where is my power?

Question
I can KILL an inside pitch but, I love going oppo.  How can I practice hitting for power to the right side? Thanks!

Answer
Hey Clyde,

Thanks for your question.  Ahhh, something I can sink my teeth into.  I love hitting opposite field and consider it one of my specialties.  I actually prefer it to hitting standard now.

Aside from the practice, practice, practice advice that always goes along with trying something new, here is what I recommend:

When I get to the plate I place my feet in a position that "appears" I will be hitting down the 3rd base line.  I'm right-handed so my right foot is up near the plate and my left foot is in the far side of the batter's box (toward 3rd base).  It should be very obvious you are "aiming" for the line toward's 3rd.  You may actually get a few players yell out to warn the 3rd baseman.  I usually take a couple of practice swings so everyone thinks this is my intention.

Right when the pitcher releases I take my right foot and move it to the back of the batter's box, dropping the bat a little and then pulling it back, then move my left foot to the inside of the batter's box (next to home plate).  While I move my left foot I start my swing.  The movement of your left foot add's power to your swing and you should be facing the 1st base line when your bat crosses the plate to strike the ball.  This should be a fluid motion from start to finish.  Most of my shots go right down the line and over the 1st baseman.  They usually hit within 2-3 feet of the baseline too.  Now that's a lot to take in, but once you practice it a few times you'll see it's actually quite rudimentary.  

Now a lot depends on the pitch as I'm sure you know.  You are looking for a low-outside pitch.  It is hard to force an opposite-field hit without a good low-outside pitch, so be patient and don't be afraid to take a strike if needed.  You may be a little discouraged at first as you may not be successful to start out with, but that is with anything new.  Performance comes with practice.

I play in one league where the men bat opposite-handed to prevent injury to the ladies and I have even learned to hit opposite-field while batting opposite-handed.  You can do this with just a little practice and if you're anything like me you will be hitting many, many in-field home runs because of it.  As you know, teams usually place their least valuable players in right-field, where you will be hitting once you perfect this new swing.  It keeps the other team off-balance and makes things much more interesting for you.

Good luck and let me know how it goes.

Shane