90% of all baseball batting issues will arise in the load portion of the swing. Between a players confidence level, the physical steps, and pitch recognition, it takes a truly disciplined player to consistently get this portion of the swing correct. If players do not fully integrate the visual, physical, and mental nature of the load, players will surely struggle to find answers to their baseball batting problems.
Overall, players must master three things during the load portion of the baseball swing: hands and weight back, front foot stride, and pitch recognition. The ability to master the the physical components can be easy enough, however, fully understanding the pitch recognition phase can be a lifelong battle if left untrained To being the load, players want to bring their hands back towards the catcher 2-4 inches while stepping out towards the pitcher with the front leg 4 to 6 inches.
As players begin the load, they want to visualize that their hands are on a tight close line that is parallel to their body. This will keep players in the mindset that they want to work more north and south into the baseball instead of east and west. As players bring their hands back, you will notice a slight shoulder curl in towards the plate. Some coaches like to train the shoulder curl in effort to try to squeeze more power out a players swing. However, my thought is to let this happen naturally as it is my experience that a player will over exaggerate any action that he feels will get him more power. An exaggerated shoulder curl will take a players head and eyes away from the baseball which we never want to do.
Two common mistakes during this portion of the baseball load include allowing the hands to drift too far away from the body, and taking our hands back too quickly. Allowing the hands to drift too far back will cause players to loose their position of strength as a hitter and cause a long, dragging swing. If a player feels their bottom arm beginning to straighten out, then they have loaded to far back. To counteract loading the hands back to quickly, have your player load on a two count, one one-thousand, two one-thousand. This will cause him to slow down and release any tension in the body. A quick load increases stress too early in the swing.
During this step, players will transfer a portion of their weight to their backside. Player's should be conscious not to load more than 60% of their weight onto their back side as it will cause one of two things to happen. One, the player will never transfer his weight into the ball and his weight will stay back causing a decrease in power and longevity through the zone. Two, players will over commit their weight to soon causing a lack of ability to read pitches. As a general check point, a player's knee should not cross over his back foot. If this happens, too much weight has been loaded back.
As the hands and weight make there way back, a players front foot wants to extend towards the pitcher 4-6 inches. As the front foot lands, you want to make sure the players foot is "closed off" or parallel with the front of the plate. If the foot "leaks" open or is pointing towards the pitcher, it will cause a player to loose power and spin off of pitches instead of staying through the zone increasing the rate and quality of contact. An important note regarding the front foot is to make sure the foot is firmly planted on the ground before engaging in the next steps of the baseball swing.
Once the hands and weight have been drawn back and the foot extends towards the plate player must actively train themselves to read the pitch. Most rely on their natural abilities during this portion of the swing. However the mind and eyes, just like the body, needs to have the proper training. If you player is like most, when his foot hits the ground he assumes the next step is to drive the hips into the ball. This common misconception creates a disconnect in regards to timing and rhythm. As a result, players will constantly be searching for batting answers he already has.
In this moment, players should give themselves the ability to hit the pitchers fastest pitch, but more importantly give themselves the opportunity to more accurately read other pitches. I never liked the idea of set-up for the fastball and adjust if it is an off speed pitch. That just seems too difficult because you constantly battling your natual urge to swing. Instead I like to create a scanning process where you pick out the type of pitch and location and react to that spot.
Understanding points of contact begins with a concept I call the "Hitting Prism". The Hitting Prism is a structure where players actively train hitting pitches at points of contact. The prism begins with a simple division of the batting zone into 3 equal sections, L for left, C for center, and R for right. During batting practice sessions, players should call out the location after every pitch. As players progress, you can add 1 for high, 2 for middle, and 3 for low. After every pitch, players and coaches can communicate effectively as to where the pitch was located and what the best contact point for each pitch location should be.
When you perform this drill, you will find that players will misidentify pitches more frequently than you might have thought. This happens for several reasons, but it all stems from the players brain. Players naturally want to hit the ball where they feel they have the most power, as a result players tend to "lie" to themselves about pitch location so they can hit the ball to their "power" fields. As a result, players will tend to misunderstand proper contact points and commit their timing and body to the wrong zones This causes their average to drop, and a constant search for better timing.
The ability to understand and have consistent contact points is the foundation for generating consistent "rhythm or timing" because it allows players to understand where the baseball needs to meet the baseball bat to get the best results. A better understanding of contact points helps to eliminate when do I swing, and helps players to focus on where. Use these training methods in your next baseball batting training sessions and your player is sure to take his batting skills to the next level.
Overall, players must master three things during the load portion of the baseball swing: hands and weight back, front foot stride, and pitch recognition. The ability to master the the physical components can be easy enough, however, fully understanding the pitch recognition phase can be a lifelong battle if left untrained To being the load, players want to bring their hands back towards the catcher 2-4 inches while stepping out towards the pitcher with the front leg 4 to 6 inches.
As players begin the load, they want to visualize that their hands are on a tight close line that is parallel to their body. This will keep players in the mindset that they want to work more north and south into the baseball instead of east and west. As players bring their hands back, you will notice a slight shoulder curl in towards the plate. Some coaches like to train the shoulder curl in effort to try to squeeze more power out a players swing. However, my thought is to let this happen naturally as it is my experience that a player will over exaggerate any action that he feels will get him more power. An exaggerated shoulder curl will take a players head and eyes away from the baseball which we never want to do.
Two common mistakes during this portion of the baseball load include allowing the hands to drift too far away from the body, and taking our hands back too quickly. Allowing the hands to drift too far back will cause players to loose their position of strength as a hitter and cause a long, dragging swing. If a player feels their bottom arm beginning to straighten out, then they have loaded to far back. To counteract loading the hands back to quickly, have your player load on a two count, one one-thousand, two one-thousand. This will cause him to slow down and release any tension in the body. A quick load increases stress too early in the swing.
During this step, players will transfer a portion of their weight to their backside. Player's should be conscious not to load more than 60% of their weight onto their back side as it will cause one of two things to happen. One, the player will never transfer his weight into the ball and his weight will stay back causing a decrease in power and longevity through the zone. Two, players will over commit their weight to soon causing a lack of ability to read pitches. As a general check point, a player's knee should not cross over his back foot. If this happens, too much weight has been loaded back.
As the hands and weight make there way back, a players front foot wants to extend towards the pitcher 4-6 inches. As the front foot lands, you want to make sure the players foot is "closed off" or parallel with the front of the plate. If the foot "leaks" open or is pointing towards the pitcher, it will cause a player to loose power and spin off of pitches instead of staying through the zone increasing the rate and quality of contact. An important note regarding the front foot is to make sure the foot is firmly planted on the ground before engaging in the next steps of the baseball swing.
Once the hands and weight have been drawn back and the foot extends towards the plate player must actively train themselves to read the pitch. Most rely on their natural abilities during this portion of the swing. However the mind and eyes, just like the body, needs to have the proper training. If you player is like most, when his foot hits the ground he assumes the next step is to drive the hips into the ball. This common misconception creates a disconnect in regards to timing and rhythm. As a result, players will constantly be searching for batting answers he already has.
In this moment, players should give themselves the ability to hit the pitchers fastest pitch, but more importantly give themselves the opportunity to more accurately read other pitches. I never liked the idea of set-up for the fastball and adjust if it is an off speed pitch. That just seems too difficult because you constantly battling your natual urge to swing. Instead I like to create a scanning process where you pick out the type of pitch and location and react to that spot.
Understanding points of contact begins with a concept I call the "Hitting Prism". The Hitting Prism is a structure where players actively train hitting pitches at points of contact. The prism begins with a simple division of the batting zone into 3 equal sections, L for left, C for center, and R for right. During batting practice sessions, players should call out the location after every pitch. As players progress, you can add 1 for high, 2 for middle, and 3 for low. After every pitch, players and coaches can communicate effectively as to where the pitch was located and what the best contact point for each pitch location should be.
When you perform this drill, you will find that players will misidentify pitches more frequently than you might have thought. This happens for several reasons, but it all stems from the players brain. Players naturally want to hit the ball where they feel they have the most power, as a result players tend to "lie" to themselves about pitch location so they can hit the ball to their "power" fields. As a result, players will tend to misunderstand proper contact points and commit their timing and body to the wrong zones This causes their average to drop, and a constant search for better timing.
The ability to understand and have consistent contact points is the foundation for generating consistent "rhythm or timing" because it allows players to understand where the baseball needs to meet the baseball bat to get the best results. A better understanding of contact points helps to eliminate when do I swing, and helps players to focus on where. Use these training methods in your next baseball batting training sessions and your player is sure to take his batting skills to the next level.
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