Check out some of our Products or Other Articles. As a hitter who is trying to create more force, it all starts with you preparing your body to do so. The hips should be squarely underneath and directing in line with the shoulders. This move is extremely important in the swing and is an aspect of all mechanically efficient rotary movements such as throwing or striking. To fix a long swing relax, track the ball, and stay within yourself to avoid overswinging. Proper Hitting Mechanics: Generating Power Behind the Baseball Swing The more separation a hitter has, the more force and power … I just recently hit two out of the park in batting practice. Q&A: Hip Injuries in Baseball. But you do not have to, just make sure you are activating your foot properly within your shoe or cleats. 4. As a result, the hitter will start there swing from where they feel the tension. This concept is mainly applied when moving weight during a bench press, squat, and deadlift. As I have said before there are a lot of things that go into having a good swing. We call this hip and shoulder separation. (See also Baseball Swing Exercises to … So, we turn the hip, which turns the knee, which turns the ankle, NOT the other way around. This is torque and what I have created is more tension. I just wanted to thank you so much for this wonderful program! When the hips of a hitter rotate before the shoulders there is resistance created in the body much like a rubber band. This is torque and what I have created is more tension. ", âI have been using your program to increase bat speed and I must say, after 2 weeks. Our hips actually make the bat in our arms go faster. Stepping down the swing plane like this will allow you to apply those old (but good) habits of hip rotation from your baseball swing to your golf swing. He is the inventor of Right View Pro and I'm sure is a master at video analysis of the MLB swing. Such as loading into the back hip. You should be able to see how the hips (belt line) lower into flexion (load) and then actually come up a bit as the hips extend (unload). If your hitter struggled to make contact to all fields last season check out our version of the 3 tee drill series & how it can help them develop a consistent bat path, Back Leg | Garrett Gordon | Hitting Drills | Intent | Leg Kick | Load | Swing Mechanics, 4502 Bennett Memorial Road Durham, NC 27705, When you create torque you create tension allowing your body to work in a more efficient and safe way. Watch the video below to see how important the hips are to a powerful swing: Unfortunately, the baseball EMG study only measured muscle activity on the back leg. It's important to note, the back leg drives the swing. Hitting Flaw 4: Hips And Shoulders Rotate Together. Figure 4-21a shows the swing just past the point of contact and we can again see how the straightening of the left knee and leg forces the left hip backward, in the opposite direction as the right hip as seen in Figure 4-21b. When you create torque you create tension allowing your body to work in a more efficient and safe way. Don’t let the hips sway or move out of alignment with the rest of your body as you swivel. Wherever the pitch is try to hit it with your back hip. As the front leg comes off the ground both hips rotate backward, toward the catcher, and now the front side of both hips are visible as seen in Figure 2-31b. Control your swing. By landing closed, a hitter will not be able to get everything out of their swing. When the hips tilt and the baseball player sits, much of this force dissipates and is lost. Hitting Tips: what Good Hitters Do So, good hitters will usually keep the body ‘quiet’ during the swing—keeping the front shoulder ‘closed’ as long as possible. I have been using the program for a week and a half and I am already seeing results in my hitting distance, bat speed, power, and arm speed. âI have the Swing Faster baseball program and it is awesome! The last thing you want is a kid thinking that the faster he turns the hips the more bat speed he’ll have. Creating torque with your back foot creates tension through the inside of your foot, leg and all the way up into your back hip. Creating torque with your back foot is something that every hitter can accomplish. Now looking from across home plate we can see that the cocking of the hips is driven by the momentum created by the backward movement of the shoulders and arms, the backward rotation of the spine, and a shift in weight to the back leg. To the naked eye, it looks as if all the power in a baseball swing comes from the hands, but in reality, a baseball swing is very similar to a boxer’s hook - it all comes from the hips. Meaning that it is twisting motion. This allows hitters to truly feel what it is like to turn into their back hip . Here are a few baseball swing drills designed in a progression to isolate hip rotation, then translate it into live hitting power gains. Therefore, taking the time to not hit a million balls off the tee or front and truly break your swing down to work on the little things will be key to your success. When the hips stay under control and square, they deliver all of the force of the swing up into the core and through the arms. Lastly, another benefit on why you need to create torque from the ground up is that you gain hip stability. From there, get in your stance and drive your hips as you would to take a swing. If you’re right handed, you should turn your hips counterclockwise, and clockwise for left handed batters. With one quick motion, rotate the hips to create momentum for the swing. One of the keys in learning to use the hips in hitting, is not necessarily teaching them to use the hips. Athletes who make it far take ownership of their mistakes and what they need to work on. In baseball, the hips are involved in everything from sprinting and jumping to throwing and hitting. Meaning that you will have better body control allowing you to have a better swing direction. When your front side opens going into the launch position, but your torso remains square it creates a tension in the hips that causes upper body to rotate even quicker without even trying! Do not try to externally rotate too much. The line between each shoulder and between each hip should be parallel. Log in. The upper body should resist turning forward. It is important that when the hitter finishes this swing that if you kicked out … The hips must “get turned” Double inside loading and anchoring the back foot helps set the hips up for optimal thrust in the swing. Therefore do not try and create 100% torque it should feel like you're in the ground but not exaggerating it. One of the biggest problems of young batters is a tendency to lead with the hands. After the pause, rotate your hips through and finish the swing. Creating torque with your back foot creates tension through the inside of your foot, leg and all the way up into your back hip. Creating torque with your back foot creates tension through the inside of your foot, leg and all the way up into your back hip. Focus on your hips controlling your swing, relying less on your arms. The bat should be about hip level with the handle behind your body and the barrel peeking out to the side. Baseball coaches, especially youth coaches, should keep an eye on how force is transferred in the lower body during the swing. The gif below is a good visual of what torque is. Here at Baseball Rebellion, we know for a fact that your body has to work a certain way to do so. Initiate the swing with your hips. This is the actual unloading of the hips during the forward swing. The "Swing Faster, Throw Harder and Run Quicker Baseball Speed Training Program" The Swing Faster Program: Add distance and power to your hits: 20 3-minute exercises guaranteed to increse bat speed and power, and increase throwing speed and running speed. The scientific definition of torque is simply applying rotational for to and object. As you can see when to externally rotate my hands and arms I can bend the PVC pipe. Hips, Knees & Elbow in Baseball Swing Lets take a look at the correlation of the back elbow, back knee and back hip in the baseball swing. Most importantly, how loading into the back hip can help increase your power. This is something that I try and apply to my life every day and now hitters need to apply this same mindset as well. I am a junior in high school. 2 – Backward Movement of Shoulders & Arms, 10 – Pushing & Pulling Action of Arms & Shoulders. In a sense the body becomes a rubber band that shoots after you pull it back. Meaning as a hitter there is always something that can be tweaked or slightly changed to improve. He told me via telephone that "the hips do not lead the swing" and if they do, "Your swing will be messed up." If you want to maximize your rotational force, power and consistency understanding how to use torque is something that you need to consider. Don't over-swing, or try to put any extra power into it. As a result, the upper body has to chip in, thanks to poor hip engagement. If you want to be the best you have to practice and spend time fine-tuning your skills. from Purdue University, Dr. Van Such is the first person I have ran across doing this and being very successful in doing so. Here, you want to work on getting the knob of the bat to the pitcher and turning your back to “the camera” in this situation. Leading your swing with your hips as opposed to your hands improves bat speed, power, timing, and plate discipline. 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