Batting stance – the importance of a good base
January 19, 2011 by Coach McCreary
Filed under Coaching, Hitting
**Sorry, I believe some of the pictures did not appear correctly. Hopefully it works now. **
When teaching hitting, I’m a believer in taking a ground up approach. That is, start with the feet and gradually move up. It really won’t matter how strong the player is or how quick his hands are unless his body is balanced in a good base.
Regardless of the sport you play, a strong base is essential. A good, strong base enables athletes to get the best balance, power, quickness, left-right movement, up-down movement, and front-back movement. This is why many coaches refer to the proper body position as the “athletic position.” These pictures all show athletes of different sports in this position:
- Feet wider than the shoulders
- Knees slightly bent
- Slight bend at the waist
- Feet flat but weight is more on the front half – balls of the feet.
- Head still and centered between the feet, eyes level.
Agree need to work from the foundation of the feet first to ensure a solid base for a fundamentally sound swing. Most players can get into the proper athletic position (pre-swing static stance)the problems arise when they fail to maintain good dynamic balance (balance in motion)in the progression of their swing.
A strong emphasis should be placed on improving dynamic balance (use of balance or bongo boards as examples) minus live hitting to create a greater awareness of the proper center of gravity (belly button) and its most effective positioning in motion to maintain balance "to and through" the ball/swing.
It's often said to be effective — "good pitchers disrupt the timing of hitters" –which really means they are disrupting the dynamic balance of the batter and knocking them out of whack.
Do drills/practice maintaining dynamic balance at ALL phases/positions of the swing not just in the static stance position to be able to increase your chances of putting good wood on a ball especially when the pitcher has fooled you!