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Hitting Training For Baseball & Softball Swing Trainers | Hitting Performance Lab

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

And let me tell you,

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

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

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

What I have for you in this post is:

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

Without further adieu,

Enter Matt Nokes…

SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:

Improve your hitting strategy dramatically by applying human movement principles.

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

Right Course For You? Take Quiz Now

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tyler Moore Case Study

Matt Nokes: Tyler Moore Case Study

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

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

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

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

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

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

By the end of the season he was hitting:

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

That Season – We WON the Carolina League Championship.

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

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

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

 

Matt Forgatch Case Study

Matt Nokes: Matt Forgatch Case Study Webinar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I explained it to him like this…

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

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

I said…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Who is this webinar for?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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How Edwin Encarnacion Used Ground Reaction Forces to Smash Home Runs!

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

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

How To Use Your Legs Like Edwin Encarnacion

 

 

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

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

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

SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:

Improve your hitting strategy dramatically by applying human movement principles.

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

Right Course For You? Take Quiz Now

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

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

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

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

 

How Edwin Encarnacion “Blocks”

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

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

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

 

Building Chris Solis 2.0

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

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

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

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

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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

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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.

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Learn Weight Transfer, Distribution, & Footwork Science with this Online Swing Analysis Program!

Hitting Weight Transfer, Distribution, & Footwork Science While Batting | Online Swing Analysis Coach Instruction Drills Program

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Learn the baseball and softball weight transfer, distribution, and footwork stance science while batting.  Discover our unique online swing analysis coaching instruction drills program.

Baseball Bats MYTH Debunked: Discover The Back Foot Variance Drill Secret…

 

 

I wanted to share a couple things in this baseball bats myth debunked post…

  • An updated video of the Back Foot Variance Drill, and
  • A testimonial from one of my online lesson dads from Tennessee (I’m in California!).

 

Back Foot Variance Drill UPDATED

Since putting this baseball bats myth debunked drill together a few years ago, I’ve improved on it to reflect what the best are really doing.  Here’s an outline of what we talk about in the above video:

  • Objective: to shift body-weight into ball and un-weight the back foot,
  • Squishing bug?
  • Variance Drill – fix hitters who skip too much v. not skipping, and
  • Options: skip backwards (scissoring).

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

Back Foot Variance Testimonial

I prescribed the Back Foot Variance Drill to Lawrence (Jr.) back on July 9th, along with the Babe Ruth Drill (forward momentum), and the Snapping Towel Drill (angling the body back over the catcher during turn).

Before I show you a couple BEFORE/AFTER images of his swing, please read what dad emailed me…

“Joey

Wanted to sit down and let you and your readers know how much of an impact you make on players lives. The key is to listen and follow what you say. 

First my background. I played at the Juco level, independent ball and amateur ball until i was 39. I pride myself on knowing the game and thought I was a pretty good hitter and taught hitting. I walked away with three amateur world series rings and no regrets on my playing career. 

I have taught my son hitting since he was 4.  As any parent has, I am proud of my son with probably some dad goggles on. But fact is he is a gifted physical specimen at 15, he is 6’1 and 175-lbs. 

For this I’m just going to focus on the facts. He ran into some hitting issues I was having trouble correcting this Spring. But I know hitting, right? And my son still listens to me so I should be able to help him. But it was not happening, we both were getting frustrated. As a freshman he still hit over .300 in varsity. But something was off.

Then while researching, (yes people if you or your coach does not have a growth mindset do yourself a favor and go do something else.) I ran across you this Spring. After studying what you were saying and swallowing my pride I decided to have you give my son video lessons online. 

Best thing I ever did for my son. We are only half way through the lessons taking our time to digest and work on what you have suggested, but here are the results. This after 3 months and 2 lessons…

My son exit velocity before you was 86-mph it now sits at 91-mph. He recently did a show case with perfect game. On the hitting metrics they use he is between the 93-98 percentile on all players they have seen. In batting practice he would routinely hit the ball 325-350 feet using wood or bbcore. He is now hitting balls in excess of 400 feet.

While taking batting practice on a high school field yesterday dimensions of 320 down the line and 370 to center he hit 16 out of 45 pitches out including 3 in excess of 400 feet. I sent you video of a game he played last night. To have you evaluate, that home-run was to dead center which was 360 feet. The ball was a line drive and landed in the road over 40 feet behind the fence.

Yes the catapult loading system works. He is hitting baseballs with a wood or bbcore bat at 2.5x his body weight. Using those bats and at his age is just as impressive as 3x body weight. 

I mentioned before he is a big kid at 15. But he is still a kid, he has not begun to physically mature yet. He does not shave, no hair on chest, no definition of muscles. I fully expect to see within the year as he starts maturing he will be hitting baseballs over 500-ft. In three months working with you he has gained over 50 feet consistently. It now looks like he is on the little fields again taking bp.

Thank you for what you do and giving my son confidence moving forward, you helped a young man more than words I’m writing will ever be expressed.

Here is what he accomplished since we started using you. Named all world series team for the 15u babe ruth world series where his team finished second. Playing for 15u south east team Rawlings led team in batting average for the summer. That team went 6-1 in the wwba perfect game world series where he was named to the all tourney team. 

Named all tourney to perfect game summer showdown as well. Before you he had played in three events with perfect game with no all tourney nominations. He has also been approached as a rising sophomore by a high level D1 head coach that is interested in him. 

Thanks Joey for everything, and for not only being a great person to get to know, but being so knowledgeable on the scientific metrics on hitting. 

All the best
Lawrence Sutton”

Thank YOU Lawrence for such a glowing baseball bats myth debunked testimonial.  And thank you Junior for being such a respectful and coach-able student of the game.  By the way, originally Lawrence (dad) left this as an UNSOLICITED message on my phone, and I asked him to put it down on virtual paper, so I could share it with you.

Before sharing the BEFORE/AFTER images, let me address naysayer objections I frequently read on the Socials, speaking out against my book, “The Catapult Loading System: Teaching 100-Lb Hitters To Consistently Drive The Ball 300-Feet”, this email clearly dispels:

  • “In High School homers virtually disappear because of BBCor bats”,
  • “15yo High School hitters can’t hit balls in excess of 400-feet at 175-pounds”,
  • “Sure, your system may increase power, but it will be at the cost of Batting Average and Strikeouts”, and
  • “This kid is just a freak [or they may use the word ‘mutant’]”

All this is FAKE NEWS Coaches!!

The last one always makes me laugh…I say take me to VEGAS then, because I’m running into A LOT of mutants!! Buahahaha

And you know why homers “virtually disappear” with BBCor bats in High School?

Because many of these coaches are teaching their hitters to HIT THE BALL ON THE GROUND!  Please STOP!  It’s insane these coaches don’t want their offense to score more runs and win more games.  Ground-balls SUCK for hitters!  The reverse is true for pitchers by the way 😉

I have faith, “winners” will make the adjustment and not whine, complain, and come up with every excuse in the book as to why hitting the ball HARD IN THE AIR doesn’t work.  Sad.

Boosting Ball Exit Speed and Launch Angles is a formula folks.  With hard work, attention to detail, and dedication, more hitters can achieve what we’re sharing.  The Catapult Loading System takes care of the former, and Pitch-Plane Domination the latter.

Here’s a BEFORE/AFTER image of Lawrence’s back foot skip (too much) on July 9th…

Baseball Bats Myth Debunked

Lawrence’s feet are too close together in these swings…

Here’s a BEFORE/AFTER image of his August 25th 360-foot dinger…

Baseball Bats Myth Debunked

This angle is a challenge, but use the catcher’s belt as a reference point to the back foot in both images. In addition, look at the gap between his feet.

Now, as you remember, we made three changes to Lawrence’s swing back in early July:

  • Increase forward momentum,
  • Create more space between his feet, and
  • Increase spinal tilt during the turn…

…so it’s hard to tell which one of these was THE ONE thing that made the biggest difference.  My argument for the Back Foot Variance is this:

  1. In past swing experiments, Forward Momentum hasn’t been shown to increase Bat Speed at Impact significantly.
  2. Increasing spinal tilt is great, but doesn’t work if the hitter’s feet are close together – like a golfers.
  3. The greater the distance between the feet (although not too much), the more consistent the hitter can get to the bottom half of the ball.

Also, if you read this Washington Post article titled, “Bryce Harper: A Swing of Beauty”, you’ll discover:

“Glenn Fleisig, an expert in the field of biomechanics, said the majority of hitters he’s studied transferred 90 percent of their weight to their front foot and kept 10 percent on their back leg at contact. Harper, of course, would move 100 percent of his weight forward at contact when his back leg lifts. That, Fleisig said, would enable him to generate a ground rotational force equal to 150 percent of his body weight.”

At Bryce Harper’s current weight of 215-lbs, that would be 322.5-lbs of force transferred at impact!  Any weight transfer less than 100% would be an inferior model, so that’s why ‘squishing bugs’ isn’t optimized.

Coaches, be careful who you’re following.  Make sure they’re sticking close to the human movement principles that are validated by science.  If not, then quickly abandon ship.

Baseball bats myth debunked!

Please keep me updated on your hitters’ progress using the Back Foot Variance Drill below…

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Swing Weight On Back Foot, Transfer, Distribution, And Stance Footwork Hitting Drills For Baseball & Softball Batting

Fix Swing Drag Fast: Youth Baseball & Softball RNT Drills + Weight Transfer & Back Knee Shift Workouts

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Discover the secret to swing weight on the back foot, weight transfer, distribution, and stance footwork hitting drills for baseball and softball batting.

Baseball Hitting Drills For Youth: DO NOT Be “That Guy”

 

So, this is what I have to deal with on a weekly basis.  I also want to apologize in advance, this is a little bit of a rant.  Before going into the baseball hitting drills for youth, here’s some context, it all started when I posted this image of Buster Posey in his ‘Float’ position on Twitter (CLICK HERE for Twitter thread):

Baseball Hitting Drills for Youth: Buster Posey 'Floating'

Buster Posey photo courtesy: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The caption I put over the Twitter image stated: “Hitting Misconception: ‘Keep the back knee inside the foot’. Buster Posey is ‘floating’ with his knee over ankle…”

This is when my conversation with @13tys started…

@13tys: his knee is inside his foot! No?

@hitperformlab (Me): nope, knee floating slightly off center of ankle.

@13tys: just showed the same pic to my 11yr old and asked him, reply “are you stupid? His knee is inside his ankle”.

(This is when I get the feeling that I was dealing with “that guy”)

@hitperformlab: he’s kind of bias don’t you think? Lol

@13tys: just showed the pic and asked. I usually use my 9 and 11 yr olds to call a spade a spade. They don’t know baseball politics.

@hitperformlab: it’s not the ideal angle, I’ll find another. You believe in keeping the knee inside at all costs?

@13tys: you don’t have to, but the further back it goes, the tougher u make hitting. Already tough enough w/o that much movement!

@hitperformlab: C’mon man! Had to prove to your 10yo I’m not “stupid” lol. Just did simple Google image search.

(Here are the two images of Buster Posey I posted to the baseball hitting drills for youth Twitter thread)...

Baseball Hitting Drills for Youth: Buster Posey 'Floating'

Buster Posey photo courtesy: www.BayAreaSportsGuy.com

AND

Baseball Hitting Drills for Youth: Buster Posey 'Floating'

Buster Posey photo courtesy: InWriteField.com

@13tys: still, we are looking at the same thing and seeing different things. To me, that knee is still not on top of the ankle.

(by the way, in the beginning of our Twitter conversation, I said “knee floating slightly off center of ankle”)…

@hitperformlab: let me get my 2 year old to comment on your comment lol

@hitperformlab: Posey is creating torque in his back hip. Also depends on the severity of the leg kick, Posey’s is about medium…hope this helps

@13tys: creating torque?? Seriously? This is y kids are so confused by their “hitting coaches” #keepitsimple

(Then like the “good American citizen” he is, posts a screenshot of the definition of “Torque”)…

@hitperformlab: I’m talking to you, not to kids. Read Dr. Kelly Starrett’s book The Supple Leopard.

@13tys: sorry, My experience and knowledge come from yrs in cages & video w/ the best hitters ever, some come from books on crossfit

@hitperformlab: book that’ll rock you’re isolated hitting world? Anatomy Trains by Thomas Myers.

(Then there was radio silence…)

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.

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FIRST of all, if spending years in the cages AND analyzing video of the best hitters ever, magically made you know EVERYTHING you need to know about effective hitting, then we wouldn’t have the problem we do today with guys like this, coming up with effective baseball hitting drills for youth hitters.

“That guy” is a soaked sponge, and has reached his ceiling of knowledge when it comes to hitting.

If experience, cage work, and analysis were the only standard of learning the swing, then we’d all have to accept what Alex Rodriguez shared about the secret to his swing during the 2015 World Series FOX Sports broadcast…

How he talked about keeping the barrel above his hands when hitting.  And we ALL know how well that little tip would help our hitters 😛

And SECOND, this “talking down to you” TWEETitude, is a sure sign of an inferior coach, nevertheless, a knucklehead for a human being.

Slightly off topic…

Read this Business Insider article titled, “4 behaviors are the most reliable predictors of divorce”.

Guess which one of the ‘4 horsemen of the apocalypse’ is the worst offender in marriages…

CONTEMPT (aka, the “talking down to you” attitude).

Okay, back on topic…

Look, if we as coaches don’t have a solid foundation in human movement principles, validated by science, then we’re pissing in the wind!  Without this foundation, conversations about hitting would model a Merry-Go-Round.  Many of you have experienced this ridiculous insanity in popular online hitting forums.

Look at this slow motion video of Buster Posey.  Look at the difference of the back knee position (over the ankle, slightly off center) at the 0:03 video mark, versus at the 0:09 video mark during the fall forward…

 

 

Here’s the holdup with hitting coaches, even ones I agree with on a majority of things,

They think that the back knee MUST stay inside the foot at ALL times.  So, they teach ALL their hitters to do this, often putting the hitter’s back knee in an unnatural and awkward position before Forward Momentum.

If you think this knee position is healthy, then CLICK HERE to learn how bad putting the knee into a ‘knee valgus’ position is to our youth athletes from FunctionalMovement.com.

In addition,

These same instructors may also suggest and teach there hitters that when the back knee gets over the ankle, that it’s a BAD thing.

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

The shifting of the knee back over the ankle should have a purpose.  A couple baseball hitting drills for youth concepts:

  1. A timing mechanism that I like to call the ‘Float’, AND
  2. Creating torque, or stability, in the back hip.

 

Baseball Hitting Drills for Youth #1: Using the ‘Float’

A ‘Float’ is a timing mechanism the hitter uses just before falling forward.  It generally can be observed as a slight weight shift back towards the catcher before falling forward.

With the ‘Float’, the severity of the knee shift will depend on the leg kick.  The higher the leg kick, the more the shifting of the knee over the ankle may have to happen.

For example, Willie Mays didn’t have much of a weight shift (or Float) back, he just fell forward with a slide step:

 

 

However, watch slow motion video of Josh Donaldson, who has a high leg kick, and you’ll see him virtually ‘pause’ on one leg, before his fall forward:

 

 

Baseball Hitting Drills for Youth #2: Creating Hip Torque & Stability

Okay, so what is creating torque to stabilize the back hip mean?  Let Dr. Kelly Starrett, Physical Therapist and owner of San Francisco CrossFit, at MobilityWOD.com explain its importance:

 

 

Here’s a baseball hitting drills for youth coaching cue that I use…

Borrowed from Dr. Kelly Starrett, I say to my hitters “screw the back ankle into the foot”.  I also advise them to point the back toe slightly inward towards the pitcher at setup, and to keep it there while screwing the ankle in.  The keyword is slight, not a lot.

Take a look at this video of Jose Bautista fouling a ball off, and watch how he ‘bows’ his back knee in, but at about the 0:06 second mark (when he begins his fall forward), the back knee starts to shift back towards the catcher…his back hip and thigh bone are searching for stability after being put in an unstable internally rotated (knee valgus) position at setup:

 

 

Now, CLICK HERE to watch this video clip of Ted Williams, and keep an eye on the back knee action between the 0:06-0:15 video mark.  Sorry, this YouTuber disabled the embed code so I couldn’t embed the video here.

What did arguably one of the best hitters of all time do with his back knee prior to Forward Momentum.  Boy, didn’t it shift back over the ankle?!

How about this homerun hit by Asdrubal Cabrera (watch the slow motion chest view at the 0:41 second mark)…

 

 

One more video…

Check out Matt Kemp.  As you can see, he starts with his back knee inside his foot, then watch for his back knee action prior to Forward Momentum:

 

 

Now, is this making baseball hitting drills for youth more complicated, like Mr. @13tys said?

Heck no!  It takes about 5 to 10-mins to explain to my 7-year-old hitters, and they begin applying it in their swings.  Easy peasy.

So after looking at all this, here’s the point of my baseball hitting drills for youth rant…

Don’t get caught up drinking the cool-aid of other hitting experts, blowhards, or “That Guy” without questioning what they’re saying.  Remember, we aren’t just observers.  We’re amateur scientists in a way.

I don’t claim to know it all.  And am still learning.  But I know for a fact, I’m on a better road than “That Guy”.

Look, I don’t mind being challenged, but if you don’t back up what you’re saying with human movement principles, that are validated by science, then you’ll lose.  We aren’t debating baseball hitting drills for youth philosophies or theories…we analyze through the lens of validated science.  Physics, Engineering, Bodywork, Biology, Chemistry, and Biomechanics.

I DO NOT care what level you played or coached at.

I DO NOT care if you’ve digested a million hours of slow motion video footage of only the BEST hitters.

I also DO NOT care if you’ve logged more hitting lesson hours than it takes to fly to Mars!!

If you don’t understand the human movement “rules”, then you DO NOT understand high level hitting, or better yet, high level human performance.

I know this may upset some of you out there.  But I don’t care.  The days of being “That Guy” are numbered.  If you aren’t moving with us, then you’ll be left behind.  And that’s the truth.

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Hitting Training For Baseball & Softball Swing Trainers | Hitting Performance Lab

Proper Use Lower Half Ground Force Hitting Mechanics Breakdown, Weight Transfer, & Footwork Drills For Youth Baseball Softball Beginner Swing

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J.D. Sullivan Hitting4Contracts.com

J.D. Sullivan hitting…

Discover how to use lower half ground forces in this hitting mechanics breakdown.  Learn proper weight transfer and footwork drills for youth baseball and softball beginner swings.

3 Shocking Mistakes Killing Your Effortless Power

You guys are in for a treat… (also, make time to go through the comments at the end of the blog post.  There are a ton with REALLY good information!!)

I wanted to share with you a 1991 article published in Hardball Magazine about hitting.  Keep in mind that video motion analysis was virtually non-existent at that time.  Video cameras resembled what Michael J. Fox held in the movie Back To The Future 😛 lol

The information contained in the following two pages is eerily similar to what we talk about here at HPL.  Even down to the “buzz” words used.  And just to let you know, the ‘3 Shocking Mistakes…” are covered in the below article.  By the way, I’ve never come into contact with the gentleman I’m about to introduce until now…

The author of the published post, Jim Sullivan (J.D.), has accumulated the following credentials with his hitters over the last couple decades (from his website: Hitting4Contracts.com):

  • 7 First Round Draft Choices,
  • $20,000,000 (million) in Signing Bonuses,
  • Players Drafted or Signed 60 Times, and
  • Millions in Scholarships.

And he did this completely under the radar.  As he said, to escape coaches punishing his hitters in their lineups.  My hitters have received the same treatment, much like a lot of yours.  Crazy how fragile a 40+ year old male ego is when it comes to hitting!

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

One of the hitters J.D. worked with at both the amateur and professional levels was Troy Glaus:

“JD introduced me to key concepts that are essential to my approach to hitting. Concepts that you won’t find anywhere else. I first met him in 1991 and have since spent serious one on one hitting time with him (as both an amateur and pro).  I have seen him greatly increase power in not only individual hitters but also entire teams.”

For those that don’t remember Troy Glaus, he was a World Series MVP, American League Home Run Champion, Four Time All Star, 1996 U.S. Olympic Team. Angels #1 Draft Pick 1997, # 3 overall.

J.D. reached out to me via comment on my baseball swing mechanics “Squish the Bug” experiment YouTube video.  Without further adieu, here are the two pages of the published article in 1991…

J.D. published post on hitting in 1991

 

Page 2…

J.D. published hitting article in 1991

What are your thoughts on the article?

187 Comments/by
Sybervision Systems: How To NOT Squish A Bug, Transfer Weight, & Keep Head Position Still

Sybervision Systems Motor Skill Acquisition: Why Squishing Bug During Baseball Softball Swing Is Bad | Weight Transfer & Footwork Modeling | Keep Head Hitting Position Still, Down, & Eye On Ball

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Discover the power of Sybervision systems motor skill acquisition.  Using elite swing modeling, you can easily see why squishing the bug during the baseball or softball swing is bad.  And what weight transfer and footwork is suppose to look like.  Learn how the best keep their head hitting position still, down, and their eyes “on” the ball.

Watch Perfect Action Over And Over, Subconscious Mind and Muscle Memory Will Start To Incorporate The Actions…

 

 

(Disclaimer: my swing isn’t perfect, so please be nice in the comments.  Not even the fat old guy with the burner accounts and glasses has a perfect swing).

I had heard of Sybervision back in the early to mid-1990’s, when someone told me about a Baseball With Rod Carew instructional VHS hitting video you could watch over and over of him hitting, and “magically” you’d start moving just like him!  At least that’s what I thought about it at the time, but there actually is some merit to it.

Some call Sybervision the Neuropsychology of self discipline, and has a basis in visual modeling — how we  learn and assimilate (neurologically, psychologically, and cognitively) skills and behaviors from the observation of others.

It is based on research conducted by Steve DeVore, and Dr. Karl Pribram, a brain scientist (who postulated the holographic brain theory) at the Stanford University’s Neuropsychological Research Laboratories.

One of the grand-dads of two hitters I worked with this past summer, Paul Rosemont, said this of Sybervision:

“The Sybervision concept is that if someone watches perfect action over and over, their subconscious mind and muscle memory will start to incorporate the actions. It’s ideal to view it before practicing but just viewing it is still supposed to work. The system was used years ago on college and Olympic level athletes.”

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

By the way, Paul took the time to have my swings edited into the above video we’re sharing with you today, using the Sybervision technique.

Along the same lines, utilizing shorter clips of Big Leaguers, and without the different views, one of my online lesson dads Victor Canseco made the following two videos using the same Sybervision concept.  They’re cropped to specific aspects of the swing, to help his son Harrison get the concepts we were working on with him…

 

Back Foot Skip

 

 

Please CLICK HERE for the Back Foot Variance Drill I use with my hitters.

 

Head Movement & One-Joint Rule

 

 

Please CLICK HERE for the One-Joint Rule Drill I use with my hitters.

Thank you Paul and Victor!

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