There are a number of clips that provide information on the mechanics of
a proper swing.
Note: Many of the clips are in a Quicktime format (.mov). If you do not
have QuickTime installed on your computer, the program can be downloaded
for free at
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
These definitions are often too technical in nature, so the more
significant definitions are in the bold. This allows you to skip
the less important descriptions.
| A to C Pathway |
Also referred to as "A to B," when not
related to a triangle. A model used to illustrate the hand path to the
ball while using a short, compact swing. Imagine a right triangle, with
one vertex at the launch or hitch position called "A." A second vertex,
position "C," would be at contact. The hands should travel down the
hypotenuse of the triangle, straight to the ball, or "A to C." Should
the hands venture out to the "B" area, they are not taking a path
straight to the inside of the ball and are said to be "casting," which
adds length to the swing. |
| Athletic position |
A term used to describe the "ready position" of any number
of sports. The feet are outside the width of the shoulders,
knees flexed, weight forward on the balls of the feet, chest up.
The athlete is balanced and is now ready to make an athletic
move. |
| Back Foot |
The foot away from the pitcher, while taking a stance in the
batter's box |
| Back hip commitment |
A term used to describe the back hip action as it forcibly
rotates toward the pitcher to a position under the torso during
the swing. The linear action of the weight transfer is halted by
the firming up of the front side. Pivoting on the back foot and
forcibly driving the back hip under you causes rapid rotation of
the trunk. This transfers force from the ground up, out through
the chest, arms, hands, resulting in increased bat speed. |
| Backside |
A term used to describe the side of the hitter that is away
from the pitcher while taking a stance. |
| backside collapse |
A phrase used to describe a hitter who fails to pivot on the
back foot properly, resulting in lack of back hip commitment,
and poor weight transfer. Normally, this results in a high front
shoulder, producing an uppercut type swing plane |
| Barrel above Hands |
A term used in teaching that describes the position of the
barrel in relation to the hands as it approaches the ball. i.e.
keep the barrel above your hands. |
| Barrel up |
A phrase to instruct a hitter to move the bat to a more
vertical position. The term could also have a similar meaning as
barrel above the ball. |
| Bat Angle |
A term that is used to describe the angle formed by the bat
and a horizontal line. |
| Bat, Horizontal |
A term used to describe a bat position
that has no bat angle and is parallel with the ground. Starting with a
horizontal or flat bat can lead to problems in the swing. A horizontal
bat places the center of gravity well outside of the hands. In younger
hitters who are weak physically in their hands, wrists, and forearms,
gravity pulls on the heavy barrel end creating a torquing effect,
causing the knob to lift, and the barrel to drop. Consequently,
as the swing begins, it's difficult to get the knob going
downward toward the ball. The hands move away from the body in a
casting action, beginning a long, sweeping swing. |
| Bat, Vertical |
A bat angle that is approaching
perpendicular to the ground. Starting with a vertical bat moves the
center of gravity of the bat directly over the hands, eliminating the torquing
effect in the wrists of gravity. However, the barrel must go
through a loop to get on plane through the contact zone. A more
vertical bat angle is more desirable for rotational style
hitters. |
| Bisect the head |
A term used to describe a range of bat angles between
approximately 45-75 degrees. When observing a hitter from behind
the catcher, the barrel of a bat in this range would "bisect the
head." |
| Bottom hand |
Refers to the hand on the bat that is nearer the knob |
| Casting |
A term used to describe the hand path moving in a circular
pattern away from the body during a swing. The action leads to a
long, round, sweeping swing. |
| Center of Gravity |
The point of a body in which its weight is evenly balanced. |
| Cocking |
A term used to describe a rotational action of either the
hands, bat, trunk, hips, or knees as it is used to gather
potential energy to be applied during the swing. example: a
stretched rubber band, due to its position, (stretched), has
potential energy that will be transferred when it returns to its
original state. |
| Cocking the barrel |
A term used to describe the barrel moving slightly away from
the contact point (toward the pitcher) at the top as the hitter
loads. |
| Contact point |
A position relative to home plate and body where contact is
made. Example, the contact point for a pitch on the inner third
of the plate is just in front of the striding foot. A pitch on
the middle third is normally contacted just inside of the stride
foot, and one on the outside third is normally contacted between
the front hip and belly button. The contact point should be
relative to the body instead of home plate alone, because
hitters take stances at different locations in the batter's box.
Some set up forward in the box, while others set up deep in the
box. If the contact point is relative to the body, it doesn't
matter where a hitter takes his stance. |
| Delaying Action |
A term used to describe the separation of the striding foot
landing, while the hands and weight remain back. Hitters use
different techniques with the hands and bat to produce this
delaying action causing a separation of striding foot landing,
and hitting action beginning. |
| Dropping the barrel |
A phrase used to describe the barrel dropping below the
hands. This normally occurs during an uppercut type swing. |
| Elbows down |
The position of the elbows while taking a stance. Many
describe this position as the forearms forming an "A" or and
upside down "V." Starting with the elbows in a relaxed, down
position makes it easier to keep the front shoulder closed and
begin the swing with the knob going down toward the inside of
the ball, keeping the barrel up |
| Form an "A" |
A phrase that describes the position of the forearms and
elbows in a down, relaxed position when preparing to hit. |
| Form an "L" |
A phrase that is used to describe the front elbow forming
approximately a 90-degree angle when preparing to hit. From this
position, while holding this angle constant, raise the hands to
shoulder height. This moves the front elbow to the belly button
placing the hands in a good starting position. |
| Front Foot |
Refers to the foot that is located nearer the pitcher while
taking a stance in the batter's box. |
| Front shoulder down and in |
A phrase used to describe the position of the front shoulder
while taking a stance. Starting with the shoulder slightly down
will cause the shoulder to "level out" as the swing progress.
Hitter's need to force the shoulder to stay down and in, in
order to remain "closed" as long as possible. Proper back side
action will cause the shoulders to open at the right time. |
| Front side collapse |
A term that describes the position of the front knee as it
breaks down upon receiving the weight transfer. Keeping the
front toe closed is beneficial in preventing this problem. Since
the knee is a hinge joint, closing the front toe positions the
knee in such a way that it will not collapse as weight is
transferred from back to front. Hitting against a firm front
side is a must in order to properly integrate the lower body and
hip action into the swing. This action blocks the forward
movement of the weight shift, forcing the front hip backwards. A
proper back foot pivot and back hip commitment causes a
forceful, rotational action in the hips, which is used to
generate bat speed. |
| Front side, weight against |
A phrase that describes the halting of the forward action of
the weight transfer by the firming up of the front leg. This
offers resistance and assists with the rotation action of the
hips when combined with proper back side actions. |
| Front side, weight over |
A phrase that describes a hitter's weight being on top of ,
rather than against a firm, front side. This results in an
inability to properly integrate hip action in the swing. |
| Grip in fingers |
Holding the bat at a position where the fingers and palms
meet. This position best facilitates proper wrist action and
control of the bat head, allowing it to accelerate through
contact. |
| Grip in palms |
Holding the bat in the palms can inhibit wrist action and
slow the bat head. This grip makes it difficult to keep the
barrel up approaching contact. |
| Hands away |
A hand position in which the hands are located away from the
body. Starting with the hands in this position results an
outside-in hand path and swing unless a hitter loads by bringing
his hands back toward the body. Hitters who keep their hands
away from their bodies normally handle the inside pitches well,
pulling the ball. They have difficulty on pitches away and
offspeed pitches. A hand position too far away from the body
makes it impossible to stay inside the ball. |
| Hide the hands |
A term that describes the hand position upon loading. When
the striding foot lands and front shoulder is closed, the hands
would be difficult to be seen by the pitcher, thus the term
"hide the hands." |
| hands, high |
A hand position that is above the back shoulder. The higher
the hands start, the further they are from contact. Starting
with extremely high hands requires them to drop before they
load. An excessive dropping of the hands is referred to as a
"hitch." |
| Hands, low |
A hand position that is considerably below armpit height,
with the forearm of the bottom hand below parallel to the
ground. Starting with the hands in this position requires a load
that moves the hands upward considerably. Failure to do so
results in the hands are being considerably lower than the front
shoulder, guaranteeing a lifting or uppercut swing plane. |
| Hands, noisy |
This phrase refers to excessive hand movement while
preparing to swing. Excessive movement can put the hands out of
position when it is time for them to go forward, resulting in
"not being ready." This can also cause "poor timing." |
| Hands, quiet |
This phrase refers to hands with a minimal amount of
movement when preparing to swing. |
| Head position |
A term that describes the position of the head at various
stages of the swing. In the stance, the head position should be
such that allows vision with both eyes. As the swing begins, the
head should stay relatively still, however, it may move slightly
forward depending on the amount of weight transfer. Regardless,
the head should not lower. This adversely affects vision and
tracking ability. At contact, the head should be at
approximately the same position. When viewing from the open side
(belly button side), it would remain just behind the centerline
of the body. Many speak of the head starting just inside the
front shoulder, and finishing just inside the back shoulder
(shoulder to shoulder), remaining relatively unchanged. |
| Head flies out |
A term used to describe the movement of the head during the
swing away from the path of the pitch, resulting in inability to
properly visualize the pitch. |
| Hips rotate |
A term used to describe hip action in a rotational type
hitter. Hip rotation is used to increase the angular velocity of
the bat head during the swing. See back hip commitment for a
more detailed explanation. |
| Knob to the ball |
A phrase used by instructors to describe a hand path
emphasizing the bottom hand pulling the knob straight to the
inside of the ball. As the knob goes down, the barrel stay up,
eliminating the problem of dropping the barrel and uppercutting. |
| Knocking knuckles |
The knuckles that are almost half way up the fingers.
Aligning these knuckles allows the wrists to remain flexible. |
| Launch position |
A term that describes the location of the hands around the
back shoulder after loading occurs. The hands move to this
position before they go forward. |
| Linear |
A term that describes a classification of motion of an
object moving in a straight line, as opposed to rotating around
a point (rotation). |
| Load |
This is a generic term used to describe a cocking action,
which can apply to the hands, bat head, or the hitter's front
side. A load is used to gain potential energy, much like pulling
a bowstring back to propel an arrow, or coiling a shoulder to
throw a frisbee a long distance. There are numerous ways hitters
load. This action is also used to overcome inertia, to make a
smoother action starting the swing. Loading is also an important
factor in separating the stride from the swing, and can assist
the front side from flying open too soon. |
| load, bat |
A term that describes the cocking action of the bat at the
top, prior to the forward swing beginning. As the barrel end
moves toward the pitcher, it has to travel further from contact.
Once the barrel moves to a point beyond the top of the head, it
is considered to be wrapped, adding unnecessary length to the
swing. |
| Load, no |
A type of load in which a hitter makes no movement prior to
hitting. |
| load, preloaded |
A type of load in which a hitter cocks the lower body and
hands prior to the pitch so their first move is basically
forward, toward the ball. This is used more in fastpitch than
baseball due to the shorter distance and less time involved from
pitcher to plate. |
| longitudinal axis |
A term that describes an imaginary line running down through
the top of the head, through the body to the ground. A
rotational style hitter's body parts revolve around this axis.
The axis is shown in red in the moving image below.
 |
| Number knuckles |
A method of teaching young hitters how to properly grip a
bat by assigning numerical values to joints in the fingers. The
joints made by the finger and the hand is (#1), the middle
knuckles (door knocking knuckles) are (#2), and the end joints
of the fingers are numbered (#3). Aligning the middle knuckles,
#2s, or thereabouts, puts the bat out in the fingers and gets it
out of the palms. Granted, you see different grips from
professional hitters, but this method seems to help hitters who
don't have professional abilities. |
| On your heels |
A phrase that describes the position of a hitters weight
being back on the heels as opposed to the balls of the feet.
This makes it more difficult to pivot on the ball of the back
foot, thus reducing back hip action. Hitter's will compensate
for failure to pivot by opening the front shoulder, attempting
to drag the barrel through contact. |
| Palm up, palm down |
A phrase that describes the position of the hands at
contact. The bottom hand is palm down, pulling back on the knob,
while the top hand is palm up, pushing the barrel through
contact. See mechanical couple and extension. |
| Pivot |
A term used to describe a rotational movement around a point |
| Pivot on back foot |
A term used to describe the rotation on the ball of the back
foot as the heel lifts off the ground and moves to a point above
the ball of the foot. This pushing action against the ground
causes the ground to push back with the same force (Newton's
Third Law of Motion). That force moves up through the back hip,
assisting in trunk rotation. |
| Rotational |
A term used to describe a angular motion in which body parts
move at the same angle around a line in space (axis of
rotation). |
| Rotational Method |
A major hitting method that involves the rotating of body
parts about the longitudinal axis of the body in order to
develop bat speed. This method transfers energy from the ground
up through a system of levers, integrating linear aspects
(weight shift) as well as the rotational action of the hips and
trunk to conserve angular momentum. This tremendous force that
is gathered can be applied out through the chest, arms, hands,
and bat head as extension occurs through contact. See extension. |
| Separation |
A term used to describe the two separate actions that occur
in the swing: (1) the stride, and (2) the weight shift. As a
hitters rhythm takes her into his load, her striding foot
reaches forward landing big toe first. This occurs
simultaneously with the loading of the front side, hands, and
bat head. The hitter is now in the power base position ready to
go forward. This step must be separate from the weight transfer,
because it establishes a post on the front side to receive the
weight. As weight begins to move forward, the front heel goes
down simultaneously with the back heel lifting to pivot, while
the bottom hand pulls the knob. The back knee rotates inward to
a position ready to push the back hip from the back foot pivot.
Separation must occur for an effective weight transfer against a
firm front side already in place. Failure to have the striding
foot in place would result in a lunge. |
| Shoulder to Shoulder |
A term that describes the position of the head starting
inside the front shoulder and finishing inside the back shoulder
remaining relatively unchanged in position during the swing. |
| Shoulder, high front |
A phrase that describes the position of the front shoulder
in relation to the back shoulder while a hitter is taking his
stance. Beginning with the front shoulder high normally results
in a lifting or uppercut type swing plane. |
| Squish the bug |
A term used with young hitters to remind them to pivot on
their back foot as if they were mashing a bug. |
| Stance |
A term used to describe the placement of the hitters feet in
the batters box. Stance also could mean the initial starting
position of the swing. |
| Stance, closed |
A stance in which the front foot is closer to the inside
line of the batters box than the back foot. A closed stance many
favor a hitter who hits to all fields. |
| Stance, opened |
A stance in which the front foot is further from the inside
line of the batters box than the back foot. In an attempt to
keep hitters from opening up too soon, some coaches start
hitters with an open stance, and have them stride closed. |
| Stance, widen your |
A phrase used to instruct a hitter to increase the distance
between his feet. When working with young hitters, it is best to
error with a stance slightly wider than one too narrow. A stance
with the feet well outside the shoulder can control many
problems in young hitters regarding stride, weight transfer,
head movement, and balance. By widening a hitters base, their
center of gravity lowered. This puts more weight or inertia on
their front foot, making it more difficult to lift and
overstride, or step in the bucket. Eliminating these problems
usually will reduce head movement, so the hitter sees better.
The wider stance also makes it easier for a young hitter to hit
against a firm, front side, making it more difficult to get
their weight on top of their front leg. |
| Step in the bucket |
A phrase used to describe the striding foot stepping away
from the plate, causing the frontside to open up. This is a
common problem in young hitters with narrow stances. |
| Stepping on ice |
A term used to describe the action of the front striding
foot as it reaching forward and is planted softly. Others teach
the 3 Ss of Striding -- Slow, Short, and Soft. |
| Stride |
A term used to describe a linear movement of the front foot
that occurs during the loading or cocking phase of the swing.
This action prepares the front side to receive the weight
transfer and must be completed before the weight shift occurs.
|
| Swing, short |
A term used to describe a swing path in which the bat head
travels a shorter distance from its loaded position to contact.
Hitters with short swings have a shorter radius which allows the
bat head to travel a shorter distance to contact. Being able to
deliver the bat head to contact in less time allows a hitter a
split second longer to see the pitch and make a swing decision.
Consequently, hitters are less likely to be fooled and chase bad
pitches. By using proper mechanical techniques, a hitter needs
to develop the maximum bat head velocity over the shortest
distance. A short swing is a must, to be an effective hitter at
the higher levels. |
| Top hand push |
The action of the top hand during the swing. Once the bottom
hand pulls or drives the knob straight to the inside of the
ball, clearing the front side of the body, the top hand begins
to rapidly push the barrel through contact. Some have
characterized this action as "trying to turn the knob around to
point toward your belly button as fast as possible." |
| Trigger |
A term used to initiate an action to follow, such as a
trigger to begin the swing. It is used along with the terms
"load" or "cocking." |
| Weight distribution |
This term is used to designate the amount of weight that is
being placed on each foot in the stance. Weight equally on both
feet would be described as 50-50. Slightly more weight on the
backfoot could be described as possibly 60-40. These are only
estimates, however, this can be accurately measured in a lab.
|
| Weight on heels |
Refers to the weight being located back on the heels instead
of forward, on the balls of the feet. |
| Weight shift |
A term used to describe the weight moving from our backside
to the frontside. This movement provides a linear component to
the swing, which adds to the force generated, resulting in
greater batspeed. |
| Wrist roller |
A term given to a hitter whose wrists begin to roll
prematurely. At contact, the hands should be in a palm-up
palm-down position. The barrel continues to move forward,
extending through contact, as the back elbow straightens. Some
instructors refer to this as and "extended lock" position. This
position normally occurs well 1-2 feet past contact. After the
complete extension of both arms and the bat have occurred
delete, well past contact, do the wrists roll, or turnover
occurs. This will happen naturally in most cases if the hitter
continues with the follow through and finish. A wrist roller
begins this turnover too early, placing the back of the bottom
hand and palm of the top hand toward the pitcher. This causes
the barrel to lift as they roll and puts the hands in a weak
position at contact. |
| Wrists cocked |
A term used to describe flexion in the back of the wrists.
This occurs naturally when the bat is out in the fingers and
elbows are down and relaxed. This term can also mean a setting
of the wrists as the hands and bat load, so they can be forcibly
unleashed through contact. |
