Mastering the Art of Hitting: A Guide to the Top Three Fundamental Principles in Baseball
As a hitting coach, I have the privilege of working with players from all levels, ranging from elite Major League hitters to 10-year-old beginners. Over the years, I’ve noticed that there are three fundamental principles of hitting that appear time and time again no matter what level the player is at. These three fundamentals—balance, direction, and timing—are incredibly important for any player who wants to be successful at hitting a baseball. Let’s take a closer look at why these things are so important.
Balance
Players need to get into an athletic position with complete contact of the back foot on the ground for maximum recoil and power. From there, strive for a “stacked” alignment where your knee is above ankle, hip in line with kneecap, and shoulder positioned atop that so you’re ready at any moment – eyes always trained downfield! Engage those rear glutes as you load up to produce ultimate balance while staying constantly vigilant against what comes next from the pitcher’s mound. As a hitter sets up their attack, the glute in their back leg should remain engaged until the back hip begins internal rotation. The energy and tension in the rear glute will then travel into the core as the hip moves. The hitter’s rear shoulder should stay back as the back hip rotates. This creates an “X-factor” or the energy and tension in the core. The rear glute at this point will be relaxed because all of the kinetic energy is housed in the core.
Direction
Taking the bat off your shoulder and driving it through the strike zone requires a precise sequence of muscles to fire in harmony. It all starts with strong activation from the core, which launches energy from the core to the shoulders. When the shoulder engages the stored energy moves from the shoulders to the hands and out through the bat barrel.
Timing
In the world of Baseball, timing is everything. At no point does this precedence weigh heavier than during this entire exchange known as the Kinematic Sequence where athletes must keep their bat’s barrel behind the ball for as long as possible to transfer as much energy as possible from the bat to the ball. If the bat becomes disengaged from the ball, the transfer of energy is lost.
Every athlete has the potential for greatness, but in order to achieve it they must be aware of their body’s limitations.
Leak Points:
- Lack of stack in the rear leg
- Imbalance and poor stack angle
- Poor hip mobility
- Supination of the feet (either back or front foot)
- To soft of shoes
- Too steep of Attack Angles
- Poor Wrist Mobility
- Lack of Glute Engagement
- Poor Sequencing
- Leg Length Discrepancy
Optimizing these three fundamental elements—balance, direction, and timing—can give any hitter an edge over their competition no matter what level they’re playing on. For coaches looking for ways to help their players improve their game, focusing on these three fundamentals can go a long way toward making them more successful hitters.