s load, or ‘coil’, isn’t necessarily the rule,
It’s one of three options…
Option #1: Some hitters start in the ‘coiled’ position (highly recommended for younger hitters):
Yoenis Cespedes,
Hunter Pence, and
Ben Zobrist (from the left side)…
Option #2: Some hitters move into the ‘coiled’ position similar to Donaldson:
Bautista,
Cano, and
McCutchen…
Option #3: Some hitters move into the ‘coiled’ position later, like Dustin Pedroia.
The objective is that at landing, or what Josh Donaldson refers to as ‘heel plant’, the hitter is in this ‘coiled’ position.
And it requires the lower half to be open at landing (pelvis on down), and the upper half (above pelvis), to be closed.
Additionally, I LOVE Jose Bautista’s timing cue of loading ‘slow and early’ (CLICK HERE for a post I did on that).
More on the lower half landing open a bit later…
Grab 'Finger Pressure' Video
Frustrated with fixing BAT DRAG? Beat it!
Swing Study reveals how majority of hitters are correcting 'racing back elbow' bat drag within 1-2 weeks WITHOUT overhauling swing mechanics OR buying fancy and expensive hitting aids.
Click button below to access FREE video that has been downloaded over 20K times!
Note #4: Creating bat speed with shoulders, NOT hands (effortless bat speed)
Josh Donaldson’s swing illustrating the spinal engine and Springy ‘X’ Pattern discussed in the next section. Photo courtesy: PicPlayHost
This is VERY important…
WHY?
Because EVERY human movement is driven by the spinal engine…pelvis-spine-shoulders.
According to Dr. Serge Gracovetsky in his book The Spinal Engine, the spinal engine can move in a vacuum.
However, it’s the relationship between arms, legs, and Gravitational Forces that amplify how explosive an athlete can be.
Quite a few hitting instructors talk about hip thrust or loading and exploding the hips.
But what are the shoulder’s function in all this?
Being passive?
I don’t think so.
Some would say a right handed hitter’s front shoulder at landing should be pointing at the pitcher.
This is an ineffective hitting mechanic, shown in this Zepp swing experiment (CLICK HERE) where I observed an average 6-mph boost in Bat Speed at Impact showing my numbers to the pitcher versus pointing the front shoulder at the pitcher (not showing numbers), over 200 swings.
Don’t get me wrong, YES, the pelvis does ‘lead the way’ as Ted Williams said in The Science of Hitting.
But it plays a much smaller role than coaches believe.
Think about how we walk…
If I told you to fire your hips as you walked, what do you think your shoulders would do?
They’d FIRE also!
How about if I told you to fire your hips while walking, but don’t let your shoulders move…
Would that feel awkward?
Dr. Serge Gracovetsky talks about the coupled motion of the spine…
Meaning, while the hips rotate when we walk (albeit small to the naked eye), the shoulders counter-rotate the pelvis.
This is why your right arm and left leg swing forward at the same time.
To have effortless bat speed, like Josh Donaldson says, you MUST teach your hitters to take advantage of these natural laws of human movement.
DON’T use baseball batting stance & hitting techniques to coach them out of them.
Note #5: Rubber band effect, ‘stretching’, creating tension at the finish of his load
Another YESSSSS!
Although Josh Donaldson uses different baseball batting stance & hitting techniques terms, he’s talking about the compression/tension forces in the body via connective tissue called fascia.
Thomas Myers in his book Anatomy Trains describes, what he calls Tensegrity (Tension-Integrity), like this:
I don’t like to think of the body as a rubber band, but rather like a spring.
But what Donaldson is describing is correct.
I refer to this as the Springy ‘X’ Pattern.
CLICK HERE for this video post describing this using Adrian Gonzalez’s swing as a model.
Note #6: Creating the timing to hit the pitch
Most people probably missed this point in the video…Donaldson briefly mentioned it, but I find it VERY important.
TIMING FOR HITTING IS EVERYTHING.
This is why I don’t like rapid fire soft toss OR 15-pitch marathon rounds batting practice.
It’s NOT about quick hands either.
Look, a baseball player may only see one pitch every 12-20 seconds.
A fast-pitch softball player may see one pitch every 8-15 seconds.
In games, swing intensity EVERY swing matters.
I can take a hitter with seemingly slow hands, adjust his or her timing, and have them barreling the ball more.
Of course, we’ll have to address their still ineffective mechanics at some point in the future, but the point is, it’s not about fast hands.
It’s about using the shoulders to speed up the hands.
The opposite IS NOT true.
Coaches handicap hitters by using ineffective drills like rapid fire soft toss, drop toss, and/or marathon B.P. sessions.
Again,
TIMING IS EVERYTHING IN HITTING.
CLICK HERE for “The Dead Simple Guide To Optimizing A Hitter’s Timing In Games”.
Note #7: Front foot is open…hips can’t separate from upper half
Miguel Cabrera is one of my favorite swings to model, except for landing closed (less than 45-degree angle). However, he’s a physical beast, and most definitely succeeds despite one ineffective mechanic. Photo courtesy: MLB.com
Another baseball batting stance & hitting techniques golden nugget from Josh Donaldson.
However, there are quite a few other coaches getting their panties in a bunch about this comment.
CLICK HERE and follow the thread of one of my Facebook posts.
CLICK HERE and follow a Facebook post thread of my friend and colleague Taylor Gardner, founder of the BackSpin Tee. Actually a lot of really good discussion happening on this one.
They’re reinterpreting it as Donaldson is saying to ‘point the landing toe at the pitcher’.
This may be what it looks like in the video, which we also have to be careful of camera angles…
But the point of the matter is, that Donaldson is saying to ‘land open’.
And this is where, us coaches, must define terms.
I say if the landing foot is opened less than 45-degrees, the foot is closed.
If the landing foot is opened more than 45-degrees, the foot is open.
Chris Welch at ZenoLink says the front foot should land open, roughly around 65-degrees (at about 2-min mark):
And I agree.
I do think hitters like Donaldson and Bautista are more on the open side than others.
With my definition of landing foot closed versus open, I’d rather have my hitters err on the side of open, than closed.
CLICK HERE for another Zepp swing experiment where I tested this and found an average bat speed boost of 3-mph boost when landing open, over 200 swings.
Kyle Harrington, dad of one of my online hitting lesson students Stephen, who’s currently 13yo, 5’7″, 130-lbs…
Recently, increased his Ball Exit Speed 5-mph in the last 5 months off the tee, to now 77-mph.
I asked Kyle, what were the two biggest contributors to the increase…and he responded with:
“He grew about 2″ but he’s only 5’7”. I think the main thing is that he is not stalling the bat. In the 3D testing with Chris Welch [of ZenoLink.com] his peak bat speed slowed almost 10 mph before impact, which is common. So he is decelerating the barrel less coming into impact. He was blocking with the front hip and all the speed was too early . So he’s actually moving the bat speed forward in his swing more (where impact is) rather behind the ball before impact. That’s the main reason.”
This can happen for a few reasons:
Too much forward momentum (yes you can have too much),
Landing closed with the front foot, and
Inward turning (coiling) the pelvis towards the catcher (shifts our 45-degree optimal impact zone too deep into the swing).
When the hitter lands closed, as Donaldson said, it’s more challenging to optimize the body’s natural springy fascia.
It’s also worth noting that the front ‘foot shape’ will change depending on pitch location at impact.
For instance,
On an outside pitch, we’ll see the foot more flat, and possibly more closed, than on an inside pitch.
Note #8: 10yo kid told to get on top of the ball, tell them NO…don’t get paid for hitting ground-balls
Ground-ball Coaches, if you spent more time instructing 10-degree launch angles and boosting Ball Exit Speeds, than you do telling hitters to always hit the ball on the ground, our hitters will be in a better position to crush pitchers.
For me, this tip was definitely the highlight of this video.
There was a comment on my baseball batting stance & hitting techniques Facebook post that is worth noting:
Reader A: “If I’m coaching a team of 10 year olds, and either the kid (or parent) tells me no, they ought to start looking for another team to play for. If you allow a kid to tell you no at that age, the kid will become uncoachable when he gets older.”
And here was a great response from another readers to this person:
Reader B: “If a teacher tells your kid 2+2 is 5, you don’t want him to have the courage and character to question the teacher? This society man, anyone that questions authority is deemed to be at fault…how dare they!!!”
I agree with Reader B…however, I understand there are ignorant parents, as well as players, out there as well.
However, speaking in the context of what Donaldson is saying, I agree with Reader B on this.
If you’re a coach that’s teaching hitters to ALWAYS hit the ball on the ground, you’re being ineffective as a coach. And you MUST get educated because if you’re aren’t growing, then you’re dying.
Note #9: Relaxed in stance…time that arms get engaged with the body is during his ‘coil’ (mentions ‘scap load’)
Jace, one of my 11yos, weighs 67-lbs, and hit his first homer over a 180-foot fence. We fixed his racing back elbow bat drag with connecting his hands to his spinal engine through finger pressure.
I totally agree.
There’s a time to be relaxed, and then there’s a time to connect the body (driving engine) to the “things” holding the bat…the hands.
CLICK HERE for another Zepp swing experiment that talks about what I teach to my hitters as ‘finger pressure’, and how we’re banishing racing back elbow bat drag with this technique alone.
It’s ALL about “connection” folks. Quite a few of the young hitters I see just aren’t connected.
But when they get connected…this is when we can triple their body-weight in distance (see Jace image above).
Grab 'Finger Pressure' Video
Frustrated with fixing BAT DRAG? Beat it!
Swing Study reveals how majority of hitters are correcting 'racing back elbow' bat drag within 1-2 weeks WITHOUT overhauling swing mechanics OR buying fancy and expensive hitting aids.
Click button below to access FREE video that has been downloaded over 20K times!
Note 10: Hands load it (versus shoulders), then barrel tips too much…leads to getting underneath balls
Josh Donaldson is talking about getting into his load (or ‘coil’) with his shoulders and not his hands.
When he uses his hands to get there, he feels it leads to an excessive ‘barrel tip’ (click following link), and to getting under the ball too much.
CLICK HERE for an AthleticsNation.com article titled, “Josh Donaldson: Changes in Approach & Mechanics”.
In this article, Jerry Brewer from East Bay Hitting Instruction compares Donaldson’s swing and metrics from 2013 to 2014.
The one big difference being an excessive barrel tip in 2014, leading to drops in his BA, OBP, & SLUG metrics by something like 50 points EACH.
By the way, Jerry is right on with the swing as well.
Note 11: At landing, wants bat to be at 45-degree angle, and to split his head from behind
I agree.
I don’t really want to get into this, but I thought it was a good little baseball batting stance & hitting techniques nugget from the video.
Note 12: Swing down to create backspin
This is where I see Josh Donaldson picking up where Ted Williams left off. This is a well known graphic from Williams’s book The Science of Hitting.
This is something Josh Donaldson is against, and I agree.
Yes, every once in awhile, a hitter can swing down on a ball and launch one.
Did you read the keywords there…? “Every once in awhile.”
Do you know what the majority outcomes will be doing this?
Ground-balls.
And if you read my Ground-ball RANT, then you know how inferior default teaching your hitters to hit them is, unless of course you have hitters who run like greased lightning, or in a Hit & Run type scenario.
The biggest argument here, comes from Little League coaches saying, but the ground-ball is the hardest hit ball to field, throw, and catch.
And my rebuttal is, what happens when your ground-ball hitting team meets a team that can play catch?
It doesn’t matter anyway, because a majority of pitches are taught to keep the ball down in the zone to hitters.
WHY?
Because PITCHERS WANT HITTERS DRIVING THE BALL INTO THE GROUND.
Note#13: Intent – damage at all times
I thought this was a HUGE baseball batting stance & hitting techniques gold nugget.
When asked if Donaldson makes educated decisions to commit on pitches or against pitchers, he says, yeah it depends…
BUT,
His intent is to do damage at all times.
“Why wouldn’t I?” He smirks to Mark DeRosa 😛
Double and Dinger damage.
That’s what the Blue Jays pay him for.
Our objective as hitting coaches should be to get our sluggers hitting the ball as hard as their physical ability will allow them…as frequently as possible.
To return this baseball batting stance & hitting techniques post full circle, let me repeat:
You Don’t Have To Be A Professional, To Teach High Level Baseball Batting Stance & Hitting Techniques Today
You just have to understand human movement principles that are validated by science, and apply these “rules” to hitting a ball.
Circling back to the headline of this post, looking at proper swing hitting mechanics: power, elbow up or down, closed stances, and hitting lefty or righty…
Power – at HPL we believe 70-80% of consistent power comes from properly moving our spinal engine, power doesn’t mostly come from the lower half as some would believe.
Back elbow up or down – what’s important is hitter gets a slight downhill shoulder angle by stride landing(6-10 degrees down). Lifting the back elbow can help with this, but if lifting the back elbow keeps shoulders level, then it doesn’t matter.
Closed stances – I know Donaldson and I differ on this, but I like the closed stance to restrict hip movement. Some hitters OVER rotate their lower half and lose out on directional force.
Hitting righty or lefty – I don’t have a preference for this. The hitter will figure it out either way. However, I do have an opinion on switch hitting…I don’t believe switch hitting is all it’s cracked up to be because they get waaay more at-bats on the left side early on because there aren’t that many lefty pitchers, so the righty swing significantly suffers. Evidence of this lack of lefty pitchers is shown in the majority of lefty hitters struggling against lefty pitchers.
Grab 'Finger Pressure' Video
Frustrated with fixing BAT DRAG? Beat it!
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Part-3: How To Develop Powerful Wrist Snap Like Hank Aaron (Is Devastating Against Pitchers)
Youth hitting consistent power trainer for baseball, softball, and senior league softball located in Fresno – Clovis, CA. Discover wrist snap batting drills, techniques, and training for home use. This video is a sneak peak at a 1 on 1 private lesson, and we also do online lessons as well.
In case you missed the background information of Part-1,
Zack is a 14-year-old hitter from Visalia, California, which is approximately an hour drive from me, one way. And this is the first time I worked with him since about a year ago. We’ve had about half a dozen session together in total. And what I like about Zack is he asks a lot of really good questions during our sessions.
And before we started this session, Zack was having a challenge with hitting line drives. He was either hitting the ball on the ground or non-productive balls in the air.
DISCLAIMER about the video:
Fortunately the video quality is great because Dad used his GoPro, but unfortunately I wasn’t mic’d up, so the audio isn’t like some of my other videos.
We’re at a public High School on a Saturday afternoon, so there are other team noises, bird sounds, emergency vehicles, etc. going on in the background that can be distracting.
Sadly, a few coaches on the socials will be overly critical of this hitter, and I’m asking you to suspend judgement. The purpose of this video IS NOT about being overly critical of the hitter’s swing, it’s about the demonstration and use of sticky coaching principles.
Swing and coaching suggestions are welcome, but be nice coaches.
Now, for those coaches looking to learn and help their hitters get better…ONWARD…again!
A typically lesson I do, is organized like the following, from start to finish:
Dynamic warm-up,
Beginning Ball Exit Speed readings,
Record and analyze current swing,
Lesson, and
Ending Ball Exit Speeds readings.
Part-3 lands you towards the end of #4 above.
What you can look out for in above video
Training something new should feel goofy, that’s normal…if they feel no change in movement at the beginning stages of motor skill development, then they’re repeating the same old thing (about 0:45 mark)
The arch and hollow (hunched) positions in Gymnastics. “Hunch” can have a negative connotation, but reality says it’s a VERY SAFE position for a twisting spine to start in. CLICK HERE for a Zepp swing experiment that looked at the benefits of a “Hunched” spine. (about 1:55 mark)
Playing around with wrist snap variance using the target ankle resistance bands. It’s NOT a roll over, it’s like a “waggle” that golfers use pre-swing. Great defender against off speed and breaking pitches, AND increase BA by controlling the barrel. Keep main objective in mind: hit ball as hard and far as you can. (about 3:45 mark)
Working the Wrist Snap Variance Drill on the open field hitting targets. Hank Aaron was really good at this. Watch Hank Aaron video below and watch his wrist action at impact… (about 6:15 mark)
The Frog Tape bat…barrel awareness. Focusing on hitting a certain part of the barrel AND hitting it in a specific direction or target. (about 11:20 mark)
Discussing how switching bats between rounds forces a hitter to focus on adjusting their timing. Heavier/top heavy bats have to start sooner…lighter/balanced bats can start later. (about 15:30 mark)
Zack made the observation that Finger Pressure makes the Wrist Snap Variance Drill easier to feel. (about 17:30 mark)
Also, when it comes to sticky coaching principles, notice how I:
Move the tee positioning around after every swing (both high/low and inside/outside),
Vary soft toss heights and depths,
Vary mechanics on certain swings in a 5-swing round (I call these Varied Rounds), or practice one thing the whole round (I call these Block Rounds),
Ask quite a few feel, visual, and/or audio feedback questions AFTER round is over (think of it like a hitting quiz),
Keep my mouth shut during the 5-swing round(little to no feedback from me),
Don’t make Zack take a lot of swings during our time together,
Chunking certain movement together, so they don’t seem like separate pieces,
Have him change his bat size during rounds, and
Work with him on simplifying the juggling of a couple different mechanical cues.
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/over-shoulder-look3-blog.png401600Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-04-19 09:00:262022-04-20 04:56:21Youth Hitting Power Trainer For Baseball & Softball? | Discover Wrist Snap Batting Drills, Techniques, And Training At Home Sneak Peak | 1 On 1 Private Or Online Lessons In Fresno – Clovis, CA
Discover how to teach aggressive batting for a baseball or softball player that is struggling to pull the trigger. Oftentimes this comes in the form of freezing at the plate. This has mostly to do with the mental side of hitting, so we’ll discuss mental hitting drills to build confidence if a player may be hitting well in the batting cage or at practice but not so much in the games.
Here’s A Quick Way To Get Your Hitters More Aggressive At The Plate
I answer the reader question of: “How to get youth hitters to be more aggressive to hit and not look to walk?”
There were times when I was playing Fall Ball as a Sophomore in High School, privileged to be playing against Juco competition, that I found myself falling into an 0-2 hole quite frequently. I’d say to myself, “WTFudge, why have I been in the hole my last 4 AB’s?”
Then, I’d make a conscious decision to swing at the first pitch, no matter what the pitch was, or where it was located. In other words, I decided to make a bold adjustment, going from being too passive at the plate, to being too aggressive…
In hopes that with future at-bats was I would land somewhere in the middle. In those days it was just a feeling that I got. Fast forward to a few years ago, a good friend of mine Bob Hall, whose son Quin (a physical incarnate of Bo Jackson), had just finished performing at an MLB scouting camp in Canada. Quin was about 15 years old at the time, and Bob shared the advice Quin received from one of the leading scouts at this camp.
And this is what we’re discussing in the above video:
The Hunter mindset, versus
The Fisherman.
My goal with this video post is to give coaches a practical strategy to use with your hitters (that I use with mine), which will give them a solid game plan at the plate.
PLEASE NOTE: like anything else, you have to work with your hitters on this at practice, if they have any chance at getting better at it.
The Hunter Mindset
Vlad Guerrero – “The Hunter”. Photo courtesy: ProSportsBlogging.com
What does a hunter do?
They stalk their prey.
When would we use this mindset against a pitcher?
When they’re around the strike zone.
We SHOULD NEVER default to such hitting rules as, “NEVER swing at the first pitch.”
This is how I dug myself into holes during my career.
CLICK HERE for this Beyond the Boxscore article which asks the question, “Does hitting performance change based on the number of pitches a hitter sees during a plate appearance?”
Look at what happens to Batting Average in:
0-2,
1-2,
2-2, and 3-2 pitching counts…
Like a snake, strike fast when a pitcher is around the zone.
Think of some of the greatest Dominican, or Latin America, hitters. As the saying goes, “You don’t get off ‘the island’ unless you swing the bat.”
The Fisherman Mindset
Barry Bonds – “The Fisherman”. Photo credit should read DOUG PENSINGER/AFP/Getty Images (Newscom TagID: gettylive963981) [Photo via Newscom]
What does a fisherman do on the boat all morning?
Sit…AND wait.
When would we use this mindset with a pitcher?
When he or she cannot find the zone.
This approach requires a little more plate discipline not to swing out of the zone, AND
To know the strike zone.
Because when the pitcher throws one over, the hitter MUST be trained to jump on it.
Think about Barry Bonds from 2001 to 2004. According to Baseball-Reference.com, he walked a total of 755 times. That’s an average of 188 BB’s per year!
What’s more…
He hit a total of 209 homers, for an average of 52 dingers per year, in the same span. Last time I checked PED use DOES NOT help with plate discipline.
How about his consistency over that same time period?
Bonds’s Batting Average over those four years, starting with 2001 was: .328, .370, .341, and .362 respectively.
How about how many times he struck out?
We have power hitters like Chris Davis and Ryan Howard routinely striking out 200+ times per season.
How about Bonds…?
2001: 93 K’s
2002: 47 K’s (he struck out one more time than homered)
2003: 58 K’s
2004: 41 K’s (he hit more homers than struck out!!)
By the way, his 162-game average strikeouts are 83. 83!!! Over 22-years in the Big Leagues!
My point is, when Bonds got his pitch…he GOT IT!
He knew how to be a ‘fisherman’.
But can plate discipline be taught?
Sure it can!
It’s a muscle in the brain, and like any other body muscle, can be focused on and strengthened.
Here are my favorite 4 resources for training vision, tracking, and plate discipline:
Struggling to get your hitters ON-TIME in games? Discover HOW TO build effective laser-focused timing, so your hitters can be ON-TIME more often. These principles are validated by REAL science.
Click the button below to access the FREE video that has been downloaded over 6K times!
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Teach-Aggressive-Batting-For-Struggling-Baseball-Softball-Player.png423800Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-04-15 09:00:252022-08-15 17:34:31How To Teach Aggressive Batting For Struggling Baseball & Softball Player | Freezing At The Plate? Hitting Drills To Build Confidence If Hits Well In Cage And Practice But Not In Game
How To Master Strike Zone Baseball with V-Flex Pitch Detection System
Discover how to get baseball and softball players recognizing pitches and seeing the ball better with the V-Flex Sports hitting system. Check out this training drills 2022 review…
I have a strike zone baseball mastery, pitch detection, pitch tracking baseball, pitch recognition (whatever you want to call it) gem for you coaches…
(This post has a 6-min reading time)
And FYI … many coaches who know about this, DO NOT want you to know about it. Why? Because they want to keep their competitive advantage. I don’t play that game. I’d rather share the knowledge, tool, or strategy, so it makes baseball and softball of all levels better. All ships rise with the tides.
Training pitch tracking baseball and softball developing a sense of the strike zone, to have a pitch detection or recognition system if you will, can be a challenge. You may not know how to teach it, cue it, or drill it.
What if I were to tell you that you could use a pitch tracking baseball tool like the V-Flex, which promotes implicit learning, that will teach hitters pitch detection and how to master strike zone baseball. What is implicit learning? Simply put, it’s teaching without teaching.
Here are some pain points associated with strike zone mastery, pitch detection, pitch tracking baseball, pitch recognition – whatever you want to call it:
Don’t know how to teach swing at more strikes, and not at balls,
I do know how, but it’s difficult to teach and we’re not seeing immediate results, or
Want to cut down on my hitter striking out and swinging and missing, but don’t know where to start…
VX-3 Strike Zone Baseball Benefits (Baseball & Softball)
The VX-3.0 is the smallest trainer in the VX-Series of products.
It plays a vital role in creating tangible space for enhancing strike recognition for hitters.
This implicit trainer engages the hitters brain directly and provides necessary non-verbal spatial information relative to mastering strike recognition on game day.
It can be used independently or in combination with the VX-5 and or VX-7 during training or live bp on the field.
This piece comes with a User’s Manual and a visual aid for demonstrating the areas of focus during training.
Watch the VX-3 assembly video to gain tips on how to assemble…
VX-3 Pitch Detection Features (Baseball & Softball)
Frame is made of 3/8″ X 1″ 6061 aircraft grade anodized aluminum.
In 2017 we upgraded our shadow netting to #64 coated nylon. The new netting is much more durable than previous years.
We also added bungee cord for the inner circle drawstring which allows the inner circle to be more uniform during use.
This model also comes with galvanized/poly-coated cables and a new shock absorbing ring.
Finally, it comes with a 5 pound sand bag for stability. The VX-3.0 comes with a 5 year manufactures warranty on all aluminum and steel parts.
It comes with a 5-year manufacturers warranty on all aluminum and steel parts.
The VX-4 plays a vital role in creating tangible space for enhancing strike recognition for hitters.
This implicit trainer engages the hitters brain directly and provides necessary non-verbal spatial information relative to mastering strike recognition on game day.
It can be used for live bp on the field.
This piece comes with a User’s Manual and a visual aid for demonstrating the areas of focus during training.
Here’s the VX-4 in action…
VX-4 Strike Zone Baseball System Features (Baseball Only)
Circular frame and tripod with extendable legs made of 3/8″ X 1″ 6061 aircraft grade anodized aluminum.
In 2017 we upgraded our shadow netting to #64 coated nylon. The new netting is much more durable than previous years.
We also added bungee cord for the inner circle drawstring which allows the inner circle to be more uniform during use.
It comes standard with 12 polypropylene prompters for making different strike zone spaces.
It comes with a 5 year manufactures warranty on all aluminum and steel parts.
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Use Discount Code: GET10OFF At Checkout To Get 10% OFF Our Favorite Master The Strike Zone Pitch Detection Tool
CLICK TO LEARN MORE...
The VX-5 is the mid-sized trainer in the VX-Series of products.
It plays a vital role in creating tangible space for enhancing strike recognition for hitters.
This implicit trainer engages the hitters brain directly and provides necessary non-verbal spatial information relative to mastering strike recognition on game day.
It can be used independently or in combination with the VX-3 and/or VX-7 during training or live bp on the field.
(Added Value) This trainer can be used as a SBP-5/BBP-5 (Pitching trainer) by simply removing the cable and ring system. This is a tremendous benefit for customers on a tight budget.
This piece comes with a User’s Manual and a visual aid for demonstrating the areas of focus during training.
Watch the VX-5 assembly video to gain tips on how to assemble the VX-5… (The only difference between the VX-5 and VX-7 assembly is size. The assembly is identical for each)…
VX-5 Pitch Tracking Baseball System Features (Baseball & Softball)
Frame is made of 3/8″ X 1″ 6061 aircraft grade anodized aluminum.
In 2017 we upgraded our shadow netting to #64 coated nylon. The new netting is much more durable than previous years.
We also added bungee cord for the inner circle drawstring which allows the inner circle to be more uniform during use.
This model also comes with galvanized/poly-coated cables and a new shock absorbing ring.
Finally, it comes with a 5 pound sand bag for stability.
The VX-5 comes with a 5 year manufactures warranty on all aluminum and steel parts.
VX-7 Strike Zone Baseball Benefits (Baseball & Softball)
The VX-7 is the largest trainer in the VX-Series of products.
It plays a vital role in creating tangible space for enhancing strike recognition for hitters.
This implicit trainer engages the hitters brain directly and provides necessary non-verbal spatial information relative to mastering strike recognition on game day.
It can be used independently or in combination with the VX-3 and or VX-5 during training or live bp on the field.
(Added Value) This trainer can be used as a SBP-7/BBP-7 (Pitching trainer) by simply removing the cable and ring system. This is a tremendous benefit for customers on a tight budget.
This piece comes with a User’s Manual and a visual aid for demonstrating the areas of focus during training.
Watch the VX-7 assembly video to gain tips on how to assemble the VX-7 (The only difference between the VX-5 and VX-7 assembly is size. The assembly is identical for each).
VX-7 Pitch Detection System Features (Baseball & Softball)
Frame is made of 3/8″ X 1″ 6061 aircraft grade anodized aluminum.
In 2017 we upgraded our shadow netting to #64 coated nylon. The new netting is much more durable than previous years.
We also added bungee cord for the inner circle drawstring which allows the inner circle to be more uniform during use.
This model also comes with galvanized/poly-coated cables and a new shock absorbing ring.
Finally, it comes with a 5 pound sand bag for stability.
The VX-7 comes with a 5 year manufactures warranty on all aluminum and steel parts.
Here are some other blog resources when it comes to pitch recognition:
Here a few more blog resources when it comes to helping hitters with pitch recognition…
book,
, by Robert Sapolsky
, by Aristotle
, by Stuart Brown
, by The Dalai Lama
, by Jon Kabat-Zinn
, by Michael Lewis
, by Dacher Keltner
, by Thich Nhat Hanh
, by Karen Pryor
, by John Wooden
(about $80), or 
($500+). ESPN’s 
, talked about a time when he was talking to I think was James Cameron, whoever the producer was, or I think it was director of ‘The Terminator’. The first one, and it was supposed to cast Arnold, this is after he got off the movie 
, did pretty well with that. Started to become a rising star, and they were gonna cast Arnold as John Connor in Terminator 1, the guy in the future that comes back to try and stop the machines from taking over the world.
, the spinal engine can move in a vacuum.
.
describes, what he calls Tensegrity (Tension-Integrity), like this:
. It’s NOT a roll over, it’s like a “waggle” that golfers use pre-swing. Great defender against off speed and breaking pitches, AND increase BA by controlling the barrel. Keep main objective in mind: hit ball as hard and far as you can. (about 3:45 mark)
