Case Study: Eric Thames

ERIC THAMES

ADVANCED TRAINING GUIDE

Late in 2016, playing in South Korea; Eric Thames is the first-of-many high profile professionals, purchasing our hitting trainer; for peak game-day performance. Soon after, signing a sixteen million dollar contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, breaking the home run record for the first month of the season, bamboozling the baseball world, hitting +95 mph; on the inside corner, for LASER homers! After which the higher powers/big league coaches take-over, resulting in the up-and-down performance; since.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

The snippets of communication, between, Clinton Balgera, inventor of Exoprecise, and Eric Thames, preparing for a return to the big leagues. The information is not an endorsement of product/s, by Eric Thames.

IN SUMMARY

YOU’RE SWINGING TOO MUCH WITH THE UPPER BODY

… Mate, if you’ve aspirations of getting back to the MLB, our product will get you there, I’ve developed a few simple drills to fix your problems. You’re one of the most gifted athletes in the league. If you do this right, you’ll dominate. I’m already feeling sorry for the pitchers.

… I can see you’re B/T: L/R – same as me. Bottom-hand dominant players naturally use a top-hand release follow through, hitting the low ball, however, struggling with the up-and-inside fastball; contact closer to the body, the weaker top hand, taking over.

… The back foot gives valuable insight for the swing, noticing the correlation with imbalance, in the batter’s box, under-rotation/over-rotation of the back foot, indicating, over-swinging/arming your swing; it’s critical, learning to hit, using the automatic/core muscles.

… Starting, half-turned on the back foot, likewise, I use to do the same; to improve bat speed, facing the cheese. However, it makes little difference, especially, hitting the best pitchers, spotting the inside corner, rotating the back-side from your hips/core is critical.

… Additionally, growing confidence after hitting a few +95 mph pitchers, you’ll realize, opening-up in the batting stance; is a waste of time. Merely, the band-aid solution, compensating for insecurity, hitting the dominant inside fastball. Train to improve your core hitting mechanics, achieving consistent rotation, turning your back foot from your hips, helping you to stay back, maintaining balance in the batter’s box.

… It’s like the matrix, “free your mind.” Forget about, swinging with the arms; start, turning from your hips.

“Dude…. you are spot on! As you saw, my hip rotation has been lagging for years! Even in the big leagues. I’m not satisfied to be at 60% I’m ready to put this thing on, and get to work.”

Multi-Swing Method

Our Multi-Swing Method, and Hit Lasers Bat Speed Trainer, an excellent combination. Paraphrasing, the contact zone determines the best mechanics, coaching you to hit all pitch locations/types for power, the only method, increasing batting average, home-run production, walks; decreasing strikeouts.

… Current MLB methods are one-dimensional, retired B/T: R/R players, are now, coaching; biased towards the top hand mechanics, encouraging players to determine the same swing; “loopy launch angle.” Generally, sitting on a mistake pitch, however, the problem is the best pitchers don’t make mistakes.

… There’s no such thing as one, swing type; for all pitches. Preparing to hit the hardest pitch types, up-and-in & down-and-away; everything in between will come naturally in the game. Top-hand mechanics for contact closer to your body, bottom-hand for an extension, both, in-front and outside; hit any pitch in any location.

MECHANICAL ADJUSTMENTS INCLUDE:

(a) Minimizing the batting stride/swing path, finishing with both hands on the bat; contact closer to your body.
(b) Extending the stride/swing circumference, using a top-hand release finish as you feel pressure on your rear shoulder; extreme, low, outside and in-front locations.

Improving the swing foundation

Laser Pro drills train the core; less upper-body

Proper core mechanics, activating the reflex system; is the only way to hit a dominant +95 mph fastball, especially the up-and-inside location. Reduce the in-turn of your back foot, allowing you to be more comfortable in the spread out batting stance, engaging your core, blasting mechanics, improving bat speed/path, critical, hitting the above-average MLB inside fastball.

… Personally, the ratio is Laser Beam/top-hand isolation 10%, Laser Reflex/Laser Pro 60%, Laser Whip 20% and 10% for regular BP at the end of the session; comparison round. The sequence prepares you for the challenging pitches; up-and-inside, and down-and-away. Everything in between, is a piece of cake, fixing the dependency on your upper body, training the mind and body. Hitting the up-and-inside pitch on game day, relaxing, and blasting the core!

NOW HERE’S HOW IT’S GOING TO GO DOWN…

GRAB A HEAVY BAT…

Isolating the blast phase of your swing, reducing the size of the Hit Lasers Bat Speed Trainer, increasing the forces. Top-Hand side toss is your money drill, being a B/T: L/R player; bottom hand dominant swing, coaching top hand/reflex mechanics, hitting the “up-and-inside” fastball, 500 ft straight down the line; with no “hook-spin.” Personally, I use a 34 inch Mizuno heavy bat, you’re strong, do the same. The extra weight exposes players “arming” the swing.

• Spread out past shoulder width, back elbow relaxed, minimize movement, weight distribution toward the inside balls of your feet, knees don’t go over your toes and squeezed toward your center of gravity to engage your core muscles, more specifically, the adductor longus; connecting to your hips.
• Start your swing with a slow in turn of your front knee, swinging the bat with your hips, and turning your back foot from your hip joint; not from the ground up; an excellent drill to practice this movement.
• Look for something up in the zone and stay connected with your back elbow to the body, taking the heavy weight of the bat.
• Head down at contact and after contact. Whip it around your body like nunchucks, don’t lift on your follow through.

LASER PRO FRONT TOSS

Next, get into the cage, or coaches B.P and facing live pitching; if you’re brave. One of your coaches watching the back-foot, side-on view, checking for proper rotation. In this case, we recommend you use a heavier bat, even shorten two to three inches on the bat. Laser Pro drills keep you connected, reducing the temptation of over-swinging/arming the swing; don’t fight it.

• Avoid “muscling up” with the arms/shoulders, relax the grip, eliminating tension from your body.
• Start with a round of belt high, and above; middle to inside locations. Track the ball deeper into your contact area. If you have a problem with staying back this will fix it, for Laser Reflex/Laser Pro drills, reaching out is not an option. Training “hands-inside-the-ball,” using the hips to rotate your back leg, getting the upper half into the best position, “squaring up the ball.”
• Tell your coach to toss up-and-in, in fact; mix in some balls 3-inches off the inside edge of the plate and try to keep it fair. Aiming to the pull-side alley, blasting with your core, keeping the head down.
• Advanced hitters can also hit the hard, low and away pitch using a similar method, tilting at your waist to get lower to ground.
• Randomly toss the ball 6-inches out of the strike zone, don’t swing; take the pitch at the very last second, avoid disconnecting your arms away from your body. Drive your back elbow into your torso, keeping your hands back, allowing your core muscles to take the force; coaching to lay off “hard and late-breaking” sliders, and sinkers on gameday.
• Use a two-hand grip on your finish, short-to-short swing plane. You can’t keep the head down, during the follow through; unnaturally, lifting the arms, hitting the ball deep. Use the hips, relaxing your upper body with a flat swing plane.

See it, to believe it…

After you crush 5-10 up-and-inside pitches, hitting the ball with backspin, keeping the ball fair; things start to click, progressing quickly.

CONTACT AWAY FROM YOUR BODY (EXTENSION)

Finish up with Laser Whip front toss, vary the speed, preparing for soft change-ups, and hard, breaking sliders on the outside edge of home plate. Use a lighter bat to get the whip on the extended pitch, as your back elbow gets away from your body your arms take the weight, therefore, using a heavy bat with low and extended contact zone is not recommended.

• Looking for a pitch down in the zone, working on the low-in-front, and low-outside locations.
• Stay in your legs: get the coach to watch from side-on, making sure the head does not go beyond your center of gravity (lunging).
• Use a top-hand release finish to allow for more extension; release, feeling pressure on the rear shoulder, helping to reach the extremities of the outside edge, maintaining power.

Game-Day: On-deck circle

You know how to hit to the hanging stuff, coaches are experts, in this regard; time to build the real, “hitting-machine.”

POWER HITTING AGAINST POWER PITCHERS

Real world example: lefty hitter, facing a 95+ mph; funky, lefty-pitcher, tailing up-and-in, reducing the time to react, therefore your only option? Hit the ball closer to the body. Close the mind, open your eyes, track the ball deeper, using your reflexes. Short-to-short and flatter swing path, two-handed follow through. Additionally, I recommend using a heavy game-day bat, allowing your core to take the weight, compensating for the lack of extension/momentum power; seen with mid-level contact areas. You have the option to shorten up like Barry Bonds. Like I said after you realize you can hit the hard and inside pitch; your confidence grows, allowing you to hit the best pitchers in the MLB.

Junk & Late Breaking; Low-Away

Real world example: facing the game 5 starter; 88 mph right-handed pitcher, scared to throw the fastball, in this case, “down and away.” Practice the Laser Whip swing, using a top-hand release, giving extra reach; preparing for a pitch on the outside edge of the home plate. Mentally, buying into the opposite field approach (critical).