Power Batting Stance
General Tips
- Head and eyes are pointing toward the pitcher.
- Chin is touching, or close to your front shoulder.
- The grip is tension free and the hands are not spread apart. Make sure the bat handle is not gripped too far in the palm of the hand, your kids should grip the bat more in the middle of their fingers. One reason players grip the bat tight is fear of letting it go, however, the hands tighten at contact. Gripping the bat tight slows your bat speed.
- Relaxing your upper body, with your hands close to the back shoulder.
- Weight is on the front and inside balls of the feet, slight bend in the knees; avoid “knees, over toes.”
Compact/Fastball Hitting Stance
- Feet spread out in a straight line at shoulder width apart, then have your kids spread out an extra 3 to 6 inches.
- Lower your back elbow.
Breaking Ball/Extension Hitting Stance
- Narrower stance.
- Raise your back elbow.
Learn more about our Multi-Swing Method
Opening Up In Your Batting Stance
Many youth baseball players are using an open batting stance. Asking, “why do you do it?” The response, “I don’t know.”
The only valid reason for opening up in your batting stance is to improve vision/release-point recognition, generally, facing submarine pitchers.
Main reasons players use an open batting stance;
- Lacking the confidence to hit an inside fastball. FYI, opening up does not help players to hit an inside fastball, it’s a band-aid solution; you improve bat speed and swing path mechanics, focusing on your swing foundation; core mechanics, and rotation.
- Fear of being hit by a pitch.
Dangers Of Opening Your Batting Stance;
- Extra time planting your front foot, extra movement increases your margin for error.
- Inconsistent landing of the front foot, either stepping in bucket or diving into home plate.
How To Identify And Fix Batting Stride Mistakes
During batting practice draw a straight line in the batter’s box, toward the pitcher; check your front foot after each swing, and see for yourself if you are diving or stepping in the bucket with your stride.
