COILING

STRIDE

COIL

Timing and good weight transfer are essential to good hitting. One mechanism to help achieve both is the coil. As the pitcher starts his delivery, you will want to move your weight back on to the back leg, closing your shoulder, hips, and knee. This is also the point when you want to move the bat into the launching position. When the coil is complete you are in the correct position to stride.

STRIDE

One of the most common mistakes made by hitters at all levels is having the stride be part of the swing. In fact, hitters should perform the stride before the swing.

During the stride, you shouldn't transfer your weight from the back leg to the front. Hitters that transfer their weight have a difficult time handling off-speed pitches. (Looks like lunging at the pitch.)

You may notice that a number of big league players do have the stride as part of their swing. The key for these hitters is the big leg kick, which acts as a timing device and doesn't result in the transfer of weight. Instead of picking their foot up and moving it forward, they're picking up their foot and holding it until they recognize the pitch. If they read fastball, they drop their leg quickly and swing. If they read off-speed pitch, they simply hold it there a little longer before putting it down.

SO HOW DO YOU STRIDE WHILE KEEPING YOUR WEIGHT BACK?

The key is to stride out with the inside portion of your front foot. One way to think of it is to act like your striding onto a dozen eggs and you don't want to break those eggs. By doing that you will keep your weight back. Make sure you stride with your front foot closed. If you open up your front foot towards the pitcher, you will also open up your hips which will cause a loss of power when you do swing.

COMMON PROBLEM

HITCH

One of the most common problems that players develop is a hitch. This usually results in the player dropping the hands prior to swinging. This not only can cause problems with your timing but also will make it difficult to have a quick efficient swing. This can be hard for you as a hitter to notice. You may want to have a coach or other player watch you swing to see if you drop your hands prior to swinging.

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by
Jon Anderson
jontanderson@juno.com