Swing Mechanics
Swing Mechanics
Good swing mechanics are only part of what it takes to be a great hitter. For information on a good offensive approach and an aggressive mentality at the plate, check out the Mental and Situational Guide.
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Get Comfortable in the Box
Get Comfortable in the Box
The batting stance is a very personal thing and there really is no right or wrong way to do it. Be yourself and do whatever you need to do to feel comfortable, loose, and strong. Just remember, the closer you start to where you ultimately want to end up, the better chance you have of getting there. You want to be balanced and relaxed, with your shoulders stacked over your hips. Some simple movement in your stance will help you stay relaxed. Past that, grip the bat in your fingers with the middle knuckles of your top hand in line or just inside the bottom knuckles of your bottom hand and cock both wrists slightly.
Get into an Attacking Position (Coil and Stride)
Get into an Attacking Position (Coil and Stride)
As the pitcher separates his hands, the action of the swing begins with a small coil around the rear leg. Turn your pelvis slightly inward towards the catcher. This is a small move done smoothly and under control. The back knee and leg should both stay strong such that they do not shift back much as you coil. The coil is not a shoulder turn, and it is not a back shift. You need to keep a steady view of the pitcher with both eyes.
The stride forward begins at pitch release. As you stride forward, the hands are pulled back and in by the top hand. This action is controlled by the muscles of the back which pull the hands back and up. When done correctly, the rear arm will be in a position kind of like when you bottom out during a push-up and your rear should blade will move in towards the spine. Another way to get into this position is to start with the bat flat over your shoulder and then tilt the knob down and back... this a great and simple way to feel where you need to be. However you do it, the bat should be near a 45-degree angle and behind your head with the knob pointing down to the catcher's mitt and just behind the ball of your back foot.
The rear heel stays down and the coil continues during the stride forward, which is in pretty much a straight line towards the pitcher. It is important to keep a stable posture and to keep your coil as you stride forward. The back continues to pull the top hand back and up with every inch the stride foot moves forward to offset and control your forward move. It should be equal but opposite. The bigger the stride forward, the bigger the pull back. You also want the rhythm of your hands going back to match the rhythm of the stride foot going forward so that everything can work together.
When it comes to the coil and stride, there are many different styles. Some players coil into their rear hip more than others. Some players have a high leg kick, while some players toe-tap or do not take much of a stride at all. Some players land with their front foot closed after the stride, while most land with it open to about a 45-degree angle. Some players stride perfectly straight, while some stride slightly open or slightly closed. No matter how they do it, when the stride foot lands, all great hitters are in an athletic and attacking posture with a slight bend at the waist and a coiled rear hip. Their head is between their knees and over their belly button, their knees are between their feet, there is pressure between their knees, and their weight is balanced over the inside of their rear leg. They are in complete control over their move forward because they coil and pull back with their back to resist it.
Standard Stride (Miguel Cabrera)
High Leg Kick (David Ortiz)
Toe Tap (Vladimir Guerrero Jr.)
No Stride (Matt Kemp)
The weight is back of center when the stride foot lands because of the coil and because the hands are back, not because of a big shift back. It is very much like the move you make when you go to throw a baseball. Coil into your hip and keep it there. Use your back to pull your hands back as you move forward. You should feel like you are riding the inside of your back leg as you go forward to see the ball. The stretch of the front against the back will naturally cause your pelvis to start turning open to the pitch as you get to foot plant.
Pitchers change speeds to try to pull you forward and out of your hitting position. We want to be under control during the stride. When you start early enough and when you are controlled with your coil and stride, the pitcher will have a more difficult time pulling you out onto your front foot. A good swing is never late, and a good swing is never rushed.
Attack the Back of Baseball (Down, Inside, and Through)
Attack the Back of Baseball (Down, Inside, and Through)
Keeping the coil around the rear leg and from a hands back position, aggressively turn the bat in a tight arc down behind the ball and turn your backside into and through contact. The tight turn of the bat quickly gets the bat up to speed and gets the barrel down behind pitch so that it can release through the back of the baseball.
The first move is in, not out. From a position of good posture over the plate, the back shoulder works down and inside the pitch. This inward move turns the pelvis and allows for a clean connected turn of the backside through the ball as the drive of the back leg/hip powers the turn. The first move inward allows the bat to stay inside and release from back to front, rather than out around the body. Remember, the swing is a backside drive and delivery, not a front shoulder pull. The front side should be completely reactive.
The top hand turns on its way to the ball to flatten the bat into the zone while the bottom hand provides direction with a connected pull of the knob across the body. Wherever the knob goes, the barrel will follow. The bat should stay inside the hands and above the rear forearm on its way into the hitting zone. The front bicep stays in with the chest, the distance between the elbows stays the same, and the hands stay near the armpit as the back turns through. The result is a tight arc that flattens and naturally turns up as it rips through the zone... down behind the ball, then slightly up through the ball.
The bat path will only flatten and turn up if the swing is launched with a still head, with your hands back, and with pressure between your knees such that you are balanced over your rear leg... this is what it means to stay back. If you get out over your front foot before "go", the bat will start down and stay down, and it will never be on plane with the pitch.
Because pitches come in at a downward angle, this slight upswing puts the barrel in a direct line with the baseball for its entire path and maximizes the opportunity for solid impact. In the clip of Miguel Cabrera below, the dashed red line is the trajectory of the incoming pitch. Watch how his head stays still and behind the ball after the stride foot lands. Watch how early and closely his swing lines up with the pitch. As a result, he does not need perfect timing to hit the baseball hard. If he is a little early or a little late, the barrel is still going to be behind the ball, and he can still square it up with authority. This is the definition of hitting in a big zone.
The spine angle is maintained throughout the swing. You want the feeling of swinging under your chin and front shoulder to ensure a backside delivery. This keeps the bat through the zone and gives the rear elbow room to freely pass through.
The rear shoulder comes through at a lower level than the front shoulder, but how much lower depends on the location of the pitch. The lower the pitch, the lower the back shoulder should be. The higher the pitch, the higher the back shoulder. On the best swings, the angle of the bat and the angle of the chest and shoulders will be nearly the same at impact. Check out the athletic posture and consistent spine angle that both Adrian Gonzalez (low pitch) and Jose Altuve (high pitch) keep throughout their swing and the match of their bat and shoulder angles at contact. Because of good posture and a proper backside move at the start of the swing, the forward bend at the waist at the beginning turns into a side bend over the plate at the end of the swing.
Contact Position
Contact Position
Contact is made out in front. At contact, the back arm should be in the shape of an "L" and the hands should be "palm up, palm down". The arms should not be fully extended at contact. Extension should naturally occur after contact. The backside should be stacked with the head, shoulder, back hip, and back knee all in a line at contact. The front side stiffens, and the back foot is pulled up onto its toe.
Remember, the hips and shoulders do not turn on their own. The downward move of the backside against the coiled rear hip and the drive of the rear leg/hip naturally turns the pelvis and pulls the back knee and back foot forward. The front leg blocks the forward move and stiffens, resulting in the sudden, tight, and powerful rotation of the swing. Notice how the back foot drags without turning in Joey Votto's swing below (and in all the examples above). The leg does not push hard off the ground, and we do not stay back and spin on the back foot.
Finish Balanced
Finish Balanced
If everything was done right, the swing should feel quick and smooth... it should whip through the zone. If you maintained good posture throughout the swing and stayed on the ball, you will have some side bend over the plate when you finish. Your bat should finish just below shoulder height and you should be able to hold your finish.
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