5 Parts to a major league swing
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.
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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.
