Sequencing the Hitting Process
By: Ken Eriksen, Head Coach, University of South Florida
The statement, "The hardest thing to do in athletics is to hit a ball while it is moving toward you with significant speed," is overused to emphasize what we hitters consider to be a natural act. However, in the true essence of this statement, "The hardest thing to do in fastpitch softball is to consistently move the ball with authority," It is hard enough to hit the fastpitch softball when it is moving up, down, in, out, and sometimes around the zone, but to hit for average and power takes so much dedication. For all hitters who are working towards that ultimate goal, I subscribe to the mental philosophy that has been passed on from good hitting coaches, the "5 Ps":
Most hitters have a tendency to fall into the death-trap of wanting instant success. Success may be experience at the early stages of the learning process. However, success should be sacrifices (in the sense of productivity) early for the understanding of the mechanics and mentality of hitting. The patience part needs to be empathized through the learning process. Perseverance will get the hitter through the rough times. The hitter and the coach must constantly keep a positive focus on the hitter and the coach must constantly keep a positive focus on the "task at hand." Whatever has happened on the last swing should only be a learning experience; productively measuring does not, and should not, come into play during the learning process. Once the hitter and the coach have established their goals and objectives, then the last three Ps become the hitter's sole responsibility. We have a tendency to find out how potentially successful the hitter can be if she/he sticks to the last three Ps.
The fastpitch softball swing is very similar to the baseball swing in respect to the downward angle of the swing. This angle (around 35 degrees) will promote more ground balls and line drives which is, hopefully, what all good hitters want to accomplish. When we understand this simple theory we can now go on and find other similarities between the two swings (baseball and fastpitch).
"Hitting is done with the hands; the rest of the body puts everything into an optimal position to let the hands throw the bat-head at the ball."
Pretty simple statement. But doesn't this throw out all the theories about turning your hips into the pitch, striding into the pitch, and staying back on the back foot for power? Answer: yes and no.
New research (The Miami Herald, page 3D, Thursday, May 23, 1991; and Discover, June 1991) shows that a ball player does not have to grip the bat very tightly in order to gain power. "The only reason you hold on to the bat," University of Pennsylvania physicist Howard Brady says, "is to keep from killing the pitcher."
To reach his conclusion, Brady taped a small vibration sensor to a bat handle. He compared the vibration patterns generated by a ball striking a bat using hand-held grips, clamping the bat in a vise, and suspending the bat on a string.
The hand-held bats, whether gripped loosely or tightly, vibrated pretty much like the bat handing freely in air. Only clamping a bat in a vise made a difference. But no human grip can come close to holding a bat this tight.
Brady says, from a power point, a batter can loosen up a little. Even if the hitter lets go of the bat completely at the moment of impact, the speed and trajectory of the ball would be the same as if it were struck by a bat held as tightly as possible.
Let us venture further into the hand-hitting theory. First, there are six areas that we need to discuss: 1. Bat selection, 2. Grip, 3. Stance, 4. Bat position, 5. Trigger, 6. The "Swing."
1. Bat selection. Physics tells is that bat-head speed results in initial power. What one individual can generate in bat-head speed varies in comparison to another individual. The goal is to transfer the potential power, through bat-head speed, upon contact with the ball. In fastpitch softball the power game was a rarity in the past. Now, instead of games being won and lost in the pitchers' circle, games are won and lost by one team being able to move the ball more consistently than the other team. However, late swings are all too prevalent; uncontrolled swings even more so.
"A lighter bat equals a quick bat-head which in turn equals (power) more hand hit balls."
I was not all that surprised to find that at the ASA Men's Major National Tournaments and the ISC World Championships in (1991, 1992, and 1993) the percentage of bats being used weighed between 26 ounces and 30 ounces. In baseball (comparative age group) the range of bats goes from 32 ounces to 36 ounces. Obviously, the quickness of the game dictates lighter bats for quick bat-heads. With the Major Men's pitchers hurling a rise and a drop ball at you from 46 feet away at 80 + mph, one must consider the quickest way to get the bat-head to the ball. A lighter bat is the first step.
Teaching at fastpitch camps throughout the country I am constantly dismayed by young women who swing 28-34 ounce bats because they feel the weight will "drive the ball." If that was the case, why do baseball players hollow out their bats for quicker bat head speed? You cannot "cork" an aluminum bat, it is already hollow and light.
2. The grip. Allowing the bat head to release through the hitting zone is so important. Grips that restrict this action need to be realigned. The emphasis should be on knuckle alignment. The bat should lay in the finger grooves that are bent by the second knuckles from the finger tips and when the grip is closed there should be room in the thumb area. To make sure that the grip is proper, hold the bat in the lead hand with just the fingers (not in the palm) and not with the thumb. Open and close the hand into grip position while maintaining the finger hold on the bat. Now put both hands on the bat with this finger hold. The knuckles should line up pretty close to each other with the lead wrist being more in the closed position and the back wrist being more in the open position. This grip will allow the hitter to freely throw the bat-head to where the ball is for maximum extension (on contact) to all fields.
3. Stance. When building a house we always start with a strong foundation, and in most athletic movements that foundation is pertinent. Balance is the key for maximizing the ability of the hitter to focus the swing towards the ball. To gain optimum balance through the hitting stance the feet should start out no closer than outside the shoulders. Ideally your feet should be slightly wider than outside your shoulders, if not more. The front foot is slightly closed towards the pitcher to maximize potential power from "natural" hip movement. Hips and front shoulder should be aligned with the front foot, slightly closed. The weight should be balanced in the middle of the stance with the emphasis on driving against a firm front side. If the hitter were to lift the front foot, the weight should drive forward with the balance remaining firm. It makes it easier to think about an imaginary pole that goes through the top of your head straight into the ground. The weight should rotate around the "pole" and end up on a balanced follow-through after the swing. The big question here is , "Why have your weight so far forward? Don't you generate bat head speed and power by keeping your weight back and then exploding forward?"
While you may gain a certain "momentum" forward through the hitting zone, the hitter also gains body movement, head movement, and a loss of the all-important "balance." While this excess movement is occurring, not only is the head moving, but the hands have already started to move early, the hips may have opened early, and the hitter becomes very susceptible to the outside pitch and the change-up.
By minimizing body movement we can minimize the opportunities to fall into bad habits like dropping the hands, hitching, over-striding, and flying-the-hips.
With this in mind, the hitter can now use a hitting style without a stride , or the hitter may use a "pick it up and put-it-down" style of hitting. This "step" style allows the hitter to always "think-away and adjust-in" on pitches. All the time the emphasis is on a balanced swing and finish. When a hitter is balanced, with less movement, the potential to see the ball is greatest.
4. Bat position. Bat position has always been a personal thing. The phrase "whatever feels comfortable" has been used by many coaches. Some coaches have an understanding that if a player is relaxed and comfortable, their productivity level will be greater and in that general sense they are correct. Then there are the other coaches who use this phrase because they do not have an understanding of proper mechanics. So, what is proper bat position? Proper bat position is the closest we can get to the perfect "launch" position that hitting guru Charlie Lau espoused about in the late 1970s. This "launch" position is the area in which the hands are prior to the initiation of the swing. It has been proven by mathematical equation (with respect to decreasing ball speed on a pitch over distance) that the proper contact angle is between 32 degrees and 40 degrees from horizontal (Brady's article). Proper bat position needs to be started with this angle being ascertained while the head is between the neck and the back shoulder during the beginning phase of the swing.
5. Trigger. The trigger is considered to be the "movement" that gets the swing going. The trigger acts as the reverse physical force that gets the weight shift and momentum moving through the hitting zone towards the ball.
"For every action, there needs to be an opposite and equal reaction."
This axiomatic theory holds true during the trigger motion. So, what is the physical movement that starts the swing process? To minimize excessive movement of the upper body and the head, we will concentrate on the front leg being the trigger movement. As mentioned previously, if we have the proper balance in our stance (equal weight distribution, slightly forward), we can lift our front foot slightly and feel our weight shift forward by itself. Once again the trigger is the front leg and keep in mind that the foot needs to start moving to the opposite field side of second base. If using a no-step swing, the front leg is still the trigger by initiating weight shift back to react forward. Once the trigger is in full gear, the rest of the hitting sequence begins to fall into place (the physical reaction to where the contact zone will be).
6. The swing. The swing is the motion that happens where we hold the bat before the pitch to where we make contact. Contact is made at the maximum extension point of the swing. Everything that occurs after contact is considered to be follow-through. The swing will be most effective if it is efficient.
Efficiency of the swing will determine our effectiveness as a hitter. Efficiency of the swing will be realized by minimizing excessive movements throughout the body by utilizing what is called a "one-part swing." Two- and three-part swings are better known as "hitch" swings. You should be able to count the movements before the initial forward movement. In the one-part swing, the bat head is thrown at the ball right from where the bat is being held. Some hitting instructors will use the phrase, "staying on top of the hitting zone throughout the entire swing," to help young hitters understand. The hands must stay closest to the perfect launch position when a one-part swing is utilized. The logic behind minimizing our movement is to increase bat-head speed to the ball.
Effectiveness will be experienced by one of two ways: 1) productivity in respect to hard-hit balls; and 2) productivity in respect to batting averages. Both are consistent with each other. There are some cases (short-term) where batting averages will not reflect hard-hit productivity.
We can see why the last three Ps are so important. However, without the hitter's patience and perseverance nothing positive can be accomplished. Hitting is a process, it is not easy, it is a lot of work. The successes will come from the individual.
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