Baseball hitting drills for more power

Most the author: Doug Bernier has played pro baseball for 16 years, including the Rockies, Yankees, Pirates, Twins, and virtually recently with the TX Rangers.

Because of the different set ups and stances, there are different ways for how to striking a baseball.  Only once a hitter gets to the contact point that is where all the differences stop and the absolutes and similarities start.

If you compare Johnny Damon (who has a very open stance and a leg kick), to Albert Pujols (broad stance and has very little movement), and to David Eckstein (gets in his legs a lot, chokes up and stands very close to the plate) you would find that initially they look completely unlike.

Only…  when you strip away the pre-pitch rhythm, the leg kicks and all of the other motility that is personal preference, you detect that they are a lot alike.

The 7 absolutes are seen at contact.  No thing how a hitter gets to the contact point of his swing, all great hitters practice the same thing.

How to hit a baseball game – The 7 absolutes of a good swing

Every good hitter will do these 7 things on a perfect swing.  Sometimes, depending on a pitch, not all 7 will be attained every fourth dimension.  It'due south important to recall that hitting is a battle, and sometimes using your athletic power to hit a ball will trump all the perfect mechanics we will talk nigh.

1. Striking against a firm front side.

This doesn't always mean a potent leg, you tin can have a slight curve only this leg is keeping the rest of your body and hands backside the baseball. This leg volition end your forward momentum and first the axis of rotation that yous will now be hitting on. This is very of import, you lose this firm front side you lose a lot of bat speed and your head movement drastically increases.

2.  Have your back foot on its toe

When you commit your backside and decide to swing, the strength you generate going toward the baseball volition be abruptly stopped by your firm front side then yous tin showtime rotation, what'south left is your dorsum toe on or slightly off the ground.

Pro tips for how to hit a baseball -This article discusses when it might be ok for hitters to have no rotation of the back foot when batting

5 fourth dimension All Star Andrew Jones

  • This is 1 rule that can be slightly unlike depending on the type of hitter that you are.
    1. A hitter that gets off of their back side and gets slightly linear before they become into rotation will become their toe on or off the ground. (A-Rod, Manny Ramirez, Pujols, Frank Thomas)
    2. The next type of hitter is a back foot hitter, someone that will actually ride their back side. This hitter will spin on their back side and won't fully get on their toe. (Teixeira, Kinsler) These players are so good at letting the ball get deep . They are too more likely pull hitters.
  • Y'all have heard the expression squashing the bug, this is not what nosotros are looking for. When you "squash the bug" you become into your rotation as well quickly and can pull off the ball. It too forces your bat path to be in and out of the zone and the goal to hitting is to have that bat exist in the zone for every bit long as possible.
  • Getting on your toe allows you to take your swing entirely too the ball and non away from it. Information technology will help you apply the weight shift and rotation together, which is platonic. This seems similar a very small-scale technicality merely information technology can exist enough to throw your swing off. Getting onto your back toe will allow your backside to start the swing rather than using your front side to pull your dorsum side through. This doesn't wait much different but your bat path through the zone greatly suffers if you lot are pulling your backside through. Being on your toe will first your weight shift by driving your back hip towards the baseball, this should get your back foot in the correct position.
  • If you await in slow motility at contact, many hitters will be on their toe or even a little off the ground (this is from a powerful leg drive) and then quickly they volition be down on the ball of their foot, looking like they are "squashing the problems". Think this is but at contact, once the ball leaves your bat, your pes may practice something else. It could wait like nearly hitters don't become to their back toe, but if y'all watch in slow motion, near hitters exercise.

This pace tin can be avoided past some extreme pull hitters. Guys that get shut to the plate and look to pull will sometimes just rotate. All the same, if you want to drive the ball the other way you volition demand to have perfect timing or be able to get off of your backside. To hit like this is very hard, and can open up a lot of holes in your swing if you don't really know what you are doing.

Too their hitters that will sometimes not pivot on their back foot, usually depending on the pitch. This may help them to apply their hands, accomplish a ball well off the plate, or keep their trunk out of his easily way. But if you discover these hitters actually drive their dorsum knee to the ball (unless they are battling and are fooled by a pitch) then information technology is the aforementioned concept they just don't fully rotate their back side through the ball.

3.The hands are in a palm up, palm down position.

On a right handed hitter if you took the bat away at contact and had him open up upward his easily his right hand should be facing directly upwardly towards the heaven (or receiving the money) and the left hand should be facing the ground. This bat grip is the nigh powerful position you tin exist in at contact.

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4. Head on the ball.

I.e. Seeing the ball at its contact point.  This might be obvious, but it's non simple.   Knowing how to hit a baseball starts with knowing how see the brawl.  How to be a better baseball hitter – Seeing the Baseball talks more than virtually the importance of this point, as well as some tips to improve your ability to see the baseball.

5. The Your back articulatio genus, back hip and head should be in a straight line.

A thought is to stick a pole in the ground through your knee, hip and head and rotate around that pole. That ensures you are not likewise far forward losing ability and not as well far bat getting tied up and having an uphill inconsistent swing

half-dozen.Your head should be right in the eye of your feet.

Recollect of information technology equally a triangle draw 3 lines between your head and two feet. A triangle is a very strong structural object used in many applications (roof joists etc.) And then existence in a potent triangle will exist the strongest possible position for your body. Also it allows you to rotate on an axis with minimal head movement.

seven. Pinnacle arm is bent

Ideally you lot want your elbow planted firmly against your side.  This is where you are most powerful.  The closer your elbow is to your trunk, the more torque y'all can create as you spin.  The farther your elbow gets as you straighten information technology, the more than you are losing power and leverage and making the force of the baseball more powerful against you.

I hope y'all detect this article on the 7 Absolutes of How to Hit a Baseball to be helpful.    I welcome hearing your thoughts, comments or questions in the comment section beneath.  – Doug

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