Learn to Hit Like the Pros

Related:

• Rotational vs. Linear
• Babe Ruth towel drill

Updates:

• 3/9/10 added Youth section, "cues to use", and various caveats.

Anyone Can Learn the Correct Swing Technique

Everyone has heard this one:

That kid has a natural swing. You can't teach that.

The "natural swing" is just perfect technique. So, of course it can be taught.

Mike Epstein goes further

Hitters are born with the natural swing; coaches take it away.

Hitting Myths

What most coaches are teaching and what the great hitters have actually been doing for over 100 years is something completely different.

Mike Epstein says there were no MLB hitting instructors prior to 1975.

When you watch a hitter take a swing, everything is moving so fast that you don't know exactly the mechanics of what's going on, but you may intuitively know a good swing when you see it.

Hitting myths are created and promoted everywhere you look.

Everyone hears this craziness from MLB announcers:

He got good extension on that one.

Everyone has seen player posters showing arms extended long after the ball has been struck (see popular poster of Pujols at right). These lead most people to think your arms should be extended in order to hit a baseball.

What about pictures of players using hitting aids (see picture of hitting "aid" at right)?. (No MLB player uses this swing path, or hits the top of the ball, and most don't extend their arms like this.)

Rotational Hitting Techniques

The major league swing is generally referred to as "rotational" hitting.

We will be focusing on the common elements of how most major leaguers actually swing. Some instructors may say this is using a "cookie cutter" approach to hitting. We are only discussing common elements easily spotted in MLB player's swings - and leave stance choice, stride choice, after-contact moves, etc. up to each individual player.

Of course, we are not saying you will become a MLB hitter when you use these techniques. We will explain the basic techniques and help you to avoid non-productive techniques.

We will try our best to not use any technical jargon, baseball buzzwords, or obscure medical references (I am no doctor and I do not play one on the Internet).

Toe Touch Through Ball Contact

Major League hitters have a unique stance, but most have roughly the same swing from toe touch to ball contact. So, let's explore this part of the swing.

Here is Chipper Jones at toe touch and at ball contact. Chipper is using basically the same swing (from toe touch to contact) as most major leaguers.

Stance (personal style)

You can use your unique flair here, but generally you must follow these basic rules:

• Stand on the balls of your feet, knees bent
• Back straight but bent at the hip
• Hands near your shoulder or ear, but not too high
• Hips even with the pitcher (some players try unsuccessfully to use open hips in their stance)

Here are a few examples of unique styles or stances:



Here are some "musts" during the stance:

• Shoulders - your shoulders should not be "upside down" where the back shoulder is down and the front shoulder is up
• One hand must have a loose grip on the bat (usually the top hand is loose)

Cues to use: loose top hand

Shift Your Weight from Back to Front

Babe Ruth gave the same advice back in the 1920s. So, this is nothing new.

Hitters accomplish this weight shift via one of 3 methods:

• Stride via falling forward. Front leg underbody and rear leg behind you. Pick up your front leg.
• Stride via back leg drive. Balance on your back leg and drive forward.
• No stride with a leg kick (fall forward). Pick up your front knee and fall down.

Pick one of the three methods, then do the following as you shift your weight forward:

• Take an inward turn (coil). Hands go back to shoulder (not behind the shoulder, resulting in "arm bar"). Back elbow goes up and back. Why up? Lead arm is somewhat tight against the body. Hips and shoulders turn in.
• Your hips MUST end up even (or slightly closed) with the pitcher
• Your hips must be between your feet. Not too far forward (called lunging) and not on your back foot

Toe Touch (aka Launch Position)

After you shift your weight forward, you should land on your toe.

• Touch the toe or inside ball of foot, not the heel. Why? Your hips tend to open up if you use your heel.
• Back elbow is up. Why up? (Note that you don't begin your stance with it up, rather, you move it back as you stride forward)
• Hips are closed, not open.
• Front shoulder MUST be down, back shoulder up

Cues to use: easy stride, coil, elbow up at touch, hips even

Rotate/ Pendulum

When the ball is halfway (30 feet, or 2/10 of a second) and you determine the ball is going to end up in the strike zone, start rotating.

This rotation should normally begin at the point of toe touch, however, you can wait briefly if you were fooled by an offspeed pitch.

• Rotate your hips using your front leg and torso as the axis
• Tilt your back shoulder down as you rotate

As your elbow hits your hip:

• Keep your elbow at your hip as you extend your forearm
• Pull back on the knob with your front or lead hand to allow the bat head to swing in front of your hands to contact

Cues to use: tilt, rotate, back elbow tight

At Ball Contact

• Your hips should be facing the pitcher
• Your back elbow should be L-shaped and close to your body
• The bat head must be at least even with your hands - preferably near the ball of your front foot (or the back of your front foot for low and outside pitches)
• Notice, your shoulders should not be even - they are (gasp!) "dipped" - the back shoulder is now down
• Your back hand should be palm up and the wrists are not rolled over

After Ball Contact

Who cares?

Myths Busted

• Extend your arms
• Hands to the ball, use your hands, knob to the ball
• Don't drop your shoulder
• Roll your wrists, line up your door knocking knuckles
• Squish the bug
• Hit the top of the ball to get it to go up (who came up with this one?)

Should I Teach Rotational Hitting to Kids?

Some youth coaches say you can't teach rotational hitting to kids, because they aren't strong enough, or they aren't coordinated enough, or the techniques are too advanced, etc.

You will notice that I didn't mention power, or strength, or coordination, during any of the steps of a rotational swing.

Rotational hitting is simply a series of techniques. These techniques produce the fastest bat speed possible using the available power and strength of the player regardless of age. The techniques I have outlined are very simple and are not too difficult for anyone to grasp. The tilt action may be the most difficult technique for a kid, but the benefits are enormous.

You may want to use the "cues to use" above as a way to simplify the swing. Of course, you may phase in the steps over time.