All major league hitters have compact swings. They couldn’t get to that level without one. What separates hitters at this level is their degree of speed and batting speed. The speed of the bat determines how fast they can get the bat to the ball once they decide to swing. This is one of the necessary ingredients to be able to wait on the pitch as long as possible and to make contact. The speed of the bat determines the amount of power a batter will produce if solid contact is made when the ball is struck. Again, though, all major league hitters have compact baseball swings. This is vital to reaching the speeds that Major League Baseball players grapple with.
You might ask, “If everyone has compact swings, why do some hit so much?” There are three reasons for that and one was mentioned, the speed of the bat. A compact swing does not guarantee a fast bat. Two, some players lean their upper body more with their swing. When players collapse their rear end creating uneven hips, they create more upward swing, leading to more lift on the ball, but also more misses. Three, some players just have better hand-eye coordination.
Developing a compact swing should also be the goal of young baseball hitters. This will be necessary if they want to hit consistently as they move up the baseball ladder.
First, a definition of a compact swing is necessary. Compactness implies a short, narrow area and this would define a good baseball swing. A compact baseball swing is one in which the barrel of the bat passes from the hitting position (over the batter’s back shoulder) directly to the ball as the hands descend to a palm up and down position approaching the ball. strike zone. The barrel of the bat remains relatively close to the batter’s head on the way to the ball, without drifting into the contact area. Why is this so necessary? The tighter the swings, the longer batters can wait on the ball, which is a huge advantage when making decisions on different speed pitches.
The following are the drills that will lead to a compact baseball swing, giving players the best chance of succeeding in baseball:
1. Place a pad under the batter’s lead arm and take a few swings without the pad dropping all the way. Hitters will develop strong and fast hands and forearms with this drill and not a long arm swing.
2. Have the batters position their navel away from the net and swings with the edge of the bat brushing the net in a quick, full turn. This will force the batters to keep their hands close to the body to avoid throwing the bat.
3. Have the batter stand with the net close behind them (toward the catcher) and make any missing changes to the net on the way to the ball. This drill is best done without striding and will not allow hitters to drop the barrel of the bat.
4. Place a hitting hip high and even with the batter’s back hip. Batters swings while missing the tee and hit balls at any level, even at the knees; it is best done with drop ball drills or soft throws of thrown balls.
5. Dropped Ball Drill: The coach holds the ball in the air and drops it into the batter’s strike zone after the batter takes his step. A compact swing is necessary to make a solid and consistent contact.
6. Alternate fast and slow pitches until batters learn to swing the same fast on all pitches – when players make good contact at both speeds while hitting balls in the direction where the pitch is on target.
Finally, hitters can perform some of these drills in combination with the other drills to challenge them even more. For example, you can combine the glove under the front arm (# 1) and the drop ball exercise (# 5) with the high tee (# 4) at the same time.