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Baseball coaching tips: Use the stride technique to improve batting average
Author:
Coach Joe Brockoff
As a coach committed to continuous improvement, I share my baseball drills, tips, and techniques here so that you will, in turn, inspire and motivate young players to improve their game.
So let\'s get started.
The Problem: In baseball, there has always been a question about whether or not the stride is necessary, or whether it is correctly applied. How long should it be? What direction should it go? Would it be best just to eliminate it? One thing is for sure: done poorly the stride will do more harm than good, causing over-striding, stepping the bucket, and not getting the foot down in time.
Some argue that we should keep the stride and just put the front foot out, with only a little weight, and keep the rest of the weight back.
My view? As an expert in improving baseball hitting performance and a self-proclaimed 'hitting purest,' I believe that if the activity is not necessary or proven, then it\'s not worth doing. In other words, economy of action, doing only the absolutes with no wasted motion, is the way to go. So do I think we should eliminate the stride?
My Super 8 Hitting System Solution:
While no stride is remarkably better than a bad stride, a good stride is better than no stride. Against a good velocity pitcher, a hitter must have quick hips. He must be able to turn quickly, clearing his hips and getting his hands out in front for contact. The stride is an asset for this. It provides a continuation from linear to rotation for the fastball, and for transfer of weight through the ball.
Here is the timing factor:
- Fast Ball: Stride --Stroke
- Off Speed: Stride-- Pause – Stroke
To demonstrate, imagine the toy 'top' from years ago. It\'s a rounded object with a pin on the bottom. Children wound the string around the top, then tossed it forward while holding onto the string. When the pin of the top hit the ground, the top would change from linear direction to rotational. It would spin and spin until it lost its momentum and flopped over. If the top were merely dropped straight down vertically, this would create a very loose rotation, if any, and it would almost immediately drop over on its side.
So, what\'s the point? As the linear action of the top gives it the force it needs for strong rotation, so does the linear action of the stride provide a good rotation of the hips toward the ball.
Here\'s a proven method for performing a good stride:
First of all, we need to understand the concept that we teach in our hitting, that is, in a physical activity, that activity always begins with the large muscle mass. Having said that, let\'s take the stride out of the feet, and put it in the large muscle mass and put it in the hips, the large muscle mass. In doing this, there is less chance for feet to overact, and a better change to control the stride.
Therefore, I recommend that you stride with the front hip, and let the feet follow. Feet have a tendency to get happy, not only in over striding, but in striding in the wrong direction. So, you want the stride to be in the large muscle mass (hips) with a slight push towards the pitcher. The stride is only about six inches.
Stride improvement drills:
1. Take the stride away completely for a while, by only lifting the front heel before the hip turn. Keep a good base. When the front heel goes down, pivot toward the ball. This should be only a temporary technique.
2. Practice load and stride only using the proper technique, since this can be done any place. Doing enough of these should overcome the long stride habit.
In a reaction skill, it usually takes 11-to-1 ratio of correct strides to incorrect. Work on this repeatedly to work the incorrect strides out of a hitter\'s technique.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/baseball-articles/baseball-coaching-tips-use-the-stride-technique-to-improve-batting-average-2891870.html
About the Author
Learn more about Coach Brockoff\'s baseball hitting tips and techniques, including his proven methods for improving batting speed by visiting the Super 8 Hitting System—a bestselling baseball training web site and instructional video package, which includes many free youth baseball drills and tips.
Coach Joe Brockoff, a Division I Head Baseball Coach for Tulane University for more than 19 years, and former minor league player for the New York Yankees, has sent 45 baseball players to the pros and coached thousands of college level and youth players using his proven Super 8 Baseball Hitting System. Coach Brockoff\'s unique drills, tips, and techniques have increased many players\' batting average by more than 200 points.
