Movement is OK when Set up to Hit - Baseball Hitting Tip

Tuesday Tips to Tattoo the Ball

Baseball Hitting Tip - Things in Motion are Good

In my many years of giving baseball lessons, I receive many common concerns from parents, when it comes to their children's' hitting habits. Things like "It's mental," "They won't swing the bat," "They hit in practice but not in games," and "He isn't watching the ball" are among the most often heard hitting concerns.

Right up there with those concerns is another "He's always waving the bat before the pitcher pitches the ball' or "She dances around before the pitch." The thing is, those should not be concerns, as those are good habits and ones that I encourage young players to do.

When I ask the parent what is wrong with that, they justifiably reply, "They are not ready to swing." I beg to differ and ask them the following question, "if we were to race and I had a walking lead and they had to be still, who has the advantage?"

Important Baseball Hitting Tip

Of course, the person with the movement has the edge and the same goes for hitting movement before the pitch is good, as things in motion are ready and quicker than still things. Additionally, movement releases tension, which is a good thing. I would much rather have players that dance or wave the bat before the pitch than statues (completely still batters), which indicates players are very nervous.

Of course, too much movement, where hitters are not ready to swing the bat is not good, but that is rarely the case. I encourage hitters to move as they wait for the pitcher to release the ball. The easiest way to do this is with a slight swaying action from lead foot to rear foot before the pitch, with the weight moving to the back foot before the stride. Good dancers have an advantage here. Haha