— Baseball is a Game of Movement —
Batting
Introduction
The information in this section supports the content under the Practice Plans 2025 tab. This section can also be consumed on its own.
Please take a few minutes to read through the preliminary info before jumping into the batting content. That info is helpful in understanding the format and teaching approach.
Teaching and learning batting isn’t simply a process of connecting the dots. We approach teaching with an understanding that, while we can make great strides in a short time, there is no magical, instantaneous ‘secret’ to a young player learning to hit.
This section on Batting provides a proven effective, step-by-step, building block approach that produces positive results you can clearly see in the kids’ play on the field.
The content in ‘The Swing’ illustrates the swing piece by piece. Little of this information is to be conveyed to players (is provided for coaches & parents to have a general grasp of how the swing works).
The kids learn through the ‘No Bat’ Drills and Tee Work (‘Activities & Drills’); they learn by doing.
——> Dec 22: Basic descriptions are included in Activities and Drills (for training the the kids). Detailed descriptions (as in ‘Turn Back & Weight Shift) will be added.
Table of Contents
Training Activities & Drills
[The information in this section is not for memorization (especially kids). The info in each section is to Guide the activities. Players repeat the actions, over and over, for their Muscles to memorize. As coaches, parents, and players spend more time doing the activities and drills, in a practice setting, the terminology and detail of each activity will become familiar in the brain.]
KNEE
Switch Heels - Part 1
Switch Heels - Part 2 (Anchor)
Switch Heels - Part 3 (Heel-Knee)
Head Over Back Knee
Twist 1
Twist 2
ELBOW
Sideways Karate Chop - Part 1 (Elbow Drive)
Sideways Karate Chop - Part 2 (Elbow-Hand)
Sideways Karate Chop - Part 3 (Elbow to Belt …allow TILT)
Lower Half Turn
WRIST
Skip-a-Rock - Part 1
Skip-a-Rock - Part 2 (Point Knuckle)
BOTTOM HAND
Bottom Hand 1
Bottom Hand 2 (Elbow to Elbow)
FINAL POINTS
Coordinating Both Hands Together (Straight Lines)
Skip-a-rock, Past HINGE
Extension
Knee & Elbow
Firm Front Side (Front leg)
Straight Line Path of Hands (Bottom Hand Awareness)
Hands Inside the Ball (Bottom Hand)
Hard-Quick
Fast-Faster/Acceleration (Elbow-Wrist)
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‘See Ball, Turn Back’ Drill (watch: 1:45 - 2:15)
How to pitch a whiffle/squishy ball:
Baseball (watch 0:40-1:00); Softball (1:40-1:55)
The Swing
Albert Pujols - watch: 0:00, 0:38, 1:33
Mike Zunino - watch: 0:00-0:13, 0:14-0:20, 0:30-0:35
About Face - watch first 10 seconds
Canada v Italy 1 min 57 sec
M’s v Blue Jays 4 mins
(watch: 0:25, 1:01, 1:30, 1:51, 2:20, 2:37, 3:03)
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Training Activities & Drills
Turn Back & WEIGHT SHIFT
The action of a batter ‘Loading’, which we call ‘Turn Back’ may seem inconsequential. However it is critical that a batter executes this movement properly, and consistantly. Executing this action well, requires practice.
All subsequent actions of the swing are affected by the quality of body position at the end of this initial movement.
Finish Position: (1) Weight on inside edge of back foot (2) Front Heel off the ground (will vary from batter to batter)
Objectives
Put the body in position to best utilize legs to start and power the swing
Batter learns to use only the Leg muscles during the action; no effort with upper body, arms or shoulders
Set-up
Stance with feet wider than the hips and weight on the inside edges of the feet (as well at the player can). Some younger and less experienced players may not, initially, be able to position their weight on the inside edges of their feet. Keep working at it; over time they will get more familiar and more comfortable.
Hands on Hips. We want the upper body, arms and shoulders relaxed and have No involvement in the action.
Actions
Gently push off the Pad of the Big Toe of the front foot:
Front side of the body (Shoulder, Hip, Knee, Foot) turns inward slightly. Batter should be able to see pitcher with both eyes at the end of this action. If not, they have turned in Too Far (common with younger players…which is why we practice this action; to get it right, which takes time).
Shift weight back about 4” against the inside edge of the back foot
Back knee bends out over the big toe of the back foot
What Will go Wrong
Batter Turns In too far. Fix: stand behind batter; gently hold the outsides of their shoulders (or hips). Give a gentle squeeze, then release, when the shoulders turn in too far. We don’t want to overpower the player and halt them from moving too far. The ‘squeeze’ alerts them of the point in which they turned in Too Far. The batter’s muscles use this physical que to alter their movements…on their next try. We want THEM to fix the issue. Note: it may take a week or more for the player’s muscles to learn to control this action.
Batter turns their Face (eyes) away from the Pitcher. Fix: Coach stands in as a Pitcher holding up a ball (only needs to be 10’-15’ from the player/team). Instructs player/team to ‘Face the Ball’ (both eyes can see the ball) while ‘Turning Back’. (This is not an immediate Fix; repetition is required)
Weight Shifts Back too far. Fix: Repetition. We practice this action over and over (multiple practice sessions) so the kids can develop the Muscle Memory to do it correctly.
Knee bend points back, beyond the Big Toe. Fix: Repetition. We practice this action over and over so the kids can develop the Muscle Memory to do it correctly.
Knee
Switch Heels - Part 1
Batting Stance with feet wider than hips. Hands on hips. Upper body remains relaxed, especially shoulders and neck. Turn Back (front heel up); Switch Heels (Turn Fast). Action is powered 100% by leg muscles. Finish with Head Over Back Knee.
Switch Heels - Part 2 (Anchor)
Stance with Hands on hips. Emphasis on driving the Back Knee forward and Down. (‘Switch Heels 1’ is for getting accustomed to the action. Once we add Anchor, we are doing the full action; no longer work on ‘Switch Heels 1’)
Switch Heels - Part 3 (Heel-Knee)
Emphasis on both legs driving with equal force. The front heel drives straight back; the back knee is driven straight forward. Effort against back knee is Down, towards the front heel. These two forceful straight line actions result in the Turn of the Legs/Hips. Torso remains centered between feet at the end of the action - Head Over Back Knee.
head over back knee
During the Switch Heels action, and throughout the swing, the Head remains in place, centered between the feet, and over the back knee. A common flaw in young batters is the torso and head drifting forward during the swing. The head ends up more towards the front foot than the back knee. We want to point this out to kids and pay attention to the relationship of the Head to the Back Knee during swings. …through awareness of their head and working on Anchor during the Switch Heels action, kids can develop control of their head during their swings.
Twist 1
Feet positioned 2”- 4” outside the hips; chest facing forward (not in a batting stance). Arms held a bit out from the sides of the body (for balance). Weight on the front area of the feet (the part of the feet in front of the chins). No weight on the heels. Feet and legs turn back and forth, while keeping upper body (shoulders) still:
Fives seconds. Rest. Repeat .
(We want the chest to remain facing forward; no movement of the shoulders. It will take kids a few days to a week, to be able to do this drill without the shoulders moving.)
Objective: Train the Lower Body to work independent of the Upper Body
Twist 2
Twist w/Endpoint: Turn legs and feet to one side; Stop. Chest remains facing forward; no shoulder movement. Turn legs and feet to the other side; Stop. Do this 3x in each direction.
Objective: Train the Lower Body to work independent of the Upper Body
ELBOW
Sideways Karate Chop - Part 1 (Elbow Drive)
Batting Stance with top hand positioned where the bat would be held (hand is open). Bottom hand (which is not part of the drill) on front hip. While Switching Heels, make a karate chop action sideways. The top-hand elbow, which remains bent, moves straight forward alongside the torso and the top-hand ‘chops’ with the palm facing up. The action stops when the top hand is about even with the front foot.
Sideways Karate Chop - Part 2 (Elbow-Hand)
[note: the Funny Bone is the little knob (a bit smaller than a dime) on the inside of the Elbow]
This is a two-part action (replaces #1 above); movements are consecutive without stopping. First, the player drives the Funny Bone of the Elbow forward (the top hand remaining in the area near the armpit; exact position varies player to player). Next the forearm and hand snaps, sideways, to ‘Contact Point’ (approximately even with the front foot).
Sideways Karate Chop - Part 3 (Elbow to Belt …allow TILT)
Same as #2 above (replaces #2); now we add the focus of driving the ‘Elbow to the Belt’. The Elbow drives straight forward alongside the belt line. The result of the action is a slight TILT of the shoulders (the belt is a couple inches below the Elbow/Funny Bone).
When doing the Sideways Karate Chop (or Skip-a Rock) a batter can add the focus of ‘Head Behind the Ball’. The Ball is contacted when it is about even with the front foot; we want the head to remain Over The Back Knee. Incorporating this focus is more applicable to Tee Work, but can be part of No Bat Drills.
Lower Half Turn
Batting stance with hands in position as if holding a bat. Switch Heels. Little, or no, upper body movement; hands remain near back shoulder.
Objective: Train the Lower Body to work independent of the Upper Body
WRIST
Skip-a-Rock - Part 1
Set up for this drill: Switch Heels, Elbow at the Hip (shoulder TILT). Top-hand around the area of the back armpit (exact hand position will vary player to player) with top-hand palm facing up.
Generate force with the Wrist (not the upper arm or shoulder). Snap the wrist straight forward. Allow hand and arm to follow the energy of the wrist snap, straight forward out towards the Pitcher/field, until top-hand arm is fully extended. We want to finish the action with the Back Shoulder pulled all the way Through, so it is past the torso and head.
OK to use a bit of a push off the back leg to create energy to help the Wrist Snap (head remains over back knee).
Skip-a-Rock - Part 2 (Point Knuckle)
Same set-up as #1; now we add the focus of pointing the bottom knuckle of the thumb straight out towards the field, leading the top-hand-arm to full extension. Wrist snaps first; knuckle points as the top hand arm extends forward.
BOTTOM HAND
Bottom Hand 1
Set-up in ‘Switch Heels’ position or with both feet at a 45 degree angle to home plate. Bottom hand positioned where the bat would be held, a bit above the back shoulder. (Place the Top Hand on the back hip; its not part of the drill).
Bottom hand ‘pulls’ approximately 4 inches towards Contact Point. It finishes in a ‘Palm Down’ position, near the back armpit. The elbow of the lead-arm remains bent. The is the location of the bottom hand as a result of being moved forward by the Elbow Drive.
Important: HOLD the end position for a second, then repeat the action. Objective: train the lead arm muscles the FEEL for the point where the Bottom hand begins working as a HINGE. From this point the top-hand Wrist snaps forward, executing the Skip-a Rock action.
Bottom Hand 2 (Elbow to elbow)
Set-up in ‘Switch Heels’ position or with both feet at a 45 degree angle to home plate. Hands positioned where the bat would be held; a bit above the back shoulder.
Action: Drive the back Elbow straight forward alongside the body (Elbow to Belt); allow shoulders to TILT. We want minimal movement of the Lead Arm/Bottom Hand. The action moves the Back Elbow towards, and closer to, the Front Elbow …’Elbow to Elbow’
Objective: Train the Lead Arm/Bottom Hand to Not put effort into the swing.
FINAL POINTS
Coordinating Both Hands Together (Straight Lines)
Skip-a-rock, Past HINGE
Extension
Knee & Elbow
Firm Front Side (Front leg)
Straight Line Path of Hands (Bottom Hand Awareness)
Hands Inside the Ball (Bottom Hand)
Hard-Quick
Fast-Faster/Acceleration (Elbow-Wrist)