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votes
We've often heard baseball coaches tell their players,
"Trust the hands!" Is that a good coaching concept?
Our
hands are auto reactors. They provide some of our quickest muscle reaction. If
we hold our hands up and pop our wrists, we can do that over and over again
very quickly.
If
someone were to throw a punch at us, our hands would quickly and automatically
pop up in defense.
As
an infielder, we don't have to think about a ball thrown to us. Our hands will
react to the direction of the ball and make the catch without having to think
about it. Think of the catcher after he gives the sign. He is taught to frame
the pitch. His hands automatically go to the pitch without any thought or
direction.
So
the hands are auto reactors. Is this good for the hitter? The answer is: No!
The hitter who allows his hands to react automatically as his first movement
towards the pitch will never have full body support.
When
the hands go too early, this is when we hear the coach yell out, "Wait on
the pitch!"
Now,
let's apply this to our baseball hitting mechanics.
These
are the steps:
1.
Coil (Load): The hitter collects his weight on the backside 2. Stride: a linear
step towards the pitched ball (30-40% of weight transfer) 3. Body Rotation:
Hips rotate toward the ball 4. Hands will then, and only then, execute the
stroke Here is one of our best baseball coaching tips:
"HIPS TAKE US TO THE BALL. HANDS TAKE US THROUGH THE BALL."
So,
when we are leaning how to hit a baseball, do we trust the hands? The answer
is:
Don't
trust the hands. Then, trust the hands. In other words, discipline the hands to
wait until we get into the launch position, which is with the hands inside the
ball and the hips rotated.
Our
hands do not initiate the stroke until we rotate to the pitch. They travel in
rotation with the pivot, but they do not commit to the pitch until the rotation
is complete.
This
rotated position with the hands still back is what we call the DRIVE position.
It is at this time that the hands will launch. NOW we can trust them. Let them
explode the bat to the ball. One final note.
Remember
that when we hit, the hands are in a double lever system. That is, they don't
personally go to the ball. They are holding the bat, which goes to the ball.
The hands always end up in front of the body. They are responsible for
directing the bat to the proper cut line on the pitch.
Baseball hitting tips and drills for youth baseball
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