Mechanics: What's Most Important?

                                                                                           (Photo credit: fancloud.com)

Mechanics are not the most important part of hitting, but they are important. There are so many successful hitters who have mechanical deficiencies or weaknesses. The best hitters at the highest levels often have something that could be more “ideal.” Great hitters have first-class approaches, work ethics, strength, bat speed and toughness. However, hitters who are still unseasoned in these skills should pay close attention to their mechanics as part of the development process.

There are infinite potential mechanical issues to think about. Some hitters are frozen in fear thinking too much about their mechanics. Let's keep it simple. 

Here are my two mechanical absolutes for a young hitter to focus on improving:

1.)    Stance and Stride

A hitter’s stance can begin in many places. Where you start is not nearly as important as where you end up or how you get there. A hitter needs to land, post-stride, in a position of strength. The term ‘balance’ is often misused. A flag pole is balanced, but it isn't very strong. A position of strength must have a low center of gravity. Think of a mid-squat technique or the position you would be in to guard LeBron James. We want to activate our quads without being so wide that we have lost athleticism. If we land in a position that is too upright, the swing will be propelled predominantly by the upper body, resulting in less than his max bat speed. A hitter’s height and leg length determines his proper squat depth, defensive position and hitting stride length.

Hitters who over-stride beyond their optimum stride length become momentum-driven front-foot hitters with timing issues and are susceptible to velocity inside, located off speed and elevated fastballs. Hitters who “stay back” and do not stride at all, or under stride, don’t drive the baseball. They lack bat speed. Hitters should desire a combination of the two: an aggressive movement for timing with a low center of gravity.

The coaching key is paying attention to a hitter's finish. If a hitter’s head rises immediately after a swing, their stride is likely too long for their height. If their swing sees their back foot quickly flattening out post-swing to balance (to keep them from falling over), the stride is too narrow and the body's energy is traveling up, instead of forward.

 2.) Separation

                                                                                        (Photo credit: examiner.com)

Separation, defined as the distance between a hitter’s load and stride, is a major key to bat speed. Many mechanical deficiencies can be overcome with great separation.

Hitters who have serious grip wrapping, where the hands/knuckles are over rotated, can lengthen the time their swing is in the zone by creating separation. Hitters who have a vertical bat after loading (meaning the bat is pointed straight up) are low ball hitters and cannot stay on or through the baseball. Separation should occur without allowing a large gap between the hands and the chest. The further from the chest or back shoulder the hands end at the load position, the more exposure a hitter will have to being beat inside. To compensate for this gap, hitters usually take a very linear/handsy swing path. These hitters are not as challenging to get out.

Separation allows the necessary space needed to create bat speed. No hitter can create maximum bat speed over a shorter distance. Creating a greater distance between the stride and load maximizes bat speed, allowing hitters to wait longer to commit, have a flatter swing path (rather than steep) and maximize contact and extension opportunities. 

Being On Time, Part Two: Holding the Bat Properly

Many hitters struggle to make consistent, hard contact. Often, the issue can be as simple as a poor grip. A proper grip should have the knocking knuckles of each hand lined up with the fat knuckles of the other hand.

Try it. Seeing the grip will help gain awareness of what your hitters are doing.

Now, the further towards the pitcher that your top hand rotates, the more difficult it will be to get the bat flat into the hitting zone early, thus creating late bat speed and earlier commitment to pitches. This grip also causes the contact point at which bat speed is sufficient enough to consistently hit balls hard, to be further out in front than that of a flatter swing.

This fault in grip causes hitters to be "good low ball hitters." Nothing wrong with being a good low ball hitter. But can you hit a fastball elevated within the strike zone? Probably not hard, or probably not fair.

This grip also causes hitters to be primarily pull hitters. Try it. Over-rotate your top hand, now take your bat to contact, and let go of the bat with your fingers, trying to hold the bat between your palms. See how it rolled? Now try the proper grip, big knuckles lined up with knocking knuckles. Go to contact. Release your fingers. See how the bat stays firm?

The PROPER GRIP allows for a swing to maintain a "palm-up, palm-down" grip through the hitters zone for the LONGEST POSSIBLE AMOUNT OF TIME. This maximizes the hitter's distance through the hitting zone, and maximizes opportunities to create backspin by staying through the ball immediately after contact. READ THIS PARAGRAPH AGAIN!

If your hitter has a high back elbow, check their grip. There is nothing wrong with a high rear elbow (1) as long as that elbow can be easily slotted near the abdomen early in the swing, allowing the barrel to get flat and (2) as long as the hitter has the proper grip.

The common mis-teach of "hands inside the ball" creates a very linear punchy swing is often a devastating mis-analysis and mis-correction for a hitter that simply has a poor grip.

Conversely, an under-rotated top hand, where ALL knocking knuckles are aligned, completely drops the rear elbow into a weak "chicken-wing" position near the abdomen. "But, isn't that where you wanted us to be," you say? Not so fast, my friends! Beginning in this position creates an incredibly compact swing: good. It also nearly eliminates any opportunity for SEPARATION between the upper half and lower half of the body during the commitment phase of the swing (the portion of the swing that generates bat speed): this is bad.

As with most things in life, moderation is key!

And, as always, these are guidelines for creating an optimized, efficient and violent swing. However, you can go to YouTube right now and find a dozen big leaguers who have huge hand wraps, extremely high elbows and love the ball down. You can find another dozen with extremely short swings where the hands cast forward "inside the ball" for what seems like forever, prior to the barrel entering the hitting zone.

These are elite athletes with freakish strength (even the skinny ones). If you think David Eckstein hit no better than your next door neighbor, or that Martin Prado is weak and small...you need to trot over to your neighborhood MLB stadium for pre-game BP and watch from the first row. Then call and tell me how weak and small they are.

And we have not begun to speak of their years of experience in hitting approach, mental toughness and hitting approach, and hitting approach...and hitting approach. You get the point.

Moral of the story, simplify. If your mechanics look sexy, they are probably impeding, at best, and disabling, at worst.