1. Hitting Angie Ryan Centennial HS Head Coach (Lino Lakes, MN)
MN Alliance Director (Forest Lake, MN)

2. Creating Power! Leaks Take hacks! Linear Movement
Power from the hips/core
Bat weight
Some players need to be on 2nd after her at bat…some can steal second and don’t have to be

3. Baseball vs. Softball Swing
It’s not different BUT
The pitch trajectory is….
Baseballs are coming from a person on a mound who are releasing at their head…softball pitchers are at the same level as the batter and the release point is at the hip
Understand why this matters!
It matters because a hitters goal should be getting on plane with the pitch for as long as possible and the trajectory of the pitch changes the type of swing necessary

4. Confidence “Fake it ‘till you make it”
Non-Verbals: when you take your sign and step in the box
Small Movement/Large Movement
Have a routine like basketball and free throw shooting
BSLEOU: “The game is talking to you, are you listening?”
Ball
Strike
Late
Early
Over
Under

5. Stance
One legged squat on back foot, touch down front toe lightly but keep weight on back foot, bend both knees, front shoulder down slightly
Back hip should be slightly higher than front hip
Feels as though you’re creating a position in which you’re ready to uncoil and fall downhill even though the ground is flat.
Understanding the stance and knowing what it feels and looks like is extremely important…helping the players feel this will take a lot of time.
The skill of going from small movement to stance should be practiced often! It’s not easy!

6. Fall Forward Why take out the stride? Why, “Fall Forward” instead?
Hips take the hands into position
Don’t get “handsy,” hands don’t move much if at all from shoulder
This is the linear movement
We do not want to create “Spinners” Why?
All energy goes straight back, straight forward
At this point there is no rotation yet
Back hip is still higher than front hip!
If this does not happen then staying on plane with a pitch that is up will be very difficult

7. Drive back hip through HARD
Back hip comes through hard and finishes even with the front hip
Another way to check is to see if the back shoulder points at the pitcher at the end of the swing
Chin and belly button stay in line throughout the swing
Be sure chin does not finish behind the hips…chin and belly button should be in a straight line as well as the spine
Back shoe laces should point at the pitcher but it is not about the back foot! It is about the hip driving through and the foot is a sign that this did or did not take place.
Head DOES NOT MOVE after the Fall Forward!
Knees should not pinch together…don’t drive knee…drive the hip!
Up to a 1” drag of back toe is okay…not more than 1”

8. Finish
6 things to check! The result of the finish tells you a lot about what happened during the swing. Teach them these 6 things and have players check every swing at practice when they are done. This helps tremendously. PURPOSEFUL PRACTICE!!
Eyes stay at point of contact (head is still)
Hands reconnect to opposite shoulder (not above shoulder, why?)
Back foot shoe laces at pitcher, heel is to the sky
Front knee is straight but not locked
Back knee is bent
Chin and belly button are in a straight line

9. Low vs. High Pitches Low Pitches
Bat head drops well below the hands on low pitches, on low/inside bat is vertical (swing level makes 0 sense!)
Hit the inside of the ball…most players swing and miss by hitting the outside of the ball or none of the ball on the outside so overcompensate
Drive the ball up as the opponent is trying to have you hit a ground ball…hit the ball out in front with the bat slightly angled under the ball (need to be on time to do this)
Extension is very important on low pitches, always hit through the ball but especially focus on this for low pitches

10. Low vs. High Pitches Continued
HIPS, HIPS, HIPS
Knocking knuckles
Back of the ball
Shoulders relaxed
Players think they need to rise up to hit rise balls/high pitches…they don’t! Bat head always starts above strike zone, they always have to go down to hit the pitch

11. Inside vs. Outside Pitches
Inside Pitches
Timing is critical
More rotational than outside pitches, less linear movement is needed
Still want to hit the back of the ball
Pitcher is trying to get you to be late or very early
Hands need to stay tight..extending out (toward 1st base dugout for a RHH, and not forward causes a major problem for inside pitches (leak!)
Extension
Knuckles

12. Inside vs. Outside Pitches
Still contact them in front of the front foot after it hits the ground
What I used to teach and what I teach now increases the power for outside pitches
More linear movement, less rotation than inside pitches
Might be the most important pitch to work on for youth players once pitchers can hit spots (14U-18U)
Hips may not quite close completely on outside pitches
Hands should still stay tight…they do not need to cast on outside pitches!

13. Hitting Drills Bat on Hip Drill Bat on Shoulders Drill Japanese Drill
Top Hand/Bottom Hand (T, ST, FT, Live)

14. Hitting Drills T set up off the plate
Low pitch rolling ball on knee with short bat
1-2-3 Tennis Ball Bounce
3’s Tennis Ball Bounce

15. Hitting Drills Inside pitch front toss (Nebraska drill)
Hit to contact and stop, hit to extension and stop
2 or 3 plate hitting off machine or live
Screen behind live hitter

16. Hitting Drills Basketball/Volleyball bounce drill 2 T extension drill
T or ST with ball on T as a target
Long T

17. Hitting Drills Long Tennis Ball Bounce
Bat click drill or bat throw drill
Tennis ball by back foot for spinner