Hitting For Excellence - Baseball Hitting Instruction, Batting Instruction!

COACH'S CORNER
(Q&A With Dave)

Balance

Extension

Hands

Balance Archive

Question:	As I've mentioned before my sons have a pulling off the ball problem. We think opposite field all the time but as soon as we swing hard in a game situation we pull off. The only thing that seems to help is to concentrate on starting the bat with the hands and not the upper body but to do that they both seem to push more with the top hand than what your literature calls for. We don't roll over until after contact but we seem to generate a little more bat speed and barrell direction if we concentrate on the top hand. My guess would be that we were pulling with the lower arm and really getting nothing out of the top hand. We are confused about the role of the top hand. Without it our bats seem lazy and without direction. With it we wonder if we're doing things incorrectly but we get better results.

Dave Hudgens:	As long as the top hand is not rolling too soon, it is ok to think, be more aggressive with the top had as long as the top hand is staying in the proper position and getting through the ball. If the kids are staying inside and through the ball you are ok. What hitters mentally say to themselves is different depending on the hitter, if your sons seem to get their hands going better when they think top hand, then this is probably getting their hands going. As far as pulling off the ball, make sure their effort level is not too high, hitters with a high effort level tend to pull of of the ball more often. They should feel like they have something let with their body when the complete their swing, also, if they are staying on balance throughout the swing, then their effort level is ok. Their effort level in batting practice and drills should be the same as their game swings, once this starts happening they will become more consistence. Good luck.

Question:	Dave, I'm hearing a lot of parents advising their kids to drive with that back leg. Is this ever good advice? I can't remember this one being commented on in the short stroke book but it seems akin to "squashing the bug". It seems to me that it implies too much weight is back or rather that there isn't a good transfer. Can you do this and be balanced? I'm looking for a way to be open minded on this one and rationalizing to myself that during the transfer there is some measure of driving forward with the back leg to bring you to center. Perhaps this is what's being implied?

Dave Hudgens:	I don't like to give the advice drive with the back leg. That can lead to many mechanical flaws in the swing. If a player isn't using their legs properly, then try to spread their legs wider, andhave them train to keep their legs low to the ground. This will devlop the leverage that you would not get if you tried driving with the legs. Good luck with the training.

Question:	When I stride I land on the instep of my front foot at a 45 degree angle and my weight starts to shift forward and by the time the rest of my foot lands the knob of the bat is past my back foot and I am starting to transfer my weight. Is this correct? Or should I wait until my toe and heel hit the ground before I start the weight transfer. Thanks a lot.

Dave Hudgens:	The weight transfer should happen when the heel of the front foot hits the ground. The back heel should start to come up a split second before the hands come. This will keep you in a good position of power.

Question:	I've been working with my 10 yr old son. He is working so hard to keep his weight back that he is not shifting his weight and is ending up with a reverse pivot. Using step back drill he does fine, moving to soft toss, back to reverse pivot. He is keeping his weight on his back foot while swinging. He is concentrating so hard on keeping his weight back, that he is not transfering any weight during the swing. All his weight and power remain on the back foot.

Dave Hudgens:	During his drills, your son needs to focus on taking his weight back to center. Even have him overexaggerate staying over the ball in his drills. Practice his backfoot getting on the toe ate contact. If he does these mechanical changes, his weight will be going from back to center. Good Luck.

Question:	I have always heard about squishing the bug, but in your Hitting Report it says that it is improper technique. Does this just mean you don't leave all your weight on your back leg? Would it be correct to make the motion of twisting your foot toward the pitcher, so your hips transfer into the ball?

Dave Hudgens:	When kids are told to squish the bug, they have a tendency to keep all of their weight on their back leg. When all of the weight is kept on the back leg, the hitter will collapse the backside. Another result of this movement is developing a mostly rotational swing. The swing should be a combination of rotation and weight transfer.

Question:	My son 12 years old have this problem for long time. After he swung, he loses balance and his back foot goes toward home plate. He was all star in Pony League and hit .450 in the season using 3/4 inches barrel. But he can not hit against the little league pitcher who throws slow with 1/4 inches barrel. Does he have a weight transfer problem?

Dave Hudgens:	I would keep working on his weight transfer; balance and staying balanced throughout the swing. If he is rolling his top hand, work on keeping his hands closer to the body on his approach to the ball. The swing should be a combination of rotation and weight transfer. Some players are more rotation, some are more weight transfer but all good hitters are a combination of both. If he hits .450, his balance is fair. In the stance, start, and power position, his balance will be excellent if the toes (or back toe at least), knees, and tips of shoulders are vertically aligned. To align them, sink straight downward as if preparing to jump straight up, and sink to the desired level. This improves balance from face-to-back. Balance from rear to front is more complex. He must arrive at the power position, then at full weight transfer at the right times. This is done by timing the footwork right. If he has trouble hitting the slower pitchers, I suspect it is because he strides as early for slow pitchers as he does for the fast ones. This will cause a weight transfer problem. He should stride a bit later for slower pitching, or a bit sooner for a very fast one.

Question:	My son (Age11) cannot hit slow pitch. He had problems of dipping & back foot corrupsion. I have been advising him to move his weight to center of the legs and swing. I did not ask him stay back when stride foot land. I believe that he is shifting his weight pre-matually. Therefore when he swings, it is all hand only and back foot is not commiting. He had a successfull season in Pony League then he had bad season in Summer League. Mr. Hudgens, When is the best timing for initiate Weight Transfer?

Dave Hudgens:	When the stride foot lands the weight should be at least 60% back. Too many kids take their weight forward with their stride. The stride should feel more like a reach than a stride. This will help to keep the weight back in a strong position. Keep the stride easy and short. The rest of the weight should get to center at contact. Good luck.

Question:	I've noticed when I swing my back foot comes off of the ground. Is this ok or should I make an adjustment. Your program is working great for me. I've started the overload program and I already feel like my bat speed has improved. Thanks

Dave Hudgens:	Keep up the good work. The overload program will be of great benefit to you now and throughout your career. Your back foot is a product of your weight transfer. Check to see that your rotation is correct. As long as your weight is in the center position at contact and your balance is good this should not be a problem. You see many good hitters whose back foot comes off the ground. Don't go past center and onto your front leg. Also make sure your head is not moving forward violently. I prefer a hitter's back foot to just rotate up to the toe, but some hitters do come off the toe. Good Luck

Question:	Last night, I went to a batting cage and took quite a few balls. I did not miss many (only about 10 in over 150), but when I did miss I noticed that my weight would be over my front leg. I know this is bad, but I would like to know what would cause this to happen. Also, what do you like to do to prevent this?

Dave Hudgens:	This can be caused by pushing off of your back leg as opposed to reaching with your stride foot and keeping your weight back. Think about your head staying behind your belly button. Make sure that your start is early and easy. This will help you so stay easy and you will not be so quick with your feet.

Question:	I just got your free report and have read it about 10 times. I will soon be ordering a package. My question is, since I was younger, after my swing I tend to fall over on my back side and all but fall on the ground. None of my coachs thinks it's a problem but, I seem to think that it is. Your advice would be a great help.

Dave Hudgens:	It is always good to have your weight as you are balanced in your stance over home plate (meaning on the balls of your feet). The trick is that you have to keep that weight/balance there as you go thru your swing. Everything about your swing takes you away from home plate making it natural for you to want to fall on your backside, so to combat that, you have to keep that weight/balance over home plate ALL THE WAY THRU. Be careful that you don't take it to the opposite extreme and are falling over the plate as you are swinging. That is why each time I said weight I had the balance right there along with it! If during your initial training you are falling over during or even better after you are thru with your swing, fine. Just make sure that you get yourself to be balanced thruout.

Question:	My twelve year old son has always been a good hitter since he began playing as a seven year old. However, he's developed a bad habit that none of us who work with him can seem to stop. Whether it's impatience or what, we don't know. The problem? He's getting his head out over his front knee when he's swinging and getting no "pop" on the ball. Sometimes he's way off balance. He's making contact, but very ineffectively.

Dave Hudgens:	If he's a rotational hitter, he's probably moving like a weightshift man. Needs to "reach" forward with the stride foot- not step with it. Needs to keep the weight back, as the foot reaches forward and touches down-- then waiting, with weight still back, til the decision and cut-- and only then move weight forward, and then only to midpoint during the stroke and contact. The answer MIGHT be simple as striding a tick earlier. Ability to do that might be tied-up in understanding pitch rythm better and responding accordingly. The key to this could be learning to key that stride to the pitcher's stride.. nothing happens at the mound til the pitcher strides, and when he does all his pitches will arrive just about the same.