Perfecting the baseball swing is the key to graduating to the Major League. Scroll down to learn techniques to develop a perfect baseball swing.
Every little league player dreams of the day when he graduates to the Major League and establishes his mark as a match-winning big hitter. There is no bigger dream than having a proper baseball swing which hits the winning home run! To make this dream come true, the player has to understand the mechanics of a perfect baseball swing. A well-timed swing that allows the bat to meet the ball right in the middle can be achieved only if one makes sincere attempts to understand the swing mechanics. Here are some tips that may help you to perfect your baseball swing.
How to Get a Proper Baseball Swing
To perfect the swing, the batter must have a good stance, a proper grip, perfect hand-eye coordination, and must also know when and how to extend his arm and rotate the body so as to ensure that the bat hits the ball with enough force to hit a home run. Needless to say, the player must be willing to practice hard so as to perfect the swing.
First of all, identify the batting stance that suits you the most. The parallel stance, closed stance and open stance are the most commonly used batting stances that batters use. In case of a parallel stance, as the batter stands in the batter's box (a box drawn with chalk surrounding the home plate, which in turn is a five-sided slab that is made from whitened rubber), his feet must be parallel to the home plate. The parallel baseball hitting stance enables the player to see the pitcher properly, and allows him to hit the ball on inside as well as outside pitches. When a batter uses a closed stance, the front foot is closer to the home plate than the rear foot. In case of the open stance, the front foot is placed farther away from the home plate than the rear foot. A majority of players use the open stance as it allows them to see the ball better and helps them to move in a better position or build up the momentum while the pitch is on its way to the home plate. So, the player must decide which stance to use and how far to spread his feet so as to be a big hitter.
One of the basic baseball rules is to keep your eyes on the ball. The batter needs to track the ball right from the time it leaves the pitcher's hands till it makes contact with the bat. So, he must have the patience and skill to wait till the ball gets inside the front foot before attacking it. His chin should be tucked in and the hands should be kept close to the body, while the elbows must be parallel to each other, and need to be at an angle of 45 degrees. He should also have a good grip. He should hold the bat firmly, but make sure that he doesn't hold it too tight.
The loading phase is a very important part that a batter must pay heed to. The batter must shift the weight from one foot to another and be ready in a loaded position to hit the incoming pitch with a lot of force. The batter must first load the weight to the rear foot. At that time, the rear foot must be well-grounded and needs to act as a solid anchor to prevent any forward hip movement. The batter then should then transfer the weight to the front foot right before he rotates the rest of the body and extends the arm to transfer that to the ball. This would enable him to leverage and channelize the hitting power in a big way. The proper swing is generated when the hips rotate and the arms extend. If these steps are not followed, the hit will lose its power.
Understand the concept of staying over stack with a perfect rotational swing. This refers to the spinning movement of the batter's body. Both the head and the torso must be in a smooth and ideal alignment over the back foot during the swing. The head must stay still. The proper swing is a rotating motion with the body staying back and spinning over the back hip. It is this rotational motion which generates the best swing. Perfecting this technique and curbing the desire to go hammer and tongs at the pitched ball is a lesson which ought to be learned well.
Another essential aspect is related to body extension through the ball. This enables the batter to enhance the time of contact between the bat and ball by driving the hands and the barrel of the bat forward for as long as possible. The bat moves with tremendous speed and precision in the compact A to C swing where the bat moves from the launch position (A) to contact position (C). Maximizing this period of contact between the bat and the ball is one of the essential techniques when it comes to securing the best swing. This ensures that tremendous power is generated in the swing and helps in carrying the ball to greater distances.
You might have got advice from friends and your coach on how to perfect the swing. The key is to filter such advice and follow what is essential. To be a successful big hitter, one must be able to swing at balls pitched in the strike zone. The batter is the best judge of deciding what pitch falls in his strike zone. Home runs can be hit on pitches outside the strike zone too. The simple dictum is to see the ball early and ensure that the bat and ball are in the same plane during the strike.
When you get to the baseball field, do follow these baseball batting tips and techniques. Be aware of your strengths. Avoid bad pitches and identify the pitches on which you may be able to hit. It is practice that makes perfect. So don't be disheartened if you miss a couple of pitches in your quest to achieve the best baseball swing!
