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Batting
UpdatedSaturday March 11, 2017 byAdministrator.Stance:
- Feet in straight line to pitcher, shoulder width apart, Knees slightly bent, Front foot even with side point of plate (to connect with ball in front of the player).
- Front foot 3 steps (each the player’s shoe length) from plate
- Check: A level bat swung with arms fully extended should hit center of plate in widest part of bat.
- Check foot placement after every swing
- Recommendation: Mark a perpendicular ‘toe line’ and a ‘midline’ in the batter box dirt (use a stick if on grass, or anything to mark it) that shows batter where to line up: Body over ‘midline’, toes on ‘toe line’, so batter is in correct position to hit ball near end of bat with arms fully extended.
- How to hold the bat: Front hand goes below back hand in grip (remind ‘em!), Hands together, Knuckles should be lined up, Bat slightly off shoulder, mostly vertical.
Focus:
- Tee Ball: Mark balls with a black dime size dot and place ball on T with same position every time. Tell batter: eyes on the black dot. Head stays down thru swing. Correct every time if batter looks up early during swing.
- Coach pitch: Put a black dime‐size dot on half of the baseballs. After each pitch ask the batter if the ball had a dot on it. When they report which do and which don’t consistently, they’ve got their focus down. Do first without swings, then with swinging at the pitch.
Swing:
- Short step (the ‘stride’) with front foot, Back foot stays planted
- Swing down then level across
- Arms fully extended (elbows almost locked) at point of ball contact
- Head down, chin moves from touching front to back shoulder
- Rotate hips ‘open’ to face pitcher
- Front leg locked (straight) at point of ball contact
Follow‐thru:
- Swing hard thru ball, not just ‘to’ ball
- ‘Squash the bug’ with full 90‐degree turn of back foot. Back toes still in place firmly on ground
- Head down on plate, not looking up at pitcher or hit ball
- Finish with hands between shoulder and top of head
- Check swing with three things in follow thru: Balance, two hands on bat, head down facing plate