HITTING BASICS

by Chrissi Bruckner & Chrissi Lipp www.fastpitchchallenge.de

STANCE

LEGS

• • • slightly more than shoulder-width apart • comfortable solid stance -> too close = no balance -> too wide = no explosiveness • knees slightly bent

FEET AND WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION

• • • feet pointing straight ahead weight on balls of feet distribution of weight: 50% - 50 %

HIPS

• „open“ • pointing to the pitcher with one side

SHOULDERS

• • • • „open“ as well one side pointing to the pitcher both shoulders relaxed, same level

• • •

ELBOWS

point in a backward V (bat as top of angle) downward relaxed stance

HANDS

• As high as back shoulder, not too far from the body • First knuckles lined up

• •

EYES AND HEAD POSITION

Keep head still, not tilted -> eyes are parallel to the ground completely turned to the pitcher

STRIDE AND LOAD-UP

• While the hands go back loading up, the front foot makes a short stride without opening up. • The distribution of weight changes from 50 : 50 % to 60 : 40 % or even 75 : 25 % on the back leg • Gliding step as a stride ( „ on ice „ ) • Toe touches the ground first

SWING

• After toe-touch the hill plants onto the ground.

• At this moment the distribution of weight is again 50 : 50 %.

• The hips start a quick turn • Hands follow, as soon as the hips have started their motion • Front foot opens 45° maximum • The front leg is

almost

hip turn to the pitcher completely stretched, while the back leg and the back

SWING ( continue )

• At the point of contact with the ball the hip is not completely closed yet and the arms are not quite extended, but in power position.

• At contact the hands are always between ball and body (avoiding a wide swing and generating more power)  the path of the hands is short and straight to the ball,keeping on a line inside the ball, • head of the bat is thrown as quickly as possible on the same plain as the ball , then extended through the ball

BAT SPEED

• A hard long hit is produced by a fast and powerful contact with the ball, without stopping or slowing down.

• Hard hits are the result of a quite high bat speed. Requirement for this is a sound basic technique. Pay attention to the action of the hands, the accelerationa and rotation of the hips, timing and contact point. • Well-trained abdominals and back muscles are essential to generate high bat speed

DRILLS

• 1. Chinese (Front) Toss • 2. dropping a ball from above • 3. Swift-stick: quick back and forth • 4. Quick Toss: with swift-stick + whiffles • 5. Football Hitting (best off tee) • 6. Hitting tossed incrediballs with heavier bats • 7. Balance beam: dry swings, + hitting off Tee • 8. “Step into the swing”: off tee

INSIDE – OUTSIDE HITTING

• Two main differences between inside/outside hitting are 1. contact point 2. position of hips at contact.

• On an inside pitch contact point is IN FRONT or „ early „. At this moment the hip is already turned and the middle of the body is directed to the contact point. • The contact point of an outside pitch is in front of the back knee, or „ later „. At this moment the hip / the middle of the body is turned to the contact point as well, but this time it is not completely closed since the contact point is way behind.

DRILLS

• 1. Tee inside • 2. Tee outside • 3. Toss inside • 4. Toss outside • 5. Front toss behind screen; coach tossing inside/outside on command • 6. Front toss, (hitting only pitches to one side at a time / inside oder outside) • 7. High in; side-front toss to the hands • 8. Low balls : toss