Fundamentals on Hitting...White Sox Way!

FUNDAMENTALS AND TIPS ON HITTING…

Coach Phil Fox

Talent is what happens, when Hard Work and Preparation is done in practice…

BAT SELECTION

LENGTH AND WEIGHT??
Each individual’s strength, height, weight, type of
hitter, age, etc. are all factors to determine the proper
bat selection. The real key to bat selection is the
players capability of controlling the bat during the
swing. Trying different bat sizes and weights before
you buy the bat will enable you to find the proper
bat size and weight. Do not buy a bat for the label!
Proper bat selection can make the difference
between the player having success as a hitter or not.
Some levels of play will have weight deduction
restrictions…check with the individuals coach.



HITTERS VISION

Most hitter’s think that they should be looking at
the pitcher’s arm slot to be able to see the ball coming
from the pitcher…That’s not true. The best starting
point for a hitter is not the pitcher’s arm slot but his
hat/nose/chin. This location will enable your eyes to
make only a small adjustment to the arm slot location
rather than larger one. Remember when looking at
the arm slot too early, your looking to centerfield area.


STANCE

There really is no exact way to set up your stance, but
All successful hitters have the following things in
common.

ATHLETIC STANCE
Knees inside of ankles, toes pointed straight
ahead, head and weight at 50/50.

ATHLETIC POSTURE
Weight on balls of feet, slight chest lean forward,
knees bent slightly, Butt sticking out, Head
slightly in front of the knees and straight up.
No Tilt!

HEAD ANGLE AND POSITION
Eyes level to ground

GRIP
Knocking knuckles lined up to get palm up,
palm down during swing. Helps create what we
call the “Whipping Grip”

RHYTHM
Keep your upper body loose and ready instead of
tight and coiled. Some type of movement is
recommended.

SET-UP POSITION / STRIDE


LOAD
Back before forward, Load is not a rock backwards but
a starting position. Weight stays inside of back foot and
leg. Bat remains in slot.

STRIDE
Back side must gain ground with front side. Think of the stride as the back knee pushing the stride foot forward. Stride in a straight line to pitcher. Stride length is individualized but must be determined by stance width and height. Hitters should land approximately 60% of their height. Linear motion creates MOMENTUM… you must go back before you go forward.

50/50
Body is in a 50/50 balanced position when the stride
foot lands. Head walks away from your hands. You
should be in a perfect athletic position. Weight on
inside of balls of the feet.

HANDS BACK
When the stride foot lands, the hands are shoulder/arm
pit level beyond the back shoulder but not past the
elbow.

KNOB OF BAT AT CATCHER’S FEET
The knob of the bat should point to the catcher’s feet
when stride foot lands. This will allow you to get your
hands in a straight path to the ball.

CONTACT OR POWER POSITION

HANDS ON LINE
Hands on a straight path to and through the ball. The
back elbow will come just inside the rib cage instead
of away from the body. Visualize hitting the inside of
the ball. Stay on line through extension.

HANDS ON-PLANE
“LEVEL” The longer on-plane and on-line, the larger
our hitting zone will be. The bigger the hitting zone the
less perfect our timing can be. Stay level through
extension.

POWER POSITION
When making contact: Middle- even with front foot
after stride, Inside- 2-3 inches in front of front foot,
Outside- 2-3 inches behind front foot.
Arms are bent at contact…not straight.

PALM UP, PALM DOWN AT CONTACT
The power position at contact with hands inside the
ball.

HIP ROTATION
The hips will turn the lower body. Not the foot. The hip
should pull the foot on to the toes, heel up and the shoe
laces towards the pitcher.

FIRM FRONT SIDE
The knee stays inside the ankle and your nose stays
inside the knee at contact. The back side rotating
straightens out the front leg at contact.

BAT SPEED
Try to have the bat pick up speed through contact…
not slow down.




Power Position / Contact Position

EXTENSION AND FINISH

EXTENSION
The barrel follows the path of the ball off the
bat. The arms then get locked out in front of
you. Keeping the power and energy behind
the ball in a straight line.
For every action there is an equal and opposite
reaction. I f you are powering forward, the
same amount of force will push you
backwards…a good base is necessary to counter
this reaction.

FINISH
One handed or two handed doesn’t make a difference
as long as the hitter gets extension first. Releasing the
bat is up to the individual hitter. Let the bat lead your
body into a natural follow through.

DRILLS


The most important concept of hitting is that all skills are completed and now a habit so that when in a game your only thought is… “See the Ball, Hit the Ball”

Hitting Drills, T WORK Drills, Soft Toss Drills, and Batting Practice Drills…

1. Dry Swings (Fundamentals)
Walk through of… Stance, Stride, Half Swing
(Power Position), and Follow through.
2. Location Drills on T (Pitch Locations)
Middle- even with front stride foot, Inside- 2-3 inches in front,
Outside- 2-3 inches behind
3. Walk Up to T (Forward Motion)
Walking up to a hitting position
4. Happy Gilmore Drill on T (Forward Motion)
Running up to hitting position
5. Forced Hands Drill on T (Backward Motion of Hands)
Feet do not move, Arms only
6. One hand Drill on T (Arm Separation Position)
Use a small bat and swing on a T with one arm only… no feet
to start/Add feet later
7. Double T (Swing Length)
Using 2 T’s Hitting a ball on both T’s with the same swing
8. High / Low Drill (Keeping the Hands High)
Using the T, start high and work your way down
9. Angle Drill (Bat Path)
A T set up higher behind the T… Check for long swing
beginning
10. Soft Toss Underhand (Swing Work & Corrections)
a. Straight on
b. Outside pitches
c. Inside Pitches
d. Speed Changes (Mix up Speeds)
11. Curve Ball Side Toss Underhand (Ball thrown on an angle)
Set screen slightly to one side can change sides for
Lefty/Righty curveball work. Spin the ball.
12. Short Toss Overhand (Swing Work & Corrections)
Short Toss overhand behind screen
a. Straight on
b. Outside pitches
c. Inside Pitches
d. Speed Changes (Mix up Speeds)
13. Regular Batting Practice Toss Drill
a. Straight on
b. Outside pitches
c. Inside Pitches
d. Speed Changes (Mix up Speeds)
e. Curveballs
14. Count Work (Hitters work on counts)
Throwing live with counts…
15. Bunting
Work on technique and then practice locations
a. Firstbase side
b. Thirdbase side
c. Push bunt
d. Drag bunt
e. Squeeze
16. Buster 400 Bat Drills
The training bat promotes these skills…. Sweet spot hitting,
Hands inside the ball, Focus, confidence, instant feedback on
Swing plane, weight training in swing.
Can be used with any type of hitting… live included if needed
a. T work
b. Soft Toss
c. Regular Toss
d. Curveball work
17. Hit and Run Drill (Swinging at any pitch
Late swing technique
18. 2 Strike Drill (Contact Drills)
Pitches aimed at location towards a hitter with 2 strikes
19. Moving runners along (No Body Out, Runner on First)
Ground ball to right side
20. Late Swing Drill (Waiting on the Pitch)
Letting the ball get as deep in the hitting zone as possible
21. Toss from up High (Hand Eye Work)
On a chair behind the hitter, drop a ball
22. Toss from behind ( Bat Speed Work)
Short Toss from behind
23. Toss from the side (Hand Eye Work)
Angle toss from the side
24. Front Bounce (Keeping the Hands Back)
Tossing the ball from the front bounce it into the strike
zone and have the hitter hit it if it’s a strike.
25. 2 Ball Toss (Bat Speed / Hand Eye)
Toss 2 balls up from the side… Call top or bottom.
The hitter reacts and hits the ball you called.


TIPS FOR HITTERS…

Drills, Practice, Games, Hard Work, mean a lot but, they don’t mean a thing unless you believe in yourself. When you work hard and develop good techniques and habits the rest will come. Don’t pressure yourself to have instant success… give yourself time to develop. Remember the pitcher is someone trying to have success too. When you believe in yourself, you will get better, if you don’t you, won’t.
Baseball is a game of failure… 7 out of 10 times you fail and you’re still a great hitter. It’s not just how you accept success, but how you accept failure. Handle both the same and concentrate on what you can do with the next pitch, not the last one.
Above all…Believe in yourself!