Baseball Hitting Mechanics Coaches

baseball hitting mechanics coaches



Baseball Hitting Mechanics Video – Coach Dietz – San Diego State

My baseball coach wants me to swing down on the ball to hit it with power. Is this mechanic correct?

My ninth grade coach wants me to hit down on the baseball, giving it backspin, so I will hit line drives. My off season hitting coach has instructed me in rotational hitting mechanics, where I have strong hip action to go along with my pivot, and approach the ball with my hands inside the ball, and the bat head angled so that it is in the plane of the pitch. I hit hard ground balls and line drives using those mechanics. I am having a hard time understanding that hitting down on the ball will produce line drives. What do you think?

Telling young players to swing down at a pitch is probably the worst advice that can be given. It doesn’t fully explain the mechanics of the swing.

Here’s the flaw in the advice; if the ball is coming in at a slightly downward angle and the bat is coming towards the ball at a downward angle you have to be virtually perfect to make contact. Though you’ll hear otherwise, a STRAIGHT downward swing makes it difficult to generate backspin on the ball. Backspin is a big part of making the ball carry. Ask your physics teacher why backspin generates lift. It is related to what keeps planes in the air. But I digress.

If the bat is coming towards the ball at an upward angle, matching the downward angle of the pitch, the odds of making contact is much better.

It is more accurate to say there is a downward and an upward portion of the swing. If the hands are held armpit high and ball is coming into the zone belt high, your hands have to come down. However, they do so by getting the bat angled into the proper hitting zone, not as a result of swinging downward towards the ball. This is not the same as looping the bat or having the hands loop in a semi-circle to get the bat in the proper position.

Once the bat is at the proper angle it starts an upward trajectory, matching the angle at which the ball is coming in from the pitcher. It is far more important for a batter to get the bat at the proper angle quickly than it is to get STRAIGHT to the ball as quickly as possible.. Why? The longer (in terms of distance, not speed) the bat is through the zone at the proper angle the better chance a hitter has at hitting the ball. The faster the bat is placed at the proper angle the longer it will be through the zone.

Now lets be clear, people talk of a swing being too long. That’s not the type of length I am talking about. A long swing results from looping and improper use of hands. Pujols is noted for how long his bat travels through the zone. His swing is not long however.

One more thing; resist those who insist Pujols or other major leaguers swing the way they do because they are physically superior to the average player. The response is a question; why do most mlb’ers swing more like Pujols than they do the little leaguer swinging down on the ball?

I’ve listed a website (not mine) and this guy has done a lot of accurate analyses of the major league swing. Look at his site and slo mo analyses of Pujols and other leading hitters in the majors.

They don’t swing straight down at the pitch.

Youth Baseball Series Hitting Mechanics and Drills DVD
$29.95 BaseballVideos.com

HQ4 Hitting Coach 1 Baseball Mechanics (DVD) $28.6 Helps players learn balance, rotation and quick hands – three keys to hitting with power and consistency. Provides drills to eliminate unnecessary movement to allow you to focus more on the mechanics that create good swings. Teaches the physical aspects of hitting with a step by step breakdown of hitting mechanics. For baseball and softball training.

Controlling the Batter’s Box: Hitting Mechanics and Drills (DVD) $39.99 With Britt Bonneau,Abilene Christian University Head Baseball Coach;Ranks fifth on the all-time Division II wins list among active Coaches (12th All-time) with Over 450 Career WinsUsing his experience as a top collegiate player, Coach Bonneau has transformed Abilene Christian College into a hitting factory. His teams have consistently finished in the Top 10 nationally in NCAA Division II batting average, runs, hits and doubles. Bonneau shares with you important fundamentals needed to consistently drive the baseball. He begins by covering situational hitting, then works into multiple tee, soft toss, short toss and live batting practice drills. Bonneau teaches each drill in great detail, while focusing on five components of hitting: grip, upper body, base, launch and finish. Bonneau demonstrates the drills one-on-one and then shows them being used in a practice setting with his team, so you can see how he organizes productive batting practices. Each drill builds on the other in a fundamental way, so the player forms strong habits along with muscle memory. Bonneau also includes instruction on two strike hitting, pulling the ball and hitting to the opposite field. Every coach and aspiring hitter will gain insight from this excellent DVD. 53 minutes. 2009.

Youth Baseball Series Tape 2: Hitting Mechanics and Drills (DVD) $29.99 With Mitch Thompson,Assistant Coach,Baylor University Thompson breaks down the mechanics of the swing into seven parts: bat selection, grip, stance, start, stride, swing, and finish. Thompson also explores the mental approach to hitting and explains ways to make hitting simple. He demonstrates drills using the hitting stick, dry swing drills, the side toss, the short toss, tees, and front toss drills. 2000. 42 minutes.

Hitting Skills and Drills for Youth Baseball Players (DVD) $35.82 Hitting Skills and Drills for Youth Baseball Players presents a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals and techniques involved in teaching youth baseball players the mechanics of sound hitting and bunting. In an easy-to-understand and apply manner, the DVD explains and demonstrates how to develop the key components of hitting. Among the topics covered: basic hitting fundamentals, basic swing mechanics, bunting techniques, putting it all together, and coaching pointers.

Teaching the Art of Hitting (DVD) $39.99 With Brian Cleary,University of Cincinnati Head Coach Coach Cleary’s goal in this DVD is to give coaches a chance to learn how to efficiently teach hitting to their players. Cleary begins his presentation with hitting mechanics. Simplifying the elements of hitting is key for player production. The ultimate goal is to give the barrel of the bat its best chance to hit the ball. Cleary covers the proper mechanics of hitting, including the set up, grip and a flex in a wrist. Cleary also talks about pre-movement or the hitting position. Use of the body and hands are important to the swing and they work in unison. The swing concludes with the finish, a roll of the wrist. Cleary breaks down the psychology of being at bat, discussing the handling different pitches, different locations and hitting or refusing pitches. 46 minutes. 2008.