Getting your front foot down early allows you to turn on fastballs and recognize breaking balls easier. Just see Michael Brantley. Hitting is all timing. You keep your load on your back foot when you get your foot down early. Its all in the person. Its not a mis-teach. Its all in the person.
If there's a Fastball pitcher, i usually look for the pitcher to plant his first foot. That's when i start the loading process & basically show the pitcher the back of my front shoe. Then turn my front knee in slightly,then turn my back hip into the swing. Try & get my arms fully extended & keeping my head on the ball. Remember not to muscle up on the bat! Try & visualize where the pitch will be thrown & know your strike Zone & your hot Zones. Stay away from junk & areas of the plate that you have difficulty. If you notice a pitcher going to those bad areas, then choke up a bit on the bat and try & slap it. Especially if you're able to move a runner! Better than striking out! Visualize yourself getting a hit. Be comfortable, confident & most important, have fun!
What I hear most, and say to youth hitters is to get your front foot down earlier, or start your swing sooner. Often with youth hitters, they may have a pitcher timed up with their hands, but they are losing power because their hands are coming forward too soon, and they aren't creating that rubber band effect.
Kind of a straw dog argument... foot early, then stop?... that's not why coaches tell kids to get the foot down early... they're trying to get the stride ahead of the hands. The real problem is the hands follow the stride foot (moving to early), so the shoulders are turned early, there is no energy and the swing turns into all arms. I teach the batter to stride and push the hands back slightly creating separation (no stopping). Once a kid feels his hands back and his stride foot planting... no more problems. Then we move on to 'timing the pitch'.
When you teach kids - 10 and under - it is necessary to use a separation drill or "Get foot planted" to help them get in balance to start the lower half. Otherwise their feet are all over the place, they start the swing before landing and they are inconsistent. I've worked with hundreds of kids and separation drills where they load hands and set foot are key. Of course you also need to engrain that the swing begins with the toe, knee and back hip and this moves the bat. After they advance - I would agree that working on tempo drills to establish a stride is important. But you are not correct in this assessment with kids. They must set that foot and come to balance to begin a proper swing.
I totally disagree with this video. Curtis Granderson comes to mind. Kole Calhoun also. This dude is saying that "energy is lost or interrupted". As long as you keep your weight back on you back leg you can stride as early as you want and not lose energy. If you put your front foot down early, you eliminate that step and now all you're doing is deciding to swing or not when the pitch is coming. AGAIN. as long as you keep your weight back. No one hits home runs because of a stride. Power is created from balance and speed. As a former professional baseball player I can speak on this. I had great hitting coaches teach front foot down early. If the hitter is striding early and getting over his front leg or lunging that is a whole other problem. When the pitcher is falling towards home plate, you take a stride without transferring your weight. After that it is green light time..
Really great job delivering such a complex portion of the swing.
Get your foot down on time... not early, great video!
Getting your front foot down early allows you to turn on fastballs and recognize breaking balls easier. Just see Michael Brantley. Hitting is all timing. You keep your load on your back foot when you get your foot down early. Its all in the person. Its not a mis-teach. Its all in the person.
If there's a Fastball pitcher, i usually look for the pitcher to plant his first foot. That's when i start the loading process & basically show the pitcher the back of my front shoe. Then turn my front knee in slightly,then turn my back hip into the swing. Try & get my arms fully extended & keeping my head on the ball. Remember not to muscle up on the bat! Try & visualize where the pitch will be thrown & know your strike Zone & your hot Zones. Stay away from junk & areas of the plate that you have difficulty. If you notice a pitcher going to those bad areas, then choke up a bit on the bat and try & slap it. Especially if you're able to move a runner! Better than striking out! Visualize yourself getting a hit. Be comfortable, confident & most important, have fun!
What I hear most, and say to youth hitters is to get your front foot down earlier, or start your swing sooner. Often with youth hitters, they may have a pitcher timed up with their hands, but they are losing power because their hands are coming forward too soon, and they aren't creating that rubber band effect.
Excellent!
Damn!! Hitting a ball is complex!!
Kind of a straw dog argument... foot early, then stop?... that's not why coaches tell kids to get the foot down early... they're trying to get the stride ahead of the hands. The real problem is the hands follow the stride foot (moving to early), so the shoulders are turned early, there is no energy and the swing turns into all arms. I teach the batter to stride and push the hands back slightly creating separation (no stopping). Once a kid feels his hands back and his stride foot planting... no more problems. Then we move on to 'timing the pitch'.
There’s never a right and wrong answer. It’s what you can explain to a hitter to make them move to the next sequence of their development.
When you teach kids - 10 and under - it is necessary to use a separation drill or "Get foot planted" to help them get in balance to start the lower half. Otherwise their feet are all over the place, they start the swing before landing and they are inconsistent. I've worked with hundreds of kids and separation drills where they load hands and set foot are key. Of course you also need to engrain that the swing begins with the toe, knee and back hip and this moves the bat. After they advance - I would agree that working on tempo drills to establish a stride is important. But you are not correct in this assessment with kids. They must set that foot and come to balance to begin a proper swing.
broomfieldrockies
I totally disagree with this video. Curtis Granderson comes to mind. Kole Calhoun also. This dude is saying that "energy is lost or interrupted". As long as you keep your weight back on you back leg you can stride as early as you want and not lose energy. If you put your front foot down early, you eliminate that step and now all you're doing is deciding to swing or not when the pitch is coming. AGAIN. as long as you keep your weight back. No one hits home runs because of a stride. Power is created from balance and speed. As a former professional baseball player I can speak on this. I had great hitting coaches teach front foot down early. If the hitter is striding early and getting over his front leg or lunging that is a whole other problem. When the pitcher is falling towards home plate, you take a stride without transferring your weight. After that it is green light time..
Thank you. This is what I was taught.
Look at Rendón and dj L
Sound like a pastor. I am sure there is a background there