Baseball Hitting Tips
I studied for years, looking at all types of hitters, knowing deep down that a change in my swing could maximize my abilities. Here are a few baseball swing tips.
One day, I decided to ONLY look at the best hitters to ever do it.
Here is what I found.
(Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds)
Finally, a correlation. The four best home run hitters of all time all tip the barrel forward and then turn the bat around their hands.
From there, I wondered, how many other hitters use this type of swing.
Regardless of generation, size or strength, all of these hitters used the same mechanical advantage in their swing.
From left to right.
Manny Ramirez
Dick Allen
Albert Pujols
Mike Piazza
David Wright
Gary Sheffield
Kirby Puckett
Josh Donaldson
Jose Bautista
Prince Fielder
Ernie Banks
Frank Robinson
Roberto Clemente
Sammy Sosa
Vladimir Guerrero
Chipper Jones
Carl Yastrzemski
Babe Ruth
Ted Williams
Miguel Cabrera
Roger Hornsby
Barry Bonds
Jimmy Foxx
Alex Rodriguez
Quite the line up. I'm sure there are many more.
It's only logical to come to the conclusion that these hitters are doing some things right.
In the next few sections I will break down exactly what I see from these hitters that allow them to be the greatest ever.
Barrel Turn
As I mentioned earlier, the great hitters tip the barrel foward before they swing.
Why?
That tip forward is a loading action for the bat, they create bat speed backwards and carry that momentum into the baseball.
Crazy right?
I thought so too. But if you understand centripetal force, you can begin to experiment with this type of swing. Notice how far the barrel moves without any movement from the shoulders. Notice also, the barrel is allowed to drop all the way to even with the shoulders before the hands ever come forward.
This mechanical advantage is present in all of the hitters I listed above.
Match Plane
This is a concept that Ted Williams introduced in his book "The Science of Hitting" published in 1971.
The average fastball approaches the plate at an angle of 10 degrees downward. In order to make square contact, the barrel must be traveling 10 degrees upward through contact.
If your goal is to maximize your abilities as a hitter, take a look at the greatest to ever do it. Aim to duplicate their exact movement. Once you FEEL what it's like to swing with that bat path, you may customize your set up to your own personal style.
The three principals above are present in the truly elite hitters. Many others are very good at two of these concepts and enjoy a lot of success. Master each concept and you will see your own hitting abilities sky rocket.
Share these baseball hitting tips with everyone you know,
-SP
