If you watch upper levels of baseball, there are many hitters setting up with an open stance as they get settle into the batter’s box. Now, if you're unfamiliar with the term, open stance, it's when the front foot is further away from home plate as compared to the back foot. Often times the front foot will also be pointed slightly toward the pitcher.

There is quite a bit of discussion within baseball circles and forums about the positioning of the stance and the relationship to preparing the hitter.  The question that will be explored briefly is: Does the open style of stance give a hitter a better chance at hitting a baseball hard versus a closed off and more conventional stance?

The stance plays a minimal role in how well a hitter performs when hitting a baseball. However, having said that, there are a couple cautionary items to pay attention to if you are someone you work with or using an open stance.

1.      An open stance tends to take more time to move into the load position where a hitter shifts a good portion of his weight to his back leg. Because of this extra time, the hitter must make certain his timing is precise as he prepares to hit a pitch.  A regular stance position where both fee are squared up and parallel would allow the hitter to shift his wait later in the process. 

2.      Proponents of the open stance often times mention that is seems as though they can see the ball better because both eyes of the hitter are facing the pitcher more equally. The downside to this is that the front part of the hitter's body is opened slightly and facing the pitcher.  With this in mind, he will need to make sure when he maneuvers into the load position that he closes his front side off to the pitcher.  This will allow his lower body to store up valuable energy and create what is called torque.