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 Hitting |
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BATTER UP!
Hitting the baseball is one of the hardest things to do in all of sports. Taking a round bat and hitting a round ball squarely is a very difficult thing to do. The best pro hitters in the game today are successful only about 3 out of 10 times at bat. That means that they don't get a hit 7 out of 10 trips to the plate.
A Good Hitting Philosophy
Be aggressive in the batters box! You should think "If it's a strike, I'm going to hit it hard!" And please, you can't get a hit unless you SWING THE BAT! Don't get caught looking at strike 3 because you are afraid of striking out. Just remember, pro players strike out!
Stay positive! Each time you make an out, you are that much closer to getting your next hit... And, you can make an out and still drive in runs if you put the ball in play. So don't get down on yourself if you make an out, just jog back to the dugout and cheer the next batter on... Just tell yourself that you will get a pitch to hit your next time at bat... "IT'S NEVER OVER TIL IT'S OVER".
Bat Selection
See our bat selection menu tab or click on the Easton bats above...
Bat Grip
GRIP IT RIGHT! This is the most overlooked skill but very important for a good swing.
DO NOT GRIP THE BAT IN THE PALM OF YOUR HANDS. THE HANDLE OF THE BAT DOES NOT GO IN THE PALM OF YOUR HANDS.
The bat handle should be placed at the base of your fingers or finger pads where your fingers meet the palm of your hand, then close your grip. Again, the handle of the bat should not split or be in the palm of your hands when you close your grip...
Now check to see that your "door knocking" knuckles on both hands line up along the bat
handle. YOU NOW HAVE THE GRIP!
Stance and Balance
Balance is the most important word in all sports. You have to feel good and have a good athletic BALANCE. Your stance or feet should be square to the plate and about shoulder width apart with your weight on the balls of your feet so that you feel solid or grounded so no one would be able to push you over backward or forward by pushing you on the chest or back.
Batters Box
Keep it simple. Stand in the middle, front to back, of the box and adjust your plate coverage so that your bat can reach 3/4 of the plate when you get into your good balanced athletic stance. This will be your position/place in the box for hitting. Fix the dirt for your cleats so that you can get a good solid plant for your back pivot foot.
Adjustments: 1. Move your stance and rear foot to the far back line of the box when you face extra fast pitchers, this will give you extra time to see the ball. 2. Move your stance and front foot towards the front line of the box when you are bunting the ball in order to help yourself bunt the ball fare.
Bat & Arm Position... Trigger Ready!
If you ever hear your coaches or parents say "keep your elbow up" or "keep your bat tip up" you should politely say no thank you and explain to them;... that way is not the "hitters way..."
This is the hitters way:
The back elbow is down and relaxed and the bat at a 45 degree angle to the ground (no tip up). You can tap the barrel of the bat to your shoulder before every pitch and lift it just off to make the 45 degree angle for the bat. Your body and arms now form a box and the "trigger is ready."
The Swing...Load to Explode using Circular Hand Path & Torque!
As the pitcher delivers the pitch:
1. See the ball or release point from the pitcher's hand. See the arm and ball, don't look at the pitcher's entire body, just see the arm and shoulder and ball point.
2. ON THE PITCH...load your hips by lifting your front knee backward about 3 inches or load up/coil up.
NOW! At RBI Camp we teach...ROTATIONAL MECHANICS HITTING, steps 3 & 4. (TORQUE/ROTATE! - YOUR HANDS & HIPS) We at RBI Camp do not promote LINEAR hitting or straight line body motion to the ball starting with the knob of the bat. Rotational Mechanics puts the most "torque" on the bat = bat speed and by rotating and torquing the bat with the hands and not by moving the knob of the bat to the ball after front heal plant, you get the best bat control given the lower movement up or down or you have a controlled shallow letter U bat with ROTATION around your body core/center. Note: bringing the knob of the bat to the ball first will reduce the "torque" on the bat which lowers bat speed hand & rotational power.
3. Stride out with the front foot (Short stride of about 3-6 inches). At the same time your hands start to ROTATE back towards the catcher which starts the torque on the bat handle. Track the ball and pull the tirgger/Explode! or check your swing if not a strike...
4. Explode... Your TOP hand, your power hand, starts the bat swing. A fast "rotational Mechanics" swing through the strike zone, not a linear (straight line) body swing nor should you use a looping/golf swing. (The above funny animation of a hitter is an example, of course, of what not to do!)
This is the CONTACT HITTER SWING (Rotational Mechanics)- We want to develop bat speed right away and not drag the bat through the zone ball... Use the TOP POWER HAND, with your hip rotation by "squishing" the bug with your back foot along with a good strong follow through or don't stop your swing on contact with the ball or swing through the ball as if you are hitting two more practice balls right after the game ball you hit... The swing should be a shallow U through the strike zone to prevent a hole in your swing and to keep the bat on plane.
Hitting Coach...
Any YOUTH player interested in free hitting instruction and tips by internet, please feel free to E-mail Coach Ron at RBICamp@aol.com.
Your Mission is Possible...Hit It!
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