One of the most common words used in hitting is the word “swing” as associated with a hitter as he “swings” at the ball.And although swing is not a “nasty” word, it does give the impression that the bat makes a long arc as it goes to the ball.
Take a MLB player swinging the bat.As it approaches the ball, the barrel of the bat is arcing and moving towards the ball.Unfortunately, this is what most people visualize when they think about “swinging”.Swinging is just not a good idea. It doesn’t allow for the hitter to have the best chance for maximum contact.
So, whether coaching youth baseball or older, here’s one of our baseball coaching tips: A better idea to teach would be—no arcing or swinging the bat to make contact with the ball.In making contact with the ball, the baseball player should direct the bat in a straight line.
In simple words, a hitter does not swing the baseball bat to hit the ball!To make better contact with the baseball, a batter should DRIVE the baseball bat in a straight line. We get contact, and then the bat swings!You should wait until after connecting with the ball to arc your bat. So a better explanation of a pro-type action is that the batter doesn’t swing the bat, HE STROKES IT.
A hitter that uses this stroke, sends the baseball bat in a straight line when connecting with the ball, thus generating more power and contact.
This is what we call the “PRO STROKE” It is outlined in 8 Hitting steps, which we call The Super 8 Hitting System.The 8 steps are: Stance, Coil, Stride, Drive, Contact, Extend, Extend Again, and Finish.
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