Batting Stance

The term batting stance refers to the position of the body and bat while awaiting a pitch.

Positioning the Feet

  • The feet should be about shoulder width apart.
  • The foot closest to the pitcher should be lined up near the front edge of home plate. (batter can move back towards the catcher in relationship to pitching speed, but let's start at the front edge)
  • The batter should be able to tap the outside part of home plate with the end of the baseball bat. (Some young children can learn to line up by placing the tip of the bat at the outer edge of the plate and placing leading toe at knob of the bat)
  • The feet should be parallel and be pointing in the direction of home plate. (I like to use the term Square Your Feet)

Positioning the Body

  • The knees should be slightly bent. The amount of bend in the knees can vary according to the batter preference.
  • The hitter should be positioned so that there is a slight bend at the waist.

Positioning the Bat

  • The handle of the bat should be near the back shoulder.
  • The barrel of the bat should be above and behind the hitter head.
  • Leading arm should form a square in relationship to the shoulder.
  • Back elbow should be down.

Gripping the Bat

  • Some people like the middle knuckles of the hands should be lined up. I do not like this.
  • Some hitters prefer the middle knuckle of one hand to line up with the first knuckle of the other hand. That's acceptable, but you need to find a grip that is comfortable for you.
  • The bat should be held comfortably in the fingers, not the palm of the hands.
  • The bat should NOT be squeezed.

Loading Phase

Many young hitters swing the bat after the ball is past them, and many times this happens because they don get into the load position in time. Load position refers to the position that the body and bat need to be in just prior to the swing. The loading phase refers to striding and the positioning of the bat. This phase is important because, if done properly, it can help the hitter make solid contact with the baseball on a more consistent basis.

Striding

  • Stride refers to the movement of the front foot during the loading phase.
  • Around the time that the pitcher lifts the knee, the batter should lift the front knee up and back towards the catcher (Knee height varies from hitter to hitter). The body weight should be shifted towards the back leg.
  • About the time that the pitcher releases the ball, the batter should be striding towards the pitcher and transferring the body weight forward.
  • The stride of the front foot needs to be short in length, no longer than 6 inches.
  • The stride foot should NOT turn towards the pitcher!
  • The hitter should have the stride foot (front foot) down well before the ball gets to home plate.

Positioning The Bat

  • The handle of the bat must be near the back shoulder when the front foot (stride foot) lands.
  • The barrel of bat should be above and behind the hitter head when the stride foot first hits the ground.

Fire and Follow Through

Fire and follow through refers to the process of hitting the ball and following through with the swing.

Getting The Barrel To The Ball

  • The batter should swing the barrel of the bat directly at the ball and should try to hit the ball with the sweet spot on the bat. The sweet spot is generally the area between 2 and 6 inches from the top end of the bat.
  • The batter arms should be extended right before contact is made with the baseball.
  • The bat should be on the same plane as the baseball when contact is made.

Turning The Hips

  • If lower body strength and bat speed are to be maximized, it is essential that the hips be turned during the swing.
  • In order to turn the hips during the swing, the hitter should pivot on the ball of the back foot. (Squash The Bug is a term sometimes used for very young athlete’s to express this motion) It is important that you stress that the pivot of the foot is a reaction of turning the body, not that the pivot in itself turns the foot.
    A nice graphic for young players. to show how the body will turn, is to have them place their bat behind their backs, parallel to the ground, locked in their elbows. Now ask them how they would hit the ball in this position? Most kids will turn their bodies to make the back cross the plate. This is the beginning of the proper technique for lower body movement.

Shoulder to Shoulder

  • You start with your chin on the lead shoulder
  • During the course of the swing, the head stays still and your upper body moves so that your chin ends up on the following shoulder
  • The hitter's head should not follow the body when it turns.

Following Through

  • After contact is made with the ball, the barrel of the bat should maintain a smooth, slightly upward path, which ends with the hands rolling over.
  • The handle of the bat should stop around the left shoulder for a right-handed batter and around the right shoulder for a left-handed batter.
  • The barrel of the bat should wrap around the upper back.
  • The hitter's chin should be over the shoulder area at the completion of the swing.

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