Hitting Class 4 Video - Preparing to Swing the Bat

Getting Ready to Swing

As discussed in class 3, with young players, the less movement to prepare to swing, the better.

With players set in the ideal spot, I have players prepare to swing in a few ways. This first drill has the coach behind and to the side of the hitter. They begin by looking at the pitcher before turning back to look for the ball. This drills has players rolling their front shoulder back slightly to prepare to swing.

The second drill is a continuation of a drill the last class. With this open stance setup, players look at their hitting position to make sure it is correct before maintaining that position as they step back to swing. This step back is a great way to teach players to get their weight back to the back side.

Another simple method for players to prepare is with a little knee tuck to get their weight back.

I like to set a few balls down on the ground as seen here to give players a visual to keep the knob of the bat down with it eventually pointing at the catcher's feet to start the swing from.

In the next hitting class, I give coaches ways of helping batters maintain the correct hitting position as they stride into the ball, which is the point when things tend to break down for most players.