Everyday I hear so many things told to baseball and fastpitch softball hitters that will not help them. I see batters confused when they come in for a new lesson because they are told so many different things they need to do when they are hitting. It seems almost every coach and instructor teaches hitting differently. The problem is most most of what is taught, up to 99%, will make the hitters even worse. Every hitter that comes in for lessons just wants to hit the ball harder more consistently. The bad thing is they won't be able to do this if they keep working on the BAD hitting cues they are being taught.
Some of these bad hitting cues taught are:
stay back
keep back foot down or planted
no stride or step
fast hands
throw your hands at the ball
use top hand
snap wrists at impact
roll wrists at impact
back elbow up
rotate or twist your hips
squish the bug or pivot back foot
swing down or level
extend your arms at impact
don't dip back shoulder
keep barrel of the bat above your hands
hold the bat tighter
Everyday we get calls from parents that say their kids are being taught these hitting cues. These bad hitting cues are being taught from tee ball to the Major Leagues. These are what 99% of coaches, hitting instructors, High School, College, pro hitting camps and even other parents are teaching their hitters.
A hitter actually doing any of these will not be able to hit their best or even close to it. All of these hitting cues will make a hitter swing mainly with their arms. I see this everyday. Kids come in and are pulling the bat so hard with their arms, hitting mostly weak grounders and fly balls, their timing is very inconsistent.
If they do hit the middle of the ball their bat almost stops and then they pull the bat in to try and get it moving again. The parent or coach will tell them they need to finish their swing. They can't finish their swing because the ball is actually overtaking the bat at impact causing it to almost stop. When swinging mainly with their arms a hitters bat is slowing down and is being pulled out of the hitting zone while still trying to hit the ball. This causes batters to have many more weak hits than they should because the sweet spot of the bat is going forward only six to twelve inches then it is pulled out of the hitting zone. Your timing has to be perfect to hit the ball hard and as pitchers get better this makes hitting the ball consistently so much tougher. When the very best hitters in the Major Leagues are swinging mainly with their arms they are in slumps and stay in them until they start using their body and bat correctly.
Most hitters can hit up to three times more line drives than they do now if they learned how to use their body and bat a better way. You want the bat going forward and accelerating out through the ball at impact. When performed correctly the sweet spot of the bat will be on the plane of the pitch for at least three feet making your timing so much better. This makes it much easier to hit the center of the ball on the sweet spot of the bat much more consistently. Major Leaguers are hitting their best when their bat is going forward for three to four feet through the hitting zone. This is why great hitters, when they are hitting the ball well, look so effortless and powerful.
When our baseball and fastpitch softball students learn to do this correctly it is amazing the difference how the ball comes off the bat. Parents tell me they can see and especially hear the difference. Hitters tell me they feel like they are hitting through air because you barely feel the ball going off the bat. The ball will actually ricochet off the bat rather than float off. They hit many more line drives, so much harder and much more consistently. They can't believe how this makes hitting so much easier. My students learn what a great swing feels like. Now if they feel something different in their swing, they know how to self adjust even during the same at bat. Being able to do this allows hitters to better avoid getting into slumps.
If you would like more information or want to learn how to use your body and bat a much better way call Mike Sedberry at 304-722-6393. Learn how you can make hitting so much easier in baseball and fastpitch softball.
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