In previous posts, all the steps up to the swing were described: the stance, loading, bat speed generation.  Any faulty mechanics in an earlier step will make it harder for a batter to maximize the power of the swing.  But perfect mechanics in the earlier steps still will not guarantee the hitter success.  Let us walk through the details of the swing.

The Swing
To be a successful hitter, the swing must be repeatable and efficient.  Everything must be in the right place, at the right time, every time.  The bottom hand is palm down and guides the bat through the zone.  The top hand is palm up and pushes (powers) the bat through the zone.  The arms are slightly bent as the bat extends through the strike zone to contact the ball.  Eyes tracking the ball from the pitcher's release through the contact of the ball on the barrel of the bat.  From the loaded position, the hands start forward and down, leveling off through the hitting zone, and then ascending into the follow through.  When the hands are about eight inches from the point of contact, the top wrist fires propelling the bat barrel forward to contact.

Push me or Pull me?  The power leverage is applied to the bat by the top (back) hand pushing the bat through the zone.  The bottom (front) hand guides the bat down from the loaded position and then level to the point of contact.  If a batter tries to pull the bat through the hitting zone they will not be able to keep their front foot closed and the front shoulder will pull out too soon making themselves vulnerable to not hitting the outside pitch.  Also, pulling the bat through the zone does not allow the wrist to fire and "pop" the ball.  Push the bat through the zone with the back hand.

How many practice swings are required to make a player's swing repeatable?  A repeatable swing is an instinctive swing based on muscle memory.  The practice time it takes to develop a repeatable swing depends on the player, but lets provide some context.  Professional baseball players take more than one thousand swings per day.  An efficiently run hitting practice will enable a youth player to take about one thousands swings in sixty to seventy-five minutes.  Hitting practice can include soft-toss, tee work, wiffle ball toss, heavy bat (ie., over loading), light bat (ie., under loading), and a pitching machine. Perfect practice makes perfect play.  Imagine how well your youth sport team will hit if each player took one thousand perfect swings per week.

The goal is to develop a short, quick, powerful swing.  A short swing is when the hands track directly to the point of contact.  This allows the batter to see the pitch as long as possible while letting the ball travel farther into the power hitting zone.  Quickness is enabled by staying relaxed and tension free.  The power comes from a combination of legs, torso, forearms, and wrists all exploding to the point of contact simultaneously.

Next Step:  The Follow Through