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. 

The Skill of Disconnecting

Metaphorically, we should never put our hitters in a box. They are unique, have different skills, confidence levels, work ethics and talents.

Physically, hitters should not hit in a box. What I mean is, they should be allowed to “disconnect.”

Imagine your four-hole hitter on time for that cookie fastball that ended up a little lower and a little further outside than he was anticipating. He swings, rolls over the top of the baseball, “staying tall” as hitting coaches so often preach. 6…4…3. Double play.

Your leadoff steps into the box with the bases juiced, two outs and a 1-2 count. He’s in a lefty-lefty matchup with your rival’s ace. A slider comes spinning his way then darts down and away from his projected swing path.

He can’t keep his hands back; they float forward as he loses his center of gravity and, from his front foot, weekly waves at the pitch. P-5. Inning over.

Hitters should seek to make connection with pitches with good posture. Strong posture, or what many coaches call “staying tall”, can allow for hitters to utilize their best swing…but only if they have a low center of gravity. This means that they have flexion, not necessarily in their knees, but in their quads. This is why “staying tall” is a mis-teach. The term “tall” puts a hitter’s focus on the height of his stance rather than his lower body strength and center of gravity.

Imagine Kobe Bryant dribbling, analyzing a defender. If the defender has a taller center of gravity, Kobe will penetrate and dunk on someone. If the defender has an athletic stance, a low center of gravity and balance in their lower half, he likely will pull up for a jump shot (God knows he isn’t passing the rock).

A defender- with strength in his legs- has explosive control of his body. Note that this doesn’t mean an overly-wide base. We aren’t talking about the typical defensive stance in basketball, slapping the ground with energy like you’re playing pressure defense. If you’re going to guard one of the most dangerous scoring guards in the game, you must be able to move quickly in any direction. This requires recruiting the power in your glutes, quads, hammys and calves in unison.

So does hitting.

NOW, if we have a hitter who has a low center of gravity, we can teach them to retain greater separation between their load (whether scapular or with their hands) and their stride. Retaining such separation is what creates the most explosive bat speed and highest exit velocities for each hitter.

NEXT, we must understand that WHEN FOOLED (whether we are early on a fastball or out in front of an off speed pitch) it is MORE VALUABLE to retain separation and DISCONNECT from a typically tall posture, allowing the chest to move forward of center, than it is to stay in my posture and finish a swing.

A hitter who is early and retains separation with a low center of gravity can murder the baseball regardless of posture.

We’ve all seen MLB hitters hit home runs, doubles and heat-seeking missiles, despite their balance being primarily on their front foot. This is achieved through a sinking of the hips when fooled. To do this, a hitter must have a lower center of gravity…and DISCONNECT from a normal posture, utilizing their separation. This allows the hitter to stay through the baseball with top hand extension, and drive in the big runs…even when fooled.

Being On Time, Part 5: Visualization and Sound.

Today I want to talk about how hitters can use visualization and sound to improve their timing.

In the on deck circle, hitters use the movement of a pitcher's body and the tempo of his delivery to time the speed of the pitch. What is the gap between his fastball and breaking ball?

Some hitters use music or sound as a key to honing in on the timing and quickness of a pitch. How?

Imagine the sound of a fastball, hissing towards the plate. Ssss-sst. That was 85. Ss-sst. That was 90. There is a rhythm to a fastball, something almost musical. A hitter can visualize a pitch and a location while simultaneously imagining the sound it makes.

A breaking ball makes a different sound, depending upon the pitch and the speed. Hitters can hear the sounds and file those in their memories of what to look and listen for out of the hand when getting aggressive to fastballs or off-speed pitches. Hitters that are advanced are always ready to hit the pitch that they are looking for at that moment, but can take the pitch when they hear or see a different pitch OR if they recognize that the tunnel the pitch has come from is different than that required of their hitting zone.

Sound complex? It is. Just like every other aspect of hitting, these idiosyncrasies become intuitive when they are practiced over and over again.

Visualization is not nearly as helpful when it is not lifelike. If you were trying to imagine what a lemon tastes like, you would not visualize a watermelon. You also would not visualize a lemon the size of a basketball because your mind knows that is a fantasy.

Using the mind to visualize pitches is no different. Practicing this skill means creating a still and quiet environment for the mind. This must be practiced in the cage, with front toss, and tee work. To increase difficulty and make more game-like, increase distractions i.e. music, noises, radio, TV, teammates talking, etc.