Base Revolution

It’s nearing mid-summer, the tail end of the season. Do you still have that desire to play hard? Take a look at young Adam Bender if you need some extra inspiration to go play this great game and finish your season strong.

Click HERE

I get a moderately good chuckle every time I read that a Major League hitting instructor has been fired because the multi-million dollar hitters weren’t up to par with their offensive output. Just for fun, here is the running tally of hitting coaches the Los Angeles Dodgers have employed over the last 8 seasons!

Rick Down, Jack Clark, George Hendrick, Tim Wallach, Eddie Murray, Bill Mueller, Don Mattingly, and Mike Easler.

In case you don’t recognize all those names, here are their accumulative numbers:

Total Seasons Played in MLB - 113

Career Average - .283

Career HR’s - 1722

Now you can’t tell me that those seven former players know nothing about hitting. I will agree that some instructors have a tougher time relaying information than others, but those are some big time names! Here is what I think, and a lesson to be learned for all the youth baseball players trying to develop that perfect baseball swing.

I think the reason for the fad of ditching the hitting coach when the offense slumps comes from lack of ability to learn from a large percentage of big league hitters. Take our home town (Seattle) slumper, uh, er, I mean slugger, Richie Sexton. If that guy hits .225 in a season he should get a trip to the White House! This isn’t an isolated case. Once any hitter decides they have “arrived” and become comfortable, the downward spiral will take root.

The best advice I can give is to become a consistent learner who is devoted to understanding the art of hitting a baseball and the baseball swing process. Some of the best in baseball were never satisfied with their performance enough to stop working on the fundamentals that helped provide their success in the first place. Roberto Clemente and Ted Williams are a couple names that come to mind.

As a hitter begins to prepare his energy for hitting a baseball, it’s important that he load some of his weight in two ways:

1. The weight shift backwards from a balanced stance to roughly about 60% of the body weight on the back leg is valuable for creating energy. This allows the hitter to rotate and direct that stored up energy into the baseball swing.

2. The hands also load. If a hitter chooses to stride, the hands will move in the opposite directions of the stride. When the front foot lands, the hands should be finished moving backwards.

Here is a video clip on the all important loading of the hands process. In the example, note that the instructor is not fully extending his bottom arm so that his elbow is straight. A straight elbow with the bottom arm will cause a slow sweeping swing through the strike zone. Watch the short video clip and make sure your baseball drills focus on a good solid load of the hands without fully straightening the elbow of the bottom arm.

I’ve written about the importance of playing pick up stick ball and whiffle ball games in my ebook, Toxic Baseball: Are you polluting your game? It develops competition, the love for the game, and eye hand coordination.

This video takes it to a whole new level of fun! The importance of enjoying playing the game of baseball goes a long ways in keeping consistent in your baseball career. If you don’t enjoy the game, you won’t stick with it.

The funny part of this video is that at least one or two of the things seen have happened to you! Well, maybe not you, but me.

So… if you’re having some problems with your baseball swing mechanics, enjoy this brief blooper clip to lighten the mood.