Hitting Guidelines - the Swing
Our stride and load are now complete and we will begin the swing. The most important thing to remember at this point is that our front foot must be down before we start our swing. That is the separation of the stride/load and the swing.
Hips initiate the swing
The Approach
So we’ve made it through the long winter, the cold spring, the nice weather and finally…the dog days are upon us. By now you have undoubtedly gone through the many phases of baseball-the highs, the lows and the in-betweens. The at-bats are piling up and you are getting a good indication of how your season will end up. It is my wish that all are having a great season.
Slumps
Slumps. You hate them, but sooner or later everyone has one (or two). Before I get into them, I want to discuss different hitting philosophies out there in regards to pitch selection. The big league approach, “See as many pitches as you can, make the pitcher work,” is a great one. Then there’s the swing at the first pitch. Then there’s the take the first pitch every at-bat approach. There are several to choose from. When a slump occurs, pitch selection becomes very important.
The Epiphany
Here is an a-ha moment if I ever had one. I’m sitting around minding my own business, when a thought creeps into my head. “You know,” I say to myself, “The swing happens so fast, you don’t have time to think about. It is all done by muscle memory!” I am…master of the obvious. That’s why I get paid the big bucks, to figure these things out that nobody else can. It lends itself back to my last blog where on the bottom of the article I mentioned a few drills to work on. Boring, yet effective.
How to Hit Breaking Balls and Flame-Throwers
As we heat up into midseason form (and if two replies I received are any indication, we are in midseason form…you know who you are), our mechanics are inevitably changing. In the beginning of the season when the weather is colder, it takes us longer to get loose and to stay loose. We tend to be a little stiffer and not as flexible. Baseball isn’t a very active sport; there is a lot of standing around and short bursts. When the warmer weather comes, it is much easier to get loose and stay warm.
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