Pre-Season Training for Hitters
01/01/2010, 1:14am (EDT)
By Joe Francisco
“Today our hitters are going into the season completely outmanned and under prepared to compete game time. One of the major factors for this problem is what we are doing in the preseason.” - Joe Francisco Performance Factory Baseball
The preseason period is a short span of time from January until early March that leads up to the spring season. During this preseason period the bulk of our hitting training wants to focus on reconditioning the body and swing to work correctly and becoming more explosive. This is the time to really form a solid foundation for mechanics and technique.
During the course of the year there is not that much time that we aren't competing. This makes the preseason a critical time to correct any flaws and revamp our swings because we don't have to worry about results in the game.
When we talk about technique, power and explosiveness, it makes it impossible not to talk about Major League hitters. Since the MLD is the pinnacle of hitting, hands down and bar none, we need to study and analyze these players to really understand how to improve and enhance the swing.
Who better to talk about then 7-time National League MVP and 12-time Silver Slugger Award winner Barry Bonds, by far, the most feared hitter of his time. Bonds was a top hand, compact, explosive, front-side rotational hitter. Regardless of the steroid allegations, Bonds will go down as one of, if not, the best hitter of all-time. His swing is the prototype swing for the Francisco Hitting System. The two major technical factors in Bonds success as well as the foundation to the Hitting System are:
(1) Body Positioning - position of the body when hitting a baseball
(2) Bat Head Speed - the speed the bat generates through the strike zone.
Bonds generated so much torque and bat speed not just because of his enormous strength but from always keeping his body in the correct position and using the proper sequence of movements to maximize the amount of energy transferred through the ball. Bonds approach to hitting is real simple and he stresses 2 major things:
(1) Getting into a balanced position
(2) Getting his hands and barrel past his body
These two seem simple enough, but there is a lot more to what he says than what appears.
(1) By getting into a balanced position he means that he wants to get his weight on the inside part of his back leg, not the outside part of your back leg. His stride loads his body and gets him in position to powerfully launch his hands and bat.
(2) To get your hands and barrel past your body you need to understand and know how to use the proper sequence. This is the number one thing that separates the hitters you see on TV from everyone else in the world. It would take more then an article to teach you how to do this so here is what will prevent it from happening. Any turning, opening, squashing or drifting at the wrong time can dramatically alter where and how the bat gets into the hitting zone.
In essence hitting is getting the bat to the ball in the most compact way possible.
Tip: The fastest and shortest path to the ball is not always the most efficient and effective way to the ball - Be Careful!
Tip: If the knuckles on your top hand are facing forward then the bat head is going to face forward.
Since we have spent so much time in this article stressing the top hand and getting into a great hitting position it only makes sense to give you some drills to help make it happen.
DRILLS
Here are 2 drills that are easy to do and follow that can really clean up some flaws in your swing quick:
Top Hand - Wall Drill
Setting up: Open your stance so that your feet are wider than shoulder width apart. Put your bottom hand behind your back and with your top hand choke up half way up the handle of the bat. Have your front foot touch the wall and get into your wide stance, with just your top hand on the bat.
Picture 1: Your set up in the lower half should look just like this. Weight is centered front toe slightly opened touching the wall or net. The top hand and bat should be where it normally starts in your stance.
Picture 2: The weight shifts slightly to the inside part of the back leg. The bat cocks back to a 45° angle slightly behind the head.
Picture 3: The head will stay stationary and the hand will begin to move forward. The bat should stay on line with (the back arm) and close to the back arm and begin to flatten out. The elbow will start to drive forward almost directly under the top hand.
Picture 4: Knuckles will drive forward and line up directly with the wall or net. The bat will be flat and the elbow will have slight bend (DO NOT STRAIGHTEN YOUR ARM!). The front hip will lock and the head will line up directly over the back thigh. The back heel should lift and drive, not turn!
The Drill: Do this for 3 sets of 15 repetitions and hold for 5 seconds every time. For this to be effective repeat at least 5 times a week.
Top Hand Hitting Drill - 53's
Setting up: Use the same setup as the wall drill. This drill can be used with the tee, soft toss or front toss. You can use wiffle balls, training balls or anything else if not being done inside a batting cage.
The Drill: Hit 5 balls with just your top hand and then immediately hit 3 regular. This will start to get your hands working a little more and get the bat head out in front.
For or any hitting questions or comments: Email: isagfran@aol.com. Subject: BPM Hitting Comments
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