OHS HITTING PHILOSOPHY

PUBLISHED BY OHS VARSITY BASEBALL

ADDITIONAL HITTING DRILLS - COMING SOON!

1. One of the most important aspects to hitting a baseball is …be comfortable at the plate.  Find your most comfortable position and stay there.  Typically, this is the place where you will be the most confident.
2. Feet should be a little more than shoulder width apart (find a comfort zone).  Your weight should be balanced, distributed evenly on both feet and slightly forward on the balls of your feet, with the knees bent and flexible. 
3. Knocker knuckles should be lined up.  Keep bat in fingertips because you will be quicker.  Hold bat loosely in this position.  Demonstration:  bat in finger-tips vs. bat in palm.  “If you’re thinking strong you are thinking wrong.  Be quick.”  Which one is stronger?
4. Start hands at your chest or shoulders level.  Hands should be approximately 6” off of your chest or shoulders.  Relax
5. Back elbow should be relaxed and pointing towards the ground (Find comfort zone with an angle that is 45 degrees or less).  This allows you to relax more.  This is also the point you always come to before you swing.  Front elbow should have a bend in it also.
6. Have the same routine for every at bat. 
7. #1 MOVEMENTS
   • Stride—Take a short stride (2”) or pick and drop.  We prefer our athletes to pick and drop.  This stride is a very controlled movement (not jerky or out of control).  Your lead knee will slightly curl inside.  Your stride foot has to be planted when you make contact with the ball.  How much balance and strength do you have when your stride foot is in the air at contact? 
   • Hips—Your lead knee will cause your hips to close approximately 2-3 inches.  As you are striding you are cocking your hips.  As the hips come around, the hands follow, just as in golf, and the bat follows the hands, and as they get into the hitting area the speed is increasing. 
   • Hands—Your hands should move from your comfort zone towards your power zone.  Analogy:  Prize boxer, this is where they are the strongest and the majority of their knockouts punches begin.  Your trigger should be no more than 4 inches.
   • Note:  Begin #1 movements when pitcher shows his back pocket—at this point show your back pocket.  Give pitcher release simulation.  Example:  have a pitcher wind up and release towards home plate.  Walk through the steps once again. 
   • There should be minimal shoulder rotation.  No movement with your head and eyes. 

   8.  Eyesight—your eyesight or head should move minimally.  There should be little or no movement.  What happens if you take a stride that is greater than 6 inches?  The plane of your eyesight is lowered.  What happens if you take a high leg kick?

   9.  Back knee trigger (squash the bug)- After stride you need to drive your back knee—this will cause your hips to open and develop a key source of power. 

   10.  HUSKY Hack – our entire program will be instituting a HUSKY Hack.  Whenever you have two strikes on you, you will be taking a HUSKY Hack.  It does not matter if you are the best hitter here, you will be taking a HUSKY Hack with two strikes. 

   • Choke up on the bat at least one inch.
   • Lengthen your stance by one or two inches.
   • Protect the zone, hit with a purpose.  Move runners, score runners, put the ball in play!

            11.  Know yourself as a hitter.  What pitch do you hit the best?  What pitch do you hate?  Go up to the plate and have a plan of attack.

            12.  Your front leg must be strong, we are looking for a strong front leg that is on the ground before contact.  This is must happen to hit successfully at any level. 

            13.  The single most important thing in hitting is getting a good pitch to hit.

            14.  Most of the time your strength will take care of itself.  If, for example, you’re weak on low balls and you anticipate a low ball and here comes a high ball, your strength in that area will take care of itself.

            15.  It’s simple arithmetic:  You figure to face a pitcher at least three to four times in a game.  The more information you log the first time up, the better your chances the next three.  The more you make him pitch, the more information you get.  Make the pitcher pitch.