When asked about hitting, Ted Williams is often quoted as saying “you take a round ball and a round bat and try to hit it squarely.” Perhaps hitting is not quite that absurd, but it is not an easy task. Even the best hitters need to constantly work to hit better than they did last season.
The Perfect Stance For Hitting: Stance, Cock It, and Rock It
Having a good stance is much like loading a gun: Your core and legs are the trigger, your arms are the hammer, the bat is the bullet, and the ball is the target. Here are some pointers for an effective stance:
- Keep your feet shoulder length, parallel to each other, with your weight on the balls of your feet. Never put your weight on your heels.
- Your weight should be equally distributed and comfortable
- Your hands should be together, at or near the end of the bat
- Your eyes should be on the pitcher. Look for the pitcher’s tells. Inexperienced pitchers will often give away what pitch they are about to throw. It is often wise to take the first pitch to get used to the pitcher’s style.
- Your mind should be on the game. When you get up to the plate, you should have a game plan of where you want to hit and what pitch you want to swing at.
When the pitcher is about to throw, it is time to cock the gun:
- Shift your weight backwards so that about 75% of your weight is on your back foot.
- The bat should be as far back as if comfortable for the batter
- Your shoulder and chin should be tucked in. This will prevent the batter from pulling away and missing the ball.
Now the pitch is coming. It is time to rock it:
- Take a short step with your front foot to start your momentum. Keep your weight on the back foot for now
- Use one of the swings mentioned below, depending on the situation.
- Make contact, driving your weight from back foot to front foot. Your front leg should be stiff once planted to transfer body momentum to the bat. Your back leg should look like an L. The batter does not hit the ball with his arms, he hits it with his body weight. It is the shift from rear to front foot that gives the swing power.
- Follow through completely, making sure to twist at the waist to make sure that you get ever bit of power from your body weight. The bat should now rest on the batter’s front shoulder, with the knob pointing in the direction he wanted to hit the ball.
The Three Different Swings
If there is one thing to take away from this article, it is understanding situational swinging. There are three swings that the batter can utilize: the Level Swing, the Tree Chop, and the Uppercut.
The Level Swing: Most situations call for a level swing, which allows the batter to hit for power and for average. This pitch is perfect against a fastball.
The level swing is actually slightly downward, as you are bringing your hands from your shoulder down to the ball. When making contact, the bat should be exactly parallel to the ground. The follow through should bring the bat to your front shoulder, with the knob aiming at a 45 degree angle up.
The Tree Chop: This swing is very good for speedy batters who want to put the ball in play, and to use with two strikes. It is also effective against sliders. Jose Reyes is a good example of a tree chopper.
When making contact, the knob of the bat should be slightly lower than the head. The follow through should have the knob parallel to the ground.
The Uppercut: This is an all-or-nothing swing for power. Expect to strike out a lot when using this swing. However, this swing can also be useful for off speed pitches, where the ball drops significantly through the strike zone. Ryan Howard is a good example of an uppercut swinger.
When making contact, the bat head should be lower than the knob. Imagine yourself flinging the ball into the outfield. The follow through should have the bat knob at an 80 degree angle.
Honing Your Swing
Remember that the most important aspect of hitting is to remain comfortable. There has never been a great hitter who came to bat tense. Stay loose, follow these tips, and you will hit better than last season.
For Further Reading
 |
 |
