Baseball is a Game of Movement
Batting
Introduction
Please take a few minutes to read through the BATTING OVERVIEW before jumping into the training content. That information is helpful in understanding the format and teaching/learning approach.
Our approach is to train segments of the swing, piece by piece, to develop muscle memory.
Through repetition, the muscle memory of the swing segments begins to blend together into the full swing.
Often kids do drills with no context of how the drill fits into the learning and development of the swing. In each of these drills, the players are practicing the actual movements made in a technically sound swing.
The key ingredients for developing the swing:
- ‘No Bat’ Drills
- Tee Work
(Live Batting Practice is for developing TIMING of the swing with a moving ball. Live Batting is not where the swing is ‘practiced’.)
Parents/Kids
This section of the website presents the entire swing, along with drills. A training ‘workout’ plan is available under the Practice Plans tab.
…Beginning with Practice #2, go to the ‘Batting’ section located below the Practice Plan. There you will find a brief instruction piece, followed by ‘No Bat’ Drills, concluding with focus points for taking swings off a Tee.
(The Tee Work* in the Plans assumes a batter only has a few minutes to work. A batter doing the workout on their own may want to take 15–20 swings following each of the two daily focus points.)
*If you do not own a Tee, simply doing the ‘No Bat’ drills goes a long way to training the muscles for the actions of the swing.
(See the COACHES section below for a bit more insight on the approach to training.)
Coaches
The information in this section supports the content under the Practice Plans tab. Each plan includes a brief series of ‘No Bat’ drills and focus points for Tee Work (Tee Work is part of the Batting Practice rotation). The specific training points in each Practice Plan refer to the drills in this section (with descriptions of the drills) that develop those points.
The kids learn through the ‘No Bat’ drills and Tee Work. (Live Batting is for developing TIMING of the swing with a moving ball.)
We approach teaching the swing 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.
Following the training sequence presented in the Practice Plans will help each player improve significantly. However, there will be bumps along the way. It takes us 5 practices to present the fundamental pieces of the swing (Practices 2–6). It is important to understand that prior to Practice #6, the kids are swinging with incomplete instruction.
Following Practice #6, the players need an additional couple of weeks for muscle memory to set in. Patience is required. We are looking at a month-long process to get our kids’ swings in good shape.
The ideal is motivating the kids to do the ‘No Bat’ drills at home on their days off (it only requires a couple of minutes a day). Building solid muscle memory takes daily (or near-daily) repetition of the body movements. Direct your parents and players to the Baseball Positive website and encourage them to do a bit of extra work at home while away from team practices.
Batting Overview
Learning = Awareness + Feel
Physical movements are not learned through the memorization of information.
The objective of the communication process, in coaching, is to
Guide an athlete through the execution of physical actions.
It is through the doing of actions that an athlete develops
skills (Muscle Memory).
Memorizing instructions (in the Brain) is not how an athlete develops physical skills.
(We have all heard of the advice given to a struggling athlete,
“You’re thinking too much”)
The first step in learning a physical skill, is the athlete gaining an
Awareness of the given action they are trying to learn or correct*.
Next, the player gains familiarity with how the movement Feels.
During ‘No Bat’ Drills and swing workouts, recognizing the feel of doing an
action correctly is a key piece for repeating the action consistently.
*Example:
A batter wants to be in balance, with their Feet in Place, at the end of their swing.
The coach guides the player in gaining Awareness of their
feet at the conclusion of each swing. Once awareness is established, it is through
repetition that the player becomes conscious of the Feel,
in their leg muscles and body, of being balanced with their Feet in Place.
Repetition
Information doesn’t swing the bat …Muscles swing the bat. Info guides the training process.
Lecturing our kids on the details of the swing may not be the most effective approach.
Give them a couple basics, then get them swinging the bat. Baseball Positive’s
‘Batting Practice, a 12-Player Drill’ has five players swinging a bat at all times.
The key to developing physical skills is Reps, Reps, Reps.
Give the kids as many repetitions of the swing action as possible.
A valuable thought for a coach (beginner, novice or expert):
- — It’s not what We know, it’s what They understand. —
We don’t need a great amount of knowledge to help kids get better.
Those of us with more experience can give too much information
and overwhelm kids. Just get them doing, and they will improve.
We are working with young kids who have a lot of learning and development
ahead of them. We don’t have to be perfect in our instruction and we don’t
need to teach them everything.
Important Note: Much of the improvement of young athletes comes from
growing and gaining body strength. We can’t teach the body to grow faster.
Keep it simple, keep it fun, and keep them in the game,
so they have the opportunity next year and the year after to be better as a
result of their bodies getting stronger.
No Bat Drills
The more often muscles can repeat an action (Muscle Memory), the better they replicate that action in competition. ‘No Bat’ Drills are how we train the actions the body makes to swing a bat.
There is no bat or ball to distract learning. The drills can be done anytime, anywhere. Players can get massive repetitions in a short period of time.
First we train Muscle Memory, then the kids pick up a bat and move on to Tee Work. Following Drills and Tee Work, then we introduce a moving ball. We first establish a good swing, then hitting a moving ball becomes a task of developing Timing (and swinging at strikes).
Tee Work is Essential
Many kids think the Batting Tee is for Tee Ball. We want to educate them that MLB players spend countless hours working on their swing using a Tee.
We want our kids to spend most of their swing time at a Tee. Every youth team needs at least two Tees available for a practice.
(League Leaders, please invest a few dollars to make multiple Tees available at all practice locations.)
The batting information in this section, and the Practice Plans on this
website, makes Tee Work a central part of the training process.
See the link below of former American League MVP, Josh Hamilton, swinging off a Tee.
Drill and Tee Work - Approach
We break the swing down into four parts:
- Knee
- Elbow
- Wrist
- HINGE (Bottom Hand)
When doing No Bat Drills or taking a series of swings on the Tee, we focus on one part of the swing. The objective is to improve the actions of that part.
Examples:
- Switch Heels (coordinating the initial action of the legs in the swing)
- Sideways Karate Chop (Elbow-Hand…Elbow action preceding the sideways-chop action of the hand)
- Skip-a-Rock (snapping the top-hand wrist straight forward)
- Hands Inside the Ball (focus on the bottom hand pointing along the line to the inside edge of the ball)
We can also focus on the coordination between two parts of the swing.
Examples:
- Heel-Elbow (driving the front heel back while driving the back elbow/funny bone forward)
- Elbow-Wrist (the sequence of the elbow driving first, followed by the wrist snap)
Swing Workout Structure; Three Formats:
1. Sets of swings (5–10 reps) focusing on each of the four parts, followed by sets focusing on the coordination of two parts (e.g., ‘Knee-Elbow’)
2. Sets of swings focusing on one part (or the coordination of the sequence of two parts) that a batter wants to give particular attention
3. Brief sets of drills and swings addressing each part of the swing (‘warm-up’), followed by more focused work on one part or the coordination between two parts
Contact Point
The ball is contacted when it is even with the front foot. Many of the actions (and teaching) of the swing are done in reference to Contact Point.
Note: pitches on the inside part of the plate are contacted a few inches before the ball reaches the front foot.
Pitches located on the outside part of the plate are contacted after the ball is past the front foot.
More detail, beyond what is noted here, in the variation of contact point, is not a big deal early in the process of teaching the swing.
Batting Against Live Pitches / Timing
Live ‘Batting Practice’ is actually Timing Practice. Live batting is not a good environment to teach batting technique. Technique is trained during ‘No Bat’ Drills and Tee Work.
Two points of focus for Timing:
- See Ball, Turn Back (click the video link below)
- Let the Ball Get to Your Feet.
…Early in the instruction part of this section we address the action of ‘Turn Back’, which prepares the body to swing the bat.
A pitched ball is contacted when it reaches the front foot. Often batters (at all levels) swing too early, resulting in weak contact. We are constantly reminding the kids, ‘Let the Ball Get to Your Feet’.
Swing at the Same Speed Every Time
Swing speed is the ‘constant’ for the internal timing mechanism. The only sure way to swing the same speed every time, is for each swing to be Full Speed (100% effort). We need to understand this results in missing the ball sometimes (No big deal, this is practice; it is learning time). On the next swing the batter’s timing improves. Discipline in consistent
Batting Against Live Pitches / Timing
Live ‘Batting Practice’ is actually Timing Practice. Live batting is not a good environment to teach batting technique. Technique is trained during ‘No Bat’ Drills and Tee Work.
Two points of focus for Timing:
- See Ball, Turn Back (click the video link below)
- Let the Ball Get to Your Feet.
…Early in the instruction part of this section we address the action of ‘Turn Back’, which prepares the body to swing the bat.
A pitched ball is contacted when it reaches the front foot. Often batters (at all levels) swing too early, resulting in weak contact. We are constantly reminding the kids, ‘Let the Ball Get to Your Feet’.
Swing at the Same Speed Every Time
Swing speed is the ‘constant’ for the internal timing mechanism. The only sure way to swing the same speed every time, is for each swing to be Full Speed (100% effort). We need to understand this results in missing the ball sometimes (No big deal, this is practice; it is learning time). On the next swing the batter’s timing improves. Discipline in consistent swing speed, over a couple of weeks, results in much improved timing.
Also, when the swing is full speed (using good mechanics, which are taught here) it is more fluid and accurate …if, and when, the batter keeps their ‘Head in Place’.
Watch: 1:45 - 2:15
Mindset & Objectives for Live Batting:
We don’t want our batters thinking ‘Hit the Ball’. Their mindset is ‘Make a Good Swing’.
We want to apply the same good swing, developed in our tee work, to all live pitches. On a bad pitch, when a batter is tries to ‘Hit the Ball’, they change their swing, often resulting in a poor swing.
When a batter applies a good swing (maintaining good mechanics) to a bad pitch in practice, they likely hit the ball poorly, or miss.
This is good! They learn that a bad pitch, most likely, will not be hit well. It is our job, as coaches (and parents), to point this out.
Taking a good swing, and missing (or making weak contact), has two positive benefits:
- Batters learn which pitches they can hit well (strikes) and which pitches they cannot hit well (pitches outside the strike zone).
- Mechanics improve. The players are making good swings every time. Then, when they get a well located pitch, the habit of making good swings more likely results in a well hit ball.
Face the Ball
A common teaching phrase is, ‘Keep Your Eye On The Ball’. This is perfectly fine, but I’ll suggest changing it to, ‘Face the Ball’. The eyes are located on the front of the face; if a batter is ‘Facing the Ball’, both of their eyes are on the ball. The face is part of the head.
This reference to the Face ties in with the concept of ‘Keep Your Head in Place’ (which is referenced later in the program).
Batting Practice Pitchers Suck :)~
Yes, a good number of us working with kids don’t always throw strikes during Batting practice.
Remind kids that Batting Practice pitchers (and pitchers in games) throw a fair number of poorly located pitches. Many poorly hit balls in BP are a result of bad pitches.
It is difficult to hit a poorly located pitch well. Most well hit balls in MLB are when batters swing at pitches located near the middle of the strike zone. It is important that we teach kids to not judge themselves when they hit the ball poorly against a cruddy pitch.
The Value of Whiffle/Squishy Balls
Live batting using whiffle/squishy balls (which are unlikely to cause injury if a person is hit by a batted ball), is a great way to maximize practice time:
- Better Pitches. We can pitch from 18’; the closer the pitcher, the higher percentage of strikes. (see video below)
- Balls don’t go as far; less time picking up, more time swinging.
- Players get more swings. Multiple batters can swing at the same time; players chasing balls are safe with multiple balls being hit at the same time.
- Don’t need a field (or a very large space) to practice.
Is the Stride Needed in the Swing?
Many successful batters at the elite levels do not stride. We do not instruct a youth batter to stride. If a batter chooses to stride, we leave them alone unless we see the stride causing problems.
The primary function of a stride action is for timing. We are teaching ‘Turn Back,’ which serves as a timing mechanism. It is okay to stride if it feels natural to a batter; however…
Young batters are encouraged to work without using a stride. Striding is additional movement in the swing action. More movement in the swing = more chances for flaws. A solution for eliminating or reducing a problematic stride is to widen the stance.
In the videos below, none of the batters stride. A few pick up their front foot and set it back down—an action called a ‘Step’ or ‘Toe Tap’ (timing mechanisms like a stride, but with less movement). Many older and stronger players today use this type of action in place of a stride. These actions require quite a bit of leg and core strength, which players gain in their teen years.
- Canada V Italy – 1 min 57 sec
- Mariners V Blue Jays – 4 mins (watch: 0:25 | 1:01 | 1:30 | 1:51 | 2:20 | 2:37 | 3:03)
Santana, in the first clip, and the Jays batter in the last clip, do lift their front foot. However, they set their foot back down pretty much where it started. Note that they do so slowly and with body control. These are grown men with tremendous body strength. This is difficult for a young batter to incorporate into their swing.
Stance
Feet Wide in Stance (Critically Important)
The inside edge of the feet positioned 2”– 4+” outside the hips. A wide base is an absolute must. It provides stability, balance, and agility. Positions legs to generate power needed to for the swing.
Toes of each foot pointing towards home plate (possibly one or both a bit pigeon-toed).
Weight Distribution (Important)
Body weight centered between the feet (weight shifts towards the back leg/foot during the Turn Back action). Weight on the inside edges of the feet. This can be accomplished by allowing the knees to ‘squeeze’ together a bit (‘Knees Inside the Feet’).
Hands held near, or a bit above, the back shoulder. Bat Barrel pointed somewhere between straight over the shoulder and the area above or inline with the head.
Top-Hand Wrist (Important)
We want a 90 degree angle between the top-hand forearm and the bat. Or an angle a bit less than 90 degrees.
Middle Knuckles of the top hand somewhere from lined-up with middle knuckles of the bottom hand to lined up with the bottom knuckles of the bottom hand. Most batters will find a comfortable grip somewhere in between.
Stance
The feet of the kid player (obviously not as strong) are not as wide as the pros.
The legs of a kid player can work with a wider stance; just need encouragement
from an adult. The green on the shoes illustrate the inside edge of the foot and
the Pad of the Big Toe.
The Swing
Switch Heels
The effort in the ‘swing’ begins with the Legs.
The batter Switches Heels.
This action creates the turn of the Legs and hips. Two movements comprise the Switch Heels action:
-
Batter drives their Front Heel straight back and down, by pushing off the
Pad of the Big Toe of the front foot. -
Batter pushes off the Pad of the Big Toe, of the back foot, to execute the
Knee Drive: back knee drives straight forward.
The finish position has the Back Heel up off the ground.
Turn Back
When the batter sees the ball in the pitcher’s hand they
Turn Back
(front side of the body turns in a bit, while slightly shifting weight
back). The finish position has the Front Heel up off the ground.
This action prepares the Legs to maximize their ability to
power the swing.
At the conclusion of the Turn Back action:
- More than 50% of body weight is on the inside of the back foot
- Back knee is bent (out over the toes of the back foot)
- The front heel is off the ground
- Both eyes remain directed at the pitcher (if the batter can’t keep both eyes on the pitcher, they have turned back too far)
THE SWING: Knee - Elbow - Wrist; HINGE
Essentially, the ‘swing’ consists of three straight-line actions:
- Back Knee* drives straight forward
- Back Elbow drives straight forward (alongside the torso)
- Top-Hand Wrist snaps straight forward (with the top-hand arm following until it is fully extended, straight)
These three actions move the top-hand, and bat, past the Bottom Hand, which serves as a HINGE for the ‘swing’.
The Knee - Elbow - Wrist movements are the direction of effort a batter puts into the ‘swing’.
This concept of ‘straight’ can seem counterintuitive when watching a batter work at full speed.
We see ‘circular’: (1) the legs/hips turn and (2) the barrel of the bat travels in a circular path.
The thing to understand is the circular motions are created by the batter generating force in straight lines.
*Most of the power and energy in the swing is produced by the Legs.
When ‘Knee’ is referenced in the teaching, it’s movement is the culmination of both Legs working together.
The two final Core Pieces of the swing are the Head and Feet.
Throughout the swing, a batter keeps their Head in Place (centered between their feet).
At the conclusion of the swing, a batter wants their Feet in Place.
Anchor
A batter drives off the Pad of the Big Toe, of the back foot, during the
Switch Heels action, to drive the back Knee straight forward.
In addition to producing this forward action of the back Knee, the
muscles of the upper leg drive down against the Knee.
This downward pressure begins the transfer of energy, produced by
the big muscles of the Legs, to the smaller muscles in the forearms
(top hand & Wrist).
It also keeps the torso from drifting forward during the ‘swing’;
the action ‘Anchors’ the swing.
The Anchor aspect is critical for balance, body control and to maxim-ize bat speed, power generation, and swing accuracy.
Switch Heels - Videos
A fundamental action in the swing is to ‘Switch Heels’. All batters,
when initiating their swing, drive their Front heel
Back & Down. While this takes place, they drive their Back Knee
Forward & Down.
These combined straight-line actions put pressure on the hip girdle
resulting in the ‘Turn of the Hips’. (Many coaches tell kids, “Turn Your
Hips”, but don’t teach them How to Do It.)
Regarding the small percentage of batters who stride, there are two
ways they execute the ‘heel drop’ of the front foot. Some move the
front heel back while landing the stride; others finish their stride on
their big toe, then drive the front heel Back & Down from there.
The first two videos below illustrate the Switch Heels action used
by Albert Pujols and Mike Zunino.
The third video shows a U.S. Soldier doing an ‘About Face’. The sol-
dier employs the same technique as the batters to turn his legs and
body.
The purpose of including the third video is point out that the Switch
Heels action is not something unique to swinging a baseball or soft-
ball bat.
This action is fundamental body mechanics.
Sideways Karate Chop
The action of the top-hand arm, when moving the bat to contact with the ball, is like doing a Sideways Karate Chop. The Elbow leads the top hand when executing this action.
At the conclusion of the Elbow Drive, the top hand remains near the back armpit.
From that point, the top-hand forearm snaps sideways moving the top hand forward. The top hand is in a ‘palm up’ position as it snaps forward.
Contact with the ball is made when the barrel of the bat is about even with the front foot.
Head Over Back Knee
At the conclusion of the Switch Heels/Anchor action, the batter wants their Head Over their Back Knee.
During the Turn Back and Switch Heels actions (and to the completion of the ‘swing’) the batter wants to keep their Head in Place. Centered between their feet.
Elbow Drive
Right after the back Knee begins driving forward, the back Elbow drives straight forward alongside the torso.
Elbow to Belt (shoulder TILT)
The Elbow Drives straight forward along the Belt Line. When listening to coaches at higher levels, you’ll likely hear ‘Elbow to Hip’.
The belt line is a couple inches below the elbow, the result of the Elbow to Belt action is a TILT of the shoulders. (We address this detail later in the teaching process …teach
one new piece at a time. Many players will develop this TILT of the shoulders without being told.)
Skip-a-Rock
Just before the bat contacts the ball, the top-hand Wrist snaps straight forward; the same action as skipping a rock. The Palm stays face-up through contact. (As the arm moves to full extension, the top-hand thumb ends up on top of the bat.)
It is the Wrist, not the arm, that puts effort into this action. The Wrist snaps the bat past the Bottom Hand HINGE.
No Effort With Bottom Hand
The Elbow Drive causes some forward movement of the Bottom Hand. As the forearm and top hand snap forward, executing the Sideways Karate Chop and Skip-a-Rock actions, there is additional forward movement of the Bottom Hand.
The forward movement of the Bottom Hand is a result of the effort of the Elbow, top-hand forearm, and top hand.
Extension (Straight line)
The top-hand arm follows the direction of the Wrist Snap, in a straight line, until fully extended.
Bottom Hand HINGE
The Bottom Hand does not put any forward effort into the ‘swing’.
It works as a HINGE for the swing.
The consecutive actions of the Sideways Karate Chop and Skip-a-Rock actions snap the top hand (and bat) past the Bottom Hand HINGE.
Finish
At the end of the straight line extension of the top-hand arm, the batter is finished putting effort into the ‘swing’.
The batter Does Not try to move the bat around (circular) behind them to complete the barrel’s circular path.
The momentum of the bat barrel continues beyond the straight line effort the batter put into the swing.
A common swing flaw in young batters is intentionally putting effort into moving their hands and arms in a circular motion.
Stride
Is the Stride Needed in the Swing?
Most successful batters Do Not stride. Striding is an individual thing; It’s primary role in the swing is for timing. It is OK to stride if it feels natural to a batter, However… young batters are encouraged to work without using a stride. The Stride is an additional movement for a batter to learn to execute.
More movement = more chances for mistakes. A solution for eliminating or reducing a problematic stride is to widen the stance. …and practice the Switch Heels drill.
In the videos below, watch, none of the batters stride. A few pick up their front foot and set it back down; an action called a ‘Step’ or ‘Toe Tap’ …These are timing mechanisms, like a stride.
Notice there is little or no forward movement with the front; and great control of the torso and head during the action.
Many (older and stronger) players today use this type of an action in place of a stride. These actions require quite a bit of leg strength, which players gain in their teen years.
Younger kids are encouraged to simply Turn Back …like Ohtani 😉
The ‘Swing’ is a Series of Straight-line Actions
The turn we see in the hips/legs is produced by the force of two straight line actions,
working in opposite directions:
- Front foot/leg driving straight backwards
- Back leg/knee driving straight forward
The circular path of the bat barrel is the result of the effort of two straight line actions:
- Elbow Drive - straight forward alongside the torso
- Wrist Snap - straight out towards the field
The ‘Swing’ is a Snap
A batter doesn’t ‘swing’ the bat, they Snap the bat. The Wrist snaps the bat barrel
past the Bottom Hand HINGE. The Wrist Snap is powered by the Knee Drive and
Elbow Drive.
Batting Drills
Batting
Knee (Legs)
KNEE (Training the Legs)
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 consistently. 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 as 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 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 the 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 the 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. The ‘squeeze’ alerts them of the point at which they turned in too far. The batter’s muscles use this physical cue 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). Instruct the 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.
Switch Heels - Part 1
DRILL
1. Batting Stance with feet wider than hips. Hands on hips. Upper body remains relaxed, especially shoulders and neck.
2. Turn Back (front heel up), first picture above. Note: The back knee is bent out over the ‘Big Toe’ of the back foot; weight is on the inside edge of the back foot
3. Switch Heels (Turn Fast), second picture above. Front Heel drives back and down. Back Heel Turns up.
Batter drives off the Pad of the Big Toe, of each foot.
- Action is powered 100% by leg muscles. (common flaw early on is, batter moving their shoulders and head instead of Legs)
- Finish with 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.
Point this out to kids. Pay attention to the relationship of the Head to the Back Knee during swings.
Through awareness of their head, and working on ‘Anchor’ (Switch Heels - 2), during the Switch Heels action, kids develop control of their head during their swings.
Switch Heels - Part 2 (Anchor)
Emphasis on both legs driving, towards center, with equal force. The front heel drives straight back; the back knee is driven straight forward. Direction of effort with the back knee is Down, towards the front heel.
These two focused and forceful straight line actions result in maximizing the speed and power in the Turn of the Legs/Hips. The torso remains centered between feet at the end of the action.
Squeeze Thighs
Later, after a batter masters the Heel-Knee action, we finalize the action to maximize the use of the legs in generating power for the swing. The batter Squeezes together, the upper inside of their thighs. this final piece generates full use of the leg muscles. The actions of the legs becomes quicker and more powerful.
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 develop control of their head during their swings.
Switch Heels — 3 (Heel-Knee)
Emphasis on both legs driving, towards center, with equal force. The front heel drives straight back; the back knee is driven straight forward. Direction of effort with the back knee is Down, towards the front heel.
These two focused and forceful straight line actions result in maximizing the speed and power in the Turn of the Legs/Hips. The torso remains centered between feet at the end of the action.
Squeeze Thighs
Later, after a batter masters the Heel-Knee action, we finalize the action to maximize the use of the legs in generating power for the swing. The batter Squeezes together, the upper inside of their thighs. this final piece generates full use of the leg muscles. The actions of the legs becomes quicker and more powerful.
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 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
Lower Half Turn
Objectives
- Create awareness of the legs and their action in the swing
- Legs start and power the swing; train legs to move first
- Train the lower half of the body and upper body to work separately
Set-Up
- Batting Stance with hands in position as if holding a bat
Action
- Turn Back, then switch heels (at half or 3/4 speed); reset, rest a moment, repeat
- We want only the lower half of the body (Legs) to move. However, initially, there likely will be movement in the shoulders, hands, and head.
Helping With the Drill
- Gently grasp the batter’s hands. This makes them aware of their hands (and upper body) prior to doing the drill. When doing the drill, if they move their upper body and hands, they will FEEL the movement.
Note: Don’t resist their hands moving; allow them to move. Through repetition, quick progress is made
What Will Go Wrong
- Upper Body Movement. Fix: see above
Knee-Elbow
ELBOW
- Sideways Karate Chop - 1 (Elbow-Hand)
- (TAKING THE BAT TO CONTACT POINT)
Sideways Karate Chop — 1 (Elbow-Hand)
Set-Up
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.
(1) Batter drives the Funny Bone* of the Elbow straight forward alongside the torso, finishing with the elbow bent.
Note: The elbow is bent when holding the bat in the stance. This is a very simple movement; so simple that it may be difficult to learn initially, because most kids have been using excessive arm movement to get the bat going
The top hand remains in the area near the armpit; exact position varies player to player.
(see first picture below)
Drill
This is a two-part action; movements are consecutive without stopping.
(2) The forearm and hand snaps, sideways, to ‘Contact Point’ (approximately even with the front foot). The hand, while moving sideways and forward, is in a palm-up position.
…the player is doing a Karate Chop, sideways. Think of when a karate person is breaking a stack of bricks, their elbow is bent (strong) at contact.
* Funny Bone is the little knob (a bit smaller than a dime) on the inside of the Elbow
Sideways Karate Chop — 2 (Elbow to Belt)
Set-Up
Same as Sideways Karate Chop #1 (replaces #1, moving forward)
Drill
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).
Note: 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 (which is centered between the feet.
Incorporating this focus (‘Head Behind the Ball’) is more applicable to Tee Work, but can be part of No Bat Drills.
WRIST
Skip-a-Rock — 1
Objective
- Train muscles of the top-hand arm to work in a straight line when snapping the bat through the ball
Set-Up
- Switch Heels (OK for feet to be flat on the ground. We do want the feet turned to a 45 degree angle)
- Back Elbow alongside the torso at the Belt (result is a slight TILT of the shoulders)
- Top-hand around the area of the back armpit (exact hand position will vary player to player) with top-hand palm facing up
- Bottom Hand on Front Hip (it is not involved in the drill)
Action
- 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 with the back leg to create energy to help the Wrist Snap - head remains over back knee).
Skip-a-Rock — 2 (Snap Past Hinge)
Recognize that during this aspect of the swing there is no forward effort generated by the Bottom Hand.
When the top hand executes the Skip-a-Rock action, during the batting swing, it snaps past the Bottom Hand, which serves as the HINGE of the swing.
(Any forward movement of the Bottom Hand, during this aspect of the Swing, is a result of the Effort of the Top Hand, Skip-a-Rock action)
This ‘Drill’ is for Tee Work.
While swing off the Tee, we want the batter to focus on being aware of how much movement there is with their Bottom Hand. The batter wants to feel the relationship between the Bottom Hand and Top Hand Wrist during the Skip-a-rock action (snapping past the HINGE).
(The ‘No Bat’ Drill for this aspect of the swing is coming up).
Pic #3: Top Hand past HINGE
Pic #2: Top Hand snapping past HINGE
Pic #1: Barrel of bat is accelerating while Bottom Hand remains near back shoulder.
Any forward movement of the Bottom Hand is a result of effort made by the top Hand.
At this point in the Swing the Top Hand is doing the work. The Bottom Hand is only serving as a HINGE (is putting No forward effort into the ‘swing’).
Skip-a-Rock — 3 (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.
When the top-hand arm reaches full extension, the Pad of the thumb is on top of the bat.
Note the position of the Bottom Hand, working as the HINGE in the swing. Look at the bat in relationship to the Bottom Hand; you can see that the Bottom Hand is no longer firmly holding the bat (not something to teach) …the Bottom Hand has Not put effort (‘pulled’) into the swing.
Skip-a-Rock — 4 (Both Hands)
Objective
-
Increase awareness of the Bottom Hand
-
Eliminate forward effort generated by the Bottom Hand
-
Develop Control the front shoulder and lead arm.
-
Bottom Hand remains on the Swing Line (straight out towards the field) following the path of the Top Hand
Set-Up
- Execute the Lower Half Turn*
-
Next, execute an Elbow Drive (with back elbow), placing the Elbow at the Belt. We want the Top Hand near the back armpit with palm facing up.
- Both hands together: Bottom Hand closed as if holding the bat; Top Hand open, ready to Skip-a-Rock.
- Head over back knee
- * it is OK to have the feet flat on the ground, both at a 45 degree angle, when doing the drill
Action
- Snap the Top-Hand straight forward (towards the field) using the Skip-a-Rock action.
- Bottom Hand remains ‘connected’ to the Top Hand until the end of the action: Top-Hand arm is fully extended
Hinge (Bottom Hand)
Bottom Hand — 1
The Bottom Hand puts no effort into the swing. The role of the Bottom Hand:
- Control of the Swing
- Serves as the HINGE of the swing.
When we see movement of the Bottom Hand in the swing, it is the result of the forward energy produced by the Legs/Knee, Back Elbow and Top Hand/Wrist.
Set-Up
In Stance, with the Bottom Hand slightly above the shoulder, as if holding a bat. (Place the Top Hand on the back hip; its not part of the drill).
The Bottom hand ‘pulls’ approximately 4 inches towards Contact Point. It finishes near the back armpit. The elbow of the lead-arm remains bent.
This is the location of the bottom hand as a result of being moved forward by the Elbow Drive. Repeat 8x, slowly.
Objective
Muscles gain Awareness and Feel of the Bottom Hand and Lead Arm during the swing. Later, if the batter Pulls with the Bottom Hand during a swing, they are Aware of the excessive pulling because of the different Feel.
NOTE
These two pictures represent the relationship of the Bottom Hand to the Back Shoulder for the starting and finishing position of the Drill. The shoulders DO NOT move during the drill.
Bottom Hand — 2 (Elbow to Elbow)
An almost universal flaw in the batting swing (including MLB players when they are struggling) is Pulling with the Front Side of their bodies (Bottom Hand, Lead Arm, and Front Shoulder) when initiating the swing action. The first action for generating energy to move the bat comes from the Legs.
The second action is the back Elbow driving forward, to the belt, alongside the torso. A batter wants to create this forward drive with the Back Elbow, and do so with No Pulling With The Front Side.
This Drill is designed to give a batter the the needed repetitions, in a short period of time, to train the Front Side to Not Pull while the Back Elbow drives forward [towards the front elbow].
Objectives
- Eliminate/Minimize pulling with the Bottom Hand, Lead Arm, and Front Shoulder in the Swing
- Train the above while generating a powerful forward action with the back Elbow.
Set-up
- ‘Lower Half Turn’ position. The back heel does not have to be off the ground; both feet can be flat, but we want them at a 45 degree angle to home plate
- Hands positioned where the bat would be held in a regular stance; even with, or slightly above,the back shoulder.
Actions
- Drive the back Elbow straight forward alongside the body (Elbow to Belt); allow shoulders to TILT.
- We want to limit movement of the Lead Arm/Bottom Hand to 4". The action moves the Back Elbow towards, and closer to, the Front Elbow …’Elbow to Elbow’
- While the action is made with the Back Elbow, the purpose of the drill is to train the limited movement of the Lead Arm/Bottom Hand
Helping With the Drill
- Stand across from the batter, as if standing on Home Plate or in the opposite batter’s box. Place a hand a few inches in front of the player’s bottom hand. There will be some forward movement of the Bottom Hand as a result of the Elbow Drive.
- Watch the players lead arm. If there is much pulling with that arm, even an untrained eye can see it.
What Will Go Wrong
- Pulling with the Front Side (Bottom Hand, Lead Arm, and Front Shoulder). Fix: Repetition
- Batter Frustration. Fix: Verbal reminder that the batter is working to eliminate a lifetime habit, and a movement that all batters, including MLB, struggle with. Reassurance, Patience, Understanding that this is difficult to learn.
Extension
The swing is a series of straight line actions. Better to use the terms ‘effort’ or ‘force’.
- Back Knee drives straight forward off the Pad of the Big Toe of the back foot. The effort/force provided by the batter is straight.
- Back Elbow drives straight forward to the hip, along side the torso. The effort/force provided by the batter is straight.
- Top-hand Wrist snaps straight forward, out towards the field. The effort/force provided by the batter is straight.
The completion of the Wrist Snap has the barrel of the bat pointing straight out towards the field and the top-hand arm fully Extended.
At this point, the batter is finished putting effort/force into the swing. The momentum of the bat barrel, created by the batter ‘snapping the bat’, causes the bat to continue moving past the straight line of the ‘swing’.
Watch this video (0:14-0:22) of Josh Hamilton making a ‘circular’ movement with his bat (which he is trying to avoid) and correcting the direction of his effort/force to be in a straight line.
Maintaining straight-line effort in the swing is an on-going challenge for batters at all levels.
Hands Inside the Ball
The primary role of the Bottom Hand is to work as a HINGE for the swing.
It also provides Direction for the swing.
When swinging at the ball (live or on a Tee), a batter points their bottom hand in-line with the inside edge of the ball. This lines up the swing.
When the batter maintains control of the Bottom Hand during the swing, snapping the swing (bat) past the HINGE, along this line, it provides accuracy for the swing.
This approach also helps increase the batter’s focus on the ball (an aspect of batting that most young batters have ample room for improvement). Rather than just ‘keep you eye on the ball’, we ask the batter to ‘see the inside edge of the ball’. This gives them a more specific point of focus.
Straight Line Path of Hands
The direction of the hands in the swing is a Straight line from start to finish.
The sequence of the actions of the hands in the swing:
-
Bottom Hand is directed on the line to the inside edge of the ball
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Top-hand Wrist snaps in a straight line
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Top Hand remains on that line until the top-hand arm is fully extended straight out towards the field
-
The Bottom Hand remains on the line until the top-hand arm reaches full extension
The Hands remain on the Straight Line Path until they are pulled off the by the momentum of the barrel of the bat accelerating past the Line (past the Bottom Hand HINGE). There is No ‘circular’ effort made with the hands. All effort and force produced by the hands is in a straight line along the Straight Line Path of the Hands.
Coordinating the Hands
Sequence of points involving the coordination of both hands in the swing:
1. Direction of Bottom Hand lines up towards the Inside Edge of the Ball. This lines-up the top-hand and bat barrel on the Swing Line, preparing for an accurate snap of the bat to Contact Point.
2. Hands (and bat barrel) remain on this line during the Elbow Drive (Elbow to Elbow)
3. The Top hand executes the Skip-a-Rock action (past the Bottom Hand HINGE)
4. The Bottom Hand does not put any forward effort into the swing during the Skip-a-Rock action. The forward movement of the Bottom Hand is fully a result of the effort made with the top hand.
When focusing on the Skip-a-Rock action during Tee Work, the batter wants to be conscious of limiting the forward movement of the Bottom Hand until the barrel of the bat passes the bottom hand.
5. The Bottom Hand remains on the Swing Line, following the forward momentum of the Top Hand, until the Top-Hand arm reaches full extension.
In the long term, once a batter as solidified the habit of fully utilizing their legs to start and power the swing, their focus when swinging, is on the actions of their hands.
Front Side (Awareness)
Much of our training emphasis is on straight lines and driving forward with the Legs and Elbow (aspects of the swing that many young players fall short of maximizing).
We want to maintain awareness of the effort of the Front Leg during the Switch Heels action. The Front Leg applies equal force, back, during this initial action in the swing, as the back leg applies force forward.
If a batter is having trouble with their front leg ‘collapsing’ during the swing, there a few things we can do to correct this common flaw:
- Switch Heels Drill — extra reps, focusing on applying equal force with the front leg
- Anchor — We talk about the forward Knee Drive of the back leg (first aspect of Anchor). We want to be sure the forward effort of the Anchor also includes Downward force against the back knee.
- Head Behind the Ball (awareness during the swing) — The ball is contacted even with the front foot. The Head remains in place (centered between the feet) during the swing. The Head is Behind the Ball at contact.
- Head Over Back Knee (awareness following the swing) - the movement created by the Knee Drive works independent of the Head. The Head remains in place, while the Knee drives forward finishing below the Head.
- Heel-Elbow (new focus point) — this can be a focus during ‘No Bat’ drills or Tee Work. Batter focuses on driving the front Heel back, and the back Elbow forward and towards the belt. Drive the Heel and Elbow ‘together’ (towards each other - towards Center). This action puts emphasis on the Front Side, while maintaining the drive of the Elbow for power and proper sequence of the swing.
- Feet in Place — Balance at the conclusion of the swing
Important: while applying these fixes, we want our batters to continue working at full speed. The muscles need to work at full speed during a competitive swing, so we want to practice the swing at full speed.
Just because we identify this flaw (collapsing of the front leg), and communicate it to a player, doesn’t mean they will fix it in one day. It takes time to train any desired muscle action. Be supportive, encouraging …and patient; they will get it.
Hard-Quick
This is a concept to apply later in the season when batter(s) have demonstrated a decent level of competency in their swing. At least they have shown they understand what they are trying to achieve when working on the actions of the swing.
HARD
The first part of the swing involves the large muscles of the legs and back (Knee-Elbow). In this aspect they apply as much force as possible. If we were to vocalize the word ‘HARD’ it would be a deep, gruff, forceful, “HARD!”
QUICK
The smaller muscles in the forearms/Wrist (top-hand to be specific) take the force created by the large muscles and Guide that energy straight, along the Swing Line (path of hands). If we were to vocalize the word ‘QUICK’ it would be a light and breathy, “quick”.
Fast-Faster
This refers to the same actions and focus as HARD-QUICK. We introduce this focus after the kid(s) have developed comfort in executing the HARD-QUICK sequence.
The difference is, here the focus is specifically on the Elbow Drive and the Wrist Snap (Elbow-Wrist). This focus makes the assumption that the batter has a well-established habit of utilizing their Legs (Switch Heels & Anchor).
The Batter (this is incorporated into Tee Work) drives their Elbow fast (the majority of the force generated), then their Wrist takes that energy, which accelerates the swing faster.
Important Note: The effort made by the wrist is more of a Guiding action (keeping the energy on the Swing Line) than force produced by muscle.
Wiffle Ball Batting
Final Points
- Your Kid Can’t Hit …Because Their Bat is Too Long
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