User:Mnismb/Hitting mechanics

Hitting Phases
Baseball hitting mechanics are far more complex than many believe. It is a science of best utilizing the kinetic chain in order to travel energy from lower body to upper body, and then using that energy when making contact with the ball. There are several phases of the baseball swing. First is the Preparatory Phase, second the Stance Phase, third the Stride Phase, fourth the Drive Phase, fifth Bat Acceleration Phase, and last Follow-Through Phase. Mastering these six phases allows for a baseball player to have their best possible swing. The baseball swing is all about creating and transferring the maximum amount of energy from your body into the ball. This leads to higher velocity and higher success.

The Preparatory Phase involves the stance of the hitter prior to the hitting cycle. The stance of the batter tends to be based on batter preference and comfort. This then leads into the Stance Phase.

This phase involves coiling as much energy as possible onto the back leg while staying balanced. The hitter doesn’t not want to load with too much extent, because it can cause them to lose balance and lose that energy. This then leads into the Stride Phase.

The Stride Phase is when the hitter takes the energy coiled onto their back leg and begin transferring it forward toward the incoming ball. Stride length and timing is crucial. One must strive linear to the ball and also stride far enough that the maximum amount of energy is being transferred. The timing is also important as a too long or too short stride may effect the hitters balance and contact timing with the baseball. It’s important the stride timing is accurate to ensure proper connection with the ball. The next phase is the Drive Phase.

This is phase is associated with the bat lag. As the batter is transferring energy forward they are keeping their arms extending back and the bat to be “lagged” or delayed from the rest of the body. The arms of the batter should have a sort of rubber band effect as the back elbow increases flexion versus the front elbow. The baseball bat should also be 45 degrees in the frontal plane, or the knob of the bat should be facing the catcher. The next phase is the Bat Acceleration Phase.

In this phase the hips will turn first towards the pitcher, with the bat following behind. This is where the body begins to uncoil as it releases all of the built up energy from the loading phase and transferring it all into the baseball upon contact. This motion allows for the maximum velocity of the baseball swing and transfers the most velocity to the baseball on contact. On contact, the elbows should be extended with the top hand facing up and the bottom hand facing downward. This then leads into our next phase, the Follow-Through Phase.

In this phase the hips are fully rotated towards the pitcher. The bat then makes a full rotation around the body. At the end of the swing the batters laces of the rear shoe should be facing toward the pitcher. Though these steps are very complex and contain many important details, all of this happens within seconds as the batter swings. Hence, the difficulty and undervalued complexity of this motion.