Most youth baseball players have long swings. A long swing is one in which the barrel of the bat starts too far from the correct hitting position or one that deviates from the direct path to the contact area, or both. Long swings lead to the most hitting errors.
I think all baseball hitting coaches agree that a compact baseball swing is desired. A compact swing is one that is straight to the ball, while also giving hitters time to wait for pitches and providing the power to carry the ball to all fields. While teaching the art of hitting for over 23 years, one thing I’ve learned is that, unlike teaching pitching and fielding, it’s necessary to correct a hitter’s upper body (bat stance and first swing) before hitting. address lower body issues of walking too much, getting out (in the bucket), and lunging. Time and time again, I have watched coaches try to correct hitters’ incorrect steps and lower body actions without success. Wrong hitters don’t go away because long swings create lower-body problems that remain until their swings are more compact.
Over time, hitters’ subconscious minds have told them that when they can’t get the bat out on time, they need to make up. Long-swinging hitters learn to incorrectly compensate for the aforementioned problems of excessive striding, lunging, and stepping on the bucket. They in order to bring the bat to the pitched ball on time. Coaches can tell hitters with wrong strides a million times not to step forward, to pass too much, or to dunk for no reason: their swing is long and that’s the only way to avoid being late. to the ball continuously. The only solution lies in creating a much shorter (compact) swing. This is not to say that the lower half of the body isn’t crucial to the fundamentals of a good stroke, but the swing must be addressed first. As proof, good hitters can make consistent line drives off their knees with a good swing, without the power, of course, but they can’t hit the ball solidly with great bottom-half mechanics on a wrong swing.
I have also repeatedly noticed that once compact swings are developed with the correct starting positions and correct first movements, hitters’ bottom half problems disappear. Without compact swings, hitters automatically go back to their bad lower-body clothes because they can’t wait long enough on the ball.
Therefore, there is a need for coaches to teach the correct striking stance when landing on the stride foot. A compact swing begins with the correct position of the barrel of the bat when the hitter’s front foot lands. The barrel of the bat should be in a line directly over the rear shoulder with the hands at shoulder height and about two inches behind the rear shoulder. From this position, the bat starts on a direct path to the ball with the hitters back elbow coming into the body as the hands are directed to a palm-up, palm-down position through the hitting zone. contact. The bat naturally levels out earlier in the lower pitches than in the higher pitches.
The following are hitting drills that can turn long swings into compact swings and drills that will help eliminate lunging, striding, and bucket-stepping hitting errors:
Drills without batting jersey available:
1. Ground Ball Drill: Coaches stand slightly in front and to the side of the batter, out of harm’s way. After the hitters land on their feet, the coaches drop the ball into the hitting zone. Long-swinging hitters will always be late to this drill, until they shorten and speed up their swings.
2. Net Drill Behind Hitter: Have hitters stand half a foot from a net that is directly behind them (toward the catcher) and swing without hitting the net on the way to the ball. To ensure that strikers do not launch far from the net, they must hit the same net on their follow through without taking their head or front shoulder off the ball.
3. Top Hand Exercise: With a small bat or choking with their regular bat, hitters can work on hitting only with their top hand, which will help them control the barrel in a more direct path to contact.
By wearing a batting jersey:
1. High Tee Drill – When putting the ball on a tee that is chest level, hitters must work on batting lines. Long swings will usually lead to lifted balls, cut balls, or missed balls altogether.
2. Teeed Drop Ball Drill – Putting a batting tee at the hitters waist and even with their rear hips, hitters must miss the tee on their way to the dropped balls.
With 2 batting tees available
1. Low/High Tee Drill: Place one ball on one tee level with the batter’s lead leg and one ball on the other tee one foot ahead with the ball closest to the catcher one and a half balls lower. Batters work down the batting line on the front ball after missing the back ball.
Of course, some of these hitting drills can also be done with live batting practice. Finally, it must be emphasized that without the correct and described position of the barrel of the bat when landing on the stride foot, none of these drills work to correct and shorten the swing, leaving hitters with their swing long and bottom problems. of the body.