Options include …. By Phase: Ready Position Stride Swing Finish By Key Concept Balance Rotation Hand Action Tracking Timing By Body Component Lower Half (PowerL) Hips (square to pitcher at contact) Shoulders (rotate 180 degrees – back shoulder ending up at pitcher.) Head (eyes level, track ball with nose for entire pitch, Hold contact point through finish) Breaking the Swing Down A few ways to cut it… WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail

Hitting By Phase Ready Position Feet athletically spread (approx shoulder-width- a little wider is good). Weight on balls of feet (not up on toes though) Hips and shoulders in line with feet. Slight bend in waist toward plate (upper body weight slightly into the plate). Hands are just in front of the back shoulder. Front elbow 90 degrees. Bat barrel either cocked or straight up. Head – eyes are level Swing Stride Lift stride foot exactly when pitcher releases Short stride toward pitcher (4-6”) – directly to mound. Land on inside of foot and keep weight back. Body should be stacked (Hips on top of feet, shoulders on top of hips – head on top of shoulders.) Center of balance and Hands stay back through completion of stride phase Rotation Power L (Back knee fires to mound) – brings hips square to the pitch Hips face pitcher at contact Back shoulder finishes directly to the mound on follow through Hand Action Hands go directly to the pitch, while staying “inside the ball. Hands accelerate through contact Continue to extend toward mound after contact Finish high Finish In balance (body stacked) Hips square to pitcher Hands extend to mound and finish high Back shoulder pointing to mound Head glued to contact point WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail

Hitting by Phase Ready Position WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail Feet, Hips, Shoulders in line to pitcher Hands in front of back shoulder, Front elbow at 90 degrees (ideally, back elbow too) Bat barrel cocked or vertical Eyes Level

Hitting by Phase Swing Stride WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail (Timing – lift stride foot at pitcher’s release) Short, quick stride (6-8 inches max) – DIRECTLY TO MOUND Land on inside of ball of stride foot. Keep weight and hands back and loaded Slight upper-body lean into plate Stay stacked

Hitting by Phase Swing Rotation WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail Power L – Knee fires to mound Hips square to pitcher at contact Back shoulder to pitcher at finish

Hitting by Phase Swing Hand Action WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail Sold starting position Stay back and high through stride Stay “inside” the ball and go directly to pitch – Keep front elbow at 90 degrees vs. Bar-arming Extend after contact Finish high

Hitting by Phase Finish WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail In balance, still stacked Hips square to pitcher Back shoulder pointing to pitcher Head stays on contact point

Lower Body (Power L) Hips (Rotation) Hands Start strong Stay inside pitch Keep front elbow at 90 degrees on approach to pitch Accelerate through contact Extend after contact Finish high Contact Point (in FRONT of Plate – or, more accurately, before ball gets to landing foot) Ball deeper when going to opposite field Head (Track with your nose) Hitting by Body Component WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail

Balance (before, during and after the swing) Rotation (Getting the hips to face the pitcher at contact)and for the shoulders to rotate completely after contact) Hand path (good starting position, powerful, quick and direct path to contact – and extension toward pitcher after contact) Tracking– See pitch at release, keep nose pointed to ball until contact –then hold. Timing – (Short soft stride at pitcher’s release and make contact in front of front foot (back more when going opposite field) Hitting by Key Concepts WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail

Make sure your batters have a balanced and strong starting position. Make sure your batters rotate their trunk. Easiest way to teach it is through the PowerL. Make sure your batters are striding on time (at pitcher release) – and that they’re keeping their weight and hands back when they do stride. Best way to teach this is in soft toss (stride, stop, swing), bp, and lob-toss bp (or bounce stickball). Make sure your batters have a good hand path – direct to the ball (while keeping hands inside pitch) and extending after contact (toward pitcher). Best way to teach good hand path is the Wall drill. Make sure your batters work on this stuff in practice – during game time, it’s critical they not think about mechanics – but solely on seeing the pitch with everything they have. Demystifying / simplifying hitting WBSLCoaches Clinic - 4/17/09 - Jim Bail