Farmington Hitting Fundamentals
Farmington Hitting Fundamentals Stance: 1) Balanced and relaxed- a tense body does not move as quickly 2) Shoulders, elbows, and eyes level 3) Wide stance (so we don’t stride- it’s more of a shift in weight) 4) Bent knees 5) Hands at the top of the strike zone 6) Grip the bat in the fingertips with knocking knuckles lined up- don’t grip too strongly- it will slow you down. Lining up the knuckles with unlock your your wrists and help you generate more bat speed. Do it!
Jon Graff Assistant Varsity Baseball Coach Farmington High School [email protected] Follow FHS Baseball on Twitter: @Farmingtonbball
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Swing: 1) Back elbow is in the slot (next to body) 2) Weight is back (don’t lunge). Lunging speeds up the game- we want to slow it down. 3) Head should stay level and near the same spot- changing the level/position of the head changes the relationship to the ball as it comes in. 4) Front foot is locked (doesn’t fly out towards 3rd for righties or 1st for lefties) 5) Hands stay inside the ball and don’t get away from the body (if this happens, you may be creating a loopy swing) 6) Back knee “pop” inwards- to help generate power along with the hips
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Contact: 1) Elbow still in the slot 2) Hands on top of the ball 3) Power L back leg- knee, hip and shoulder all perpendicular to the ground. 4) Heel over toe on the back foot 5) Hips point to the field you’re hitting it to 6) Short to the ball… long extension through the ball
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Follow Through: 1) Balanced 2) High finish 3) Top palm faces up as long as you can 3) Long extension 4) Chin on back shoulder
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Finish: 1) Weight still back 2) Still balanced 3) Finished high
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3 Biggest Problems With Hitters & How to Fix Them Problem: Weight out front- player lunges at ball, speeds the game up, can’t hit the change-up or off-speed pitch Fix: Wider stances, less movement in trigger, concentrate on “power L” Drills: With tee or soft toss-start in “power L”-then as you swing, focus on keeping weight back With tee or soft toss- squish the bug, pause, then swing High Soft Toss- pitch a high arching soft toss and focus on keeping weight back (they still trigger on the toss, they just have to hold their weight back through the high arch)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------Problem: Long, loopy, slow swing- player gets jammed often, is behind the fastball and can’t “hit it where it’s pitched” Fix: Less backwards movement, keep back elbow near the body (in the slot) and hands inside the ball Drills: Mauer quick swing, or drop a ball from above (make it a challenge) With tee/soft toss- put rolled up towel under back armpit. Swing w/out towel dropping Ghost swing- put top of bat on fence, bottom of bat on belly button. Take 10 normal cuts without hitting the fence (short, compact swings)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Problem: Off balance- too much movement, over-swinging, not able to go with the pitch, lunging Fix: sturdy lower half with wide stance, not lunging, weight back, keep head in same spot throughout the swing Drills: Hit a flat soccer/basketball off a tee with as much force, but be balanced at the finish Use a stickball (broom handle cut to length) and take 5 quick swings in 6 seconds. Stance should be wide Hit off a balance board for soft toss and tee drills- don’t fall off the board Jon Graff Assistant Varsity Baseball Coach Farmington High School [email protected] Follow FHS Baseball on Twitter: @Farmingtonbball
pg. 6
Jon Graff Assistant Varsity Baseball Coach Farmington High School [email protected] Follow FHS Baseball on Twitter: @Farmingtonbball
pg. 1
Swing: 1) Back elbow is in the slot (next to body) 2) Weight is back (don’t lunge). Lunging speeds up the game- we want to slow it down. 3) Head should stay level and near the same spot- changing the level/position of the head changes the relationship to the ball as it comes in. 4) Front foot is locked (doesn’t fly out towards 3rd for righties or 1st for lefties) 5) Hands stay inside the ball and don’t get away from the body (if this happens, you may be creating a loopy swing) 6) Back knee “pop” inwards- to help generate power along with the hips
pg. 2
Contact: 1) Elbow still in the slot 2) Hands on top of the ball 3) Power L back leg- knee, hip and shoulder all perpendicular to the ground. 4) Heel over toe on the back foot 5) Hips point to the field you’re hitting it to 6) Short to the ball… long extension through the ball
pg. 3
Follow Through: 1) Balanced 2) High finish 3) Top palm faces up as long as you can 3) Long extension 4) Chin on back shoulder
pg. 4
Finish: 1) Weight still back 2) Still balanced 3) Finished high
pg. 5
3 Biggest Problems With Hitters & How to Fix Them Problem: Weight out front- player lunges at ball, speeds the game up, can’t hit the change-up or off-speed pitch Fix: Wider stances, less movement in trigger, concentrate on “power L” Drills: With tee or soft toss-start in “power L”-then as you swing, focus on keeping weight back With tee or soft toss- squish the bug, pause, then swing High Soft Toss- pitch a high arching soft toss and focus on keeping weight back (they still trigger on the toss, they just have to hold their weight back through the high arch)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------Problem: Long, loopy, slow swing- player gets jammed often, is behind the fastball and can’t “hit it where it’s pitched” Fix: Less backwards movement, keep back elbow near the body (in the slot) and hands inside the ball Drills: Mauer quick swing, or drop a ball from above (make it a challenge) With tee/soft toss- put rolled up towel under back armpit. Swing w/out towel dropping Ghost swing- put top of bat on fence, bottom of bat on belly button. Take 10 normal cuts without hitting the fence (short, compact swings)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Problem: Off balance- too much movement, over-swinging, not able to go with the pitch, lunging Fix: sturdy lower half with wide stance, not lunging, weight back, keep head in same spot throughout the swing Drills: Hit a flat soccer/basketball off a tee with as much force, but be balanced at the finish Use a stickball (broom handle cut to length) and take 5 quick swings in 6 seconds. Stance should be wide Hit off a balance board for soft toss and tee drills- don’t fall off the board Jon Graff Assistant Varsity Baseball Coach Farmington High School [email protected] Follow FHS Baseball on Twitter: @Farmingtonbball
pg. 6
