Brady Ball

In this article we will talk about strengths and weaknesses that apply to most all hitters. The first thing I usually talk about to most hitters is approach. Your typical hitter at a young age goes up to the plate with no approach. In other words, no game plan. All they want to do is make contact and hit the ball hard. There is so much more to hitting than making contact and hitting the ball hard. You must have a purpose with every at bat. Know the situation prior to your plate appearance and build your approach around that.

Here are a few steps to a good approach;

1. The first thing I tell my hitters is to have a clear mind. Block out all distractions, take a deep breathe through your nose and exhale through the mouth. Breathe slowly and control your breathing.
2. Have an approach. Know the situation, read the field and see where the players are position. Then start your routine. If you don’t have one then you need to build one. Basically it is how you prepare yourself when stepping into the box. Some may call it a ritual is helps with relaxation and consistency.
3. Be comfortable. Make sure that you are consistent with foot placement. This will help to understand your strike zone better. Have a wide stance to form a strong base and stay loose. Make sure you have some flexibility in your knees. This will relax your body and help build a little rhythm.
4. One of the most important aspect is your confidence level. You must have confidence in yourself. Have a little swagger. Good hitters have attitude. Look the pitcher straight in the eye’s and let him know who is in charge. You have to show that your the stronger player. Bring it on I’m ready for anything attitude.
5. Most importantly is you have to be able to adjust. Always making adjustment is a sign of a great hitter. Now may not always make the right adjustment but that is how you get better. The more you practice the better you get. Every pitch is different. You have to be able to hit more than one pitch. You have to be able to antisipate. Knowing the count, the situation, and by studing the pitcher you can have a pretty good idea what he like to throw and what is working for him. This will help your at bat to be more productive.
6. And lastly, be aggressive but be selective. Show the pitcher you are up there to hit 

These 6 steps incorporate all the strengths of a good hitter. Lets review; purpose, approach, confidence, attitude, comfort, consistancy, clear mind and the ability to adjust.

On the flip side what would be the weaknesses of a hitter; No approach, pressure, tension, trying to hard, likes only one pitch, thinking to much, to many obstacles (Fear, stress), wearing emotions.

So you can see that there is a lot going on with every at bat. The more you are prepared the better you’ll be. This is why there is so much more to hittingthan just looking to make contact. We all want to make contact but there is some much more to the game. The more you know the better you are. That is why I tell my students to learn every day. There is always something to learn everytime you  take the filed or even watch a game. Be a student of the game. Continue to learn everyday.

In one of our earlier post we talked about hitters fall under two catagories, Linear and Rotational. And every hitter falls under one of those two catagories. But when coaches, scouts and recruiters look at hitters they actually break it down even further. This article will talk about the different types of hitters and why they are considered a certian type.

As a hitter it is important to understand which catagory you fit under. Because pitcher are taught to pitch certain hitter certain ways. Each hitter has a week spot and if a pitcher or coach can identify what type of hitter the batter is then they can focus on areas to deliver the ball where the hitter is not as effective. This is why it is important to understand what type of hitter your are. 

Lets break it down, first you have the Agressive hitter. This is what we call a free swinger. His approach is yes, yes , yes. He is thinking I am going after the first pitch that is over the plate. He wants to put the ball in play anyway he can. He like to make contact.

 Now the other side of the coin you have the Defensive Hitter. This person is a little more selective and likes to take a few pitches. Typically like to see what the pitcher has working for him on that particular day. And what to stay away from. Likes to go deep in the count and focuses more on a good pitch to hit.

Another catagory would be, what we a Spray hitter. This batter is usually keeps his stroke short and quick. He gets a good look at a pitch and is able to drive it in the direction to where the pitch is delivered. In other words, if the pitch is on the outside half of the plate he will drive the ball to the opposite field. If the pitch is on the inside half he will pull the ball. This type of hitter has a lot of bat control and see the ball well. He can usually place the ball where he wants to.

Then you have what we call a Pull Hitter. This hitter is one dimensional. Tries to hit everything to the power side. He usually has an early trigger. Likes to jump on the ball. Many pull hitters half a long swing and have a tendency to over swing. Or what many call muscle up on it.

The hitter every pitch fears is the Power hitter. These hitters are usually in the 3,4,5 spot in the line up. They are considered the run producers. The guys that can hit the long ball. They usually have the most RBI’s and extra base hits. Pitchers will actually pitch around these type of hitters because the can score a lot of runs and can generate momentum.

So you can see there are several types of hitters and what the definition is for each type. So next time you take the field or watch a ball game sit back and watch the hitters. You will now look at hitters differently and actually tell what type of hitter that person is. You will see the game in a different light. It only gets better.

I was looking through some of my old hitting books this past weekend and came across Dusty Bakers book on hitting. This is a great book that teaches a systematic approach for coaches and players. Dusty talks about the 10 most common mistakes made today.

1. The grip
2. The stance and stride
3. Plate coverage
4. Loading the hands
5. The pivot
6. Bat angle
7. Front shoulder early release
8. Follow through or finish
9. Tracking the ball
10. Fear of the ball

If you look at this list you’ll notice that we discuss almost ever area in the 5 parts to a swing. Again it is very important to understand the mechanics of the swing and how they work together. This is where all the adjustments
are made.

In this issue we completely break down the swing. This is a very popular piece because you really get good understanding of the mechanics of the swing and how it works.

Article 3

What are the 5 parts to a Major league swing?

1. Stride and Load
2. Hip rotation (the Pivot)
3. Point of contact
4. Bat Extension
5. Finish

These areas are very important to understand. This is where hitters can make adjustments when they find themselves in a slump or not making good contact. The key is keeping dynamic balance during your sequential rotation. These 5 components need to take place in the proper sequence in order for a hitter to reach his maximum hitting capacity. Let’s review how these steps takes place.

Stride and load: Now that you are comfortable and have good balance you are ready to start your swing. The stride and load happen simultaneously. The important thing to remember about the stride and load is to keep it simple. Let’s discuss the stride. We teach the 3 “S”; Soft, Short and the Same.

Soft because it will help you keep your weight back and minimize your hips to drift. You’ll be able to rotate more on an axis which will create more power. The stride should be Short, about three to four inches. This will minimize your head and body movement which is very important and will help you get your foot down early. One area hitters always over look is keeping your stride consistent. Keeping it the Same every time. This takes a lot of practice. Good hitters work on this daily. Two good drills for this is dry runs and mirror work.

The load is very suttle. You load with your hands in a slight upward motion. Keep your hands moving. A body in motion stays in motion. This will help increase your hand speed so you can get to the point of contact quicker.

Hip Rotation: This is where your swing actually begins and will help generate bat speed. The lower muscle groups are your strongest muscle groups in your body. Your legs and hips produce all the power. The quicker your hips rotate, the faster your hands will move. You’ll hear the phrases like “squish the bug” or “Pivot on your back foot”. This is critical because not only does hip rotation give you power but it enables you to finish your swing.

This is another area that creates problems for hitters. Because if the back foot doesn’t pivot, your hips will get lock out and you won’t get a full hip rotation in. This will cause lose of power and you will not be able to finish your swing.

Point of Contact: As your hands move in a downward direction towards the plain of the ball you lead with the knob of the bat. Keep your hands inside the ball and out front of the bat. In other words hands go and the bat will lag to the contact zone with back elbow towards the hip. At contact your hands should be one palm up (Top hand) and one palm down (Bottom hand). Hands should be above the barrel. Your head should be down looking at contact with your nose to the ball.

Bat Extension: If you want to hit the long ball you have to get your bat extended. The Bat extension will dictate the flight of the ball. This is where you get distance on the ball. Good extension will give you good distance. The hips generate the power. The extension gives you the distance. The way you can tell if you are getting fully extended is the barrel will be pointed at the pitcher and your arms will create what we call the “power V”. Think of hitting through the ball and continue on the same path. A lot of hitters will fly open or pull their front shoulder before they get extended. This causes pop ups and fly balls.

The Finish: The last part of the swing is your finish or what we call follow through. You have to complete the swing with a long finish and end high. If the swing is in the plain of the pitch and you get a proper extension then you will finish high. Think of putting the barrel of the bat in your back pocket at the very end of your swing. As I mentioned before in hip rotation is if you don’t get a full rotation with your hips then you won’t be able to complete your swing.

Game 4

Titans win game 4 in the bottom of the 8th. Titans had to play the Clash 18U team which is considered the best team. This was the last game of the day and there were a lot of colleges out there to watch this game. Clash hits first and scored 2 runs. Titans came to the plate and couldn’t get anything going. Clash scores another one in the 2nd inning. Titans get the first two hitters on base but again couldn’t score.

Then the Titans pitchers bared down and went to work. They shut down the Clash after 2. Titans then started to pick away, scored one in the 4th, one in the fifth and one in the sixth to tie it up. You could tell that the heat started to setting in and the pitching staff was getting tired. But that did not stop the Titans. Their pitchers played with heart and put up a phenomenal performance. The never gave up and kept the pressure on the Clash. They wanted to win this game no matter what it took. And they proved it!

Pitchers: Kyle Clevenger started game four. Went four strong innings. Box score: 5 K’s, 3 BB, 3 H, 3 R, Dario Bartolotto came in for 1 inning, struck out the side but his arm started to bother him. Then Riley Moran came in and shut down the Clash for 3 innings. Box score: 5 K’s, 0 BB, 0 H

Top players: 2B Riley Moran, Max Sheehan, 3 Hits – Riley Moran, Max Sheehan, 2 Hits including the winning hit Kevin Wilson.

Game 3

The Titans started day 2 with a win over Riverside on the main diamond. The Titans pitching again was a high point of the morning. In the first game of the day they put together 10K’s, only walk one hitter and gave up 5 hits. Another good day for the Titans defense as well. Only made one error and that was debatable.

On the offensive side the Titans put together 11 hits for 8 runs to beat Riverside by the score of 8 – 3. Max Sheehan had a perfect game at the plate. He went four for four.

Pitchers: Michael Chavez starts on the bump. Throws 3 innings, Box score: 6 K’s, 0BB, 2 R, 3 H, James Uroz 3 innings Box score – 3 K’s, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 R, Kyle Clevenger comes in to close, 1 Inning, 1K, 0 H, 0BB

Top Players: 4 hits – Max Sheehan, 2B – Taylor Moran, 2 Hits Taylor Moran

Game 2

In Game 2 Titans face local team Arizona Clash. The Clash holds the Titans scoreless in the first. Their pitcher strikes out three out of four. Then they score 2 more in the bottom half. But then the Titans bats came alive Dario Bartolotto leads off with a shot to left and the Titans string 4 hits together to tie it up. Austin Ellis then leads off the 3rd with a double and Kevin Wilson drives him in with a single to go up by one. Then Clash scores one in the 6th to tie it up. Titans get 2 in the 7th and the clash ran out of gas. Titans end up beating the clash in a close game 5 – 4.

Pitchers for Game 2: Kyle Clevenger – 2 innings 2R on 2H, 3BB, 1K, Dario Bartolotto – 3 innings 3K, 3BB, 1H and 2 pick offs, Riley Moran – 3 innings 2R, 2H, 2K, 1BB

Top Players: 2B Austin Ellis, 3 Hits – Austin Ellis 2 Hits – Kevin Wilson, Dario Bartolotto, Taylor Moran 

Game 1
Titans check in at Scottsdale. We arrive Thursday night and head on over to check in to find out we play at 1:00 pm on Friday. We get matched up with a team from Denver Colorado. Tournament format was showcase style. Which is 5 hitters an inning or 3 outs whichever comes first. This type of tournament is strickly for players to show their skills and talent to college recruiters from across the country.

Colorado hits first as the Titans take the field. Colorado doesn’t waste anytime and goes right to work they score one in the first. Titans come up and bang a couple hits but can’t get one across. Then Colorado scores again in the third. Then the Titans come alive and ralley for 4. Then the Titans pitching staff settles down and shuts down the Mile high club. Titans win their opener game 4 – 2.

Pitchers for Game one: Michael Chavez – 3 innings 2R on 2H,2BB, James Uroz – 3 innings 0R, 1H,1BB, 4K, Kyle Clevenger – 2 innings 1H, 2BB, 4K

Top Players: 3 hits – Michael Chavez, 2 hits – Jessie Lehrman, Joey Austin, 2B Joey Austin

Part two of  Dynamic Hitting. In this article I’m going to cover the hitters grip and their batting stance. We’ll discuss dynamic balance and how to build your stance from the ground up. This is important to understand because this is where a lot of adjustments are made when a hitter finds himself in the funk. So lets get started.

Aritcle 2

The Gip

The first area where hitters have a tendency to over look and don’t really pay attention to is the grip on the bat. When I looks at hitters today I see three different grips being used. The standard grip, modified grip and what I call the choke hold. The best and most effective grip today is the Standard Grip. 

 As you grip the handle of the bat you line up your knocker knuckles. The reason that this is so effective is it keeps the bat out of the palm of your hand and more in your fingers. By keeping the handle more in your fingers your hands seem to relax more and it also creates whip during the swing. A hitter can always check this grip by pointing your two index fingers in the air. They should point straight up.

The second grip I mentioned is the Modified grip. What is a modified grip? When the knocker knuckles are off set just a bit which puts your hands in a more comfortable position and has a more natural feeling. I see most hitters use this one. I think this grip is popular because it is comfortable and feels more natural. Is it a bad grip? No, not really it will determined by how off set your knuckles are. The modified grip is not as effective as the standard grip.

The third grip is what I call a Choke hold. Typically used by big strong hitters. When the bat gets a little deeper in the hand, hitters have the tendency to over grip.  This added tention in your hands will cause a loopy swing which create a lot of fly balls and balls hit to the opposite field with less power. This is not a grip hitters should use. Most hitters that use this grip are not even aware they are doing it.

The bottom line is that the bat handle should be held in your fingers somewhere at the end of your palm and at the beginning of your fingers. You don’t want your hands to tight or to loose. Hands should be somewhat relaxed for better response and faster reaction time.

Batting Stance 

The stance is a very important component of  hitting. This is another area hitters take for granted.  Without a proper stance you don’t have a good foundation to work with nor will you have good balance. Two things to keep in mind; your feet have to be comfortable and you have to have good balance.

There are three ways you can start your stance in the batter box; Open, Closed or Neutral. I teach my hitters to keep it simple. Start in the Neutral position, especially for young hitters. All hitters end up in the Nuetral position anyway when they stride to contact. Again keep it simple. You’ll have less body movemenet from the neutral position. Your head will be a little more stable  so you’ll get a better look at the pitch.

Let’s discuss the batting stance from the ground up. We call this the stacking method. Let start with foot placement. This is important because you have to maximize plate coverage. Start your alignment with the back corner of the plate. The Hitters front foot should be about 10 - 12 inches from the plate. The length of the hitters shoe. Back foot should be more than shoulder width away. Personally I like a wide stance. Your knees should be flexed and inside your feet. This will add more weight to the instep of your feet. This creates what is call Dynamic Balance. 

At this point you want to make sure everything is level;  hips, shoulders and eye’s. Your elbows should be relaxed and the front elbow should be pointed down, your chin should be close to if not over your front shoulder, hands located between your back ear and back shoulder, your chest should be leaning slightly forward and over your knees. Remember good posture.  Lastly, your bat angle should be at  45 degree’s, barrel up and now your ready to take a good balanced hack.

That covers the grip on the bat and batting stance at the plate. Next time you are out at a game take time to watch a few hitters. Just by observing the hitters stance you will be surprised at what you see.

Check back next week. We’ll be breaking down swing and how the process works.

Brady Ball will have a sequence of articles that will cover everything you need to know about hitting and then some

Article 1

From time to time I get asked, is hitting an art or a science? It is actually both.

The Art portion of hitting falls under Style or techniques. All hitter develop their own style or their own technique. Whether it would be a richual or something that helps them get relaxed or help them get focused. They all have what you would call a swagger to their approach.

The Science of hitting is the mechanics of the swing. The study of how a swing takes place. And we are going to talk about that in a minute. But before we start lets talk a little about the bat and reaction time.

The bat at its widest point is 3 1/2 inches in diameter and what they call the sweet spot is only about 3 inches in length. If you hit any other part of the barrel other than the sweet spot the bat will vibrate and this is what causes sting in your hands.

Some pitchers throw the ball upwards of 90 mph and the distance from the pitching rubber to the plate is 60 feet 6 inches. This mean the hitter has about two thirds of a second to get the barrel of the bat into the plain of the pitch with full power. Now keep in mind not all pitches come straight in many have movement; they dip, float, zip and curve.

A 90 mph fast ball should reach the plate in about .4 seconds after the pitcher releases the ball. That means the batter has a split second to pick up the pitch visually and “recognize ” it - decide whether it is a fast ball, a curve or a change up and where it is likely to be headed in relation to the strike zone.

There are actually two types of hitters; Linear and Rotational. You can tell the difference by how they use their body during the swing. Linear hitters will have a little body movement forward as they push their hips on rotation to get to their back toe. Rotational hitters will stay back and rotate on an axis. Both are very similiar and effective. 

Hitters typically fall under three categories; Contact hitters otherwise known as base hitters, Line drive hitters or hitters that like to use the gaps for extra bases. And the last catergory would be Power Hitters. These are the guys that produce a lot of runs. Hitters that take the ball deep. The long ball.

Now its time to talk Core mechanics. This sequence of movements need to take place in order to hit the ball well. Three things need to happen.

1. Hips lead the hands
2. Match the plain of the swing to the path of the pitch
3. Stay inside the ball

  The hips start first. This is what begins the swing. The hands load which causes a rubber band effect that creates torque which produces explosion. In return this generate your bat speed. The key here is to keep your balance which will give you a strong foundation to hit from.

Once your swing begins the knob leads. The bat needs to move in a downward plain. This will get you into the path of the ball as quickly as possible. This will help maximize your contact area and creat leverage. The longer you stay in this plain the more punch it will create which will give you more pop.

One of the most important things to remember is to stay inside the ball. This means to start your hands in. The closer they are to your body the more support and strength you’ll have. This keeps the hitter short to the ball and maximizes bat speed. Which create quickness.

Our next article on hitting we will cover Grip, Stance and the Key Elements to a major league swing……