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"Coach Dunn's Quick Pitches" — By Coach Jack Dunn
Batting Faults and Remedies
Every player should have a twofold goal as far as batting is concerned. He should strive to hit as well as his physical capabilities allow and he should try to avoid slumps.
The former can be achieved; the latter is difficult to avoid.
Slumps are usually caused by unwittingly acquiring a bad habit. These are the common faults which keep some players from getting maximum results from their natural
hitting ability and which cause good hitters to lapse into temporary slumps. They can be broken down into the following categories and corrected as suggested.
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Overstriding: The batter who overstrides loses balance, wastes power, and will have great trouble adjusting his timing to pitches of varying speeds.
The best remedy is to widen the stance and put more weight on the rear foot, thereby cutting down greatly on the tendency to overstride.
Lunging at the ball is an exaggerated form of overstriding in which the body weight shifts suddenly and awkwardly, rather than smoothly and with equilibrium. It
can be eliminated to a considerable extent by employing a sleight inward turn of the body just before the pitcher releases the ball.
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Hitching: A hitch in the swing is caused by a movement of hands and/or arms just as the pitcher is releasing the ball. It not only hampers a
smooth swing but also makes it difficult for the batter to get the bat around on fast pitches.
Holding the bat so that it just barely touches the outer part of the shoulder will lessen the inclination to hitch. The most effective remedy for overcoming a
hitch, however, is for the batter to raise his rear elbow. This maneuver not only lessens the inclination to hitch, it will make it almost physically impossible
for the batter to have a hand hitch.
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Lifting the rear foot: Lifting the rear foot destroys balance and both delays and upsets the smooth shifting of the weight into the pitch.
This fault can be eliminated by placing more weight on the rear foot.
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Uppercutting: Long-ball hitters often uppercut intentionally, hoping to give the ball added loft and distance. This is, however, a bad
practice when it reaches the point of being a habit. The uppercutter is strictly a low-ball hitter and can be expected to hit high pitching straight up into the air.
The first thing that an uppercut swinger should do to overcome his fault is to widen his stance, giving him better balance and a more even distribution of weight.
He should also open his stance. This shifts the center of his body weight forward, greatly reducing the tendency to uppercut.
Aligning the knuckles not only makes for proper rolling of the wrists and follow-through but also helps the uppercutter achieve a more level swing.
Carrying the hips and shoulders on a level plane and placing more weight on the front foot are very effective methods of eliminating the uppercut swing.
If, in addition, a conscious effort is made to follow through with the bat to the middle of the back, it will be a pretty good indication that the swing has been
a fairly level one.
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Chopping: Chopping is the direct counterpart of uppercutting. While it is a less natural movement and, therefore, less prevalent in practice,
it is equally as damaging to good hitting.
In order to overcome the habit of chopping, the batter should raise his front shoulder until it is level with the rear one and should place more weight on his rear foot.
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Head-turning: The eyes should remain fixed on the ball until it is met by the bat. If the batter turns his head too soon, he loses sight of the ball
and will have difficulty meeting it solidly.
To overcome this bad habit, the batter should keep his front shoulder facing the pitcher until the ball is well on its way to the plate; he should keep his chin behind
the ball; and he should practice place hitting or hitting the ball where it is pitched.
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Sweeping the bat: A batter who swings in a sweeping motion gets no benefit from a wrist-snap and will look very bad against tight pitches. What
this type of batter needs, to overcome his fault, is the full utilization of his wrist. To achieve this, he should align his second and third knuckles and make a
conscious effort to roll his wrists.
Carrying the bat in a high position also seems effective in curbing this habit.
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Curve-ballitis: The man bothered by curve-ball pitching is hardly a rarity. The best method of overcoming it is to follow the ball closely right
to see the bat and to try to hit the ball with the rotation. In other words, a curve ball breaking away from the batter should be hit to the opposite field; one
breaking into him should be attempted to hit through the middle (in case he will pull the ball).
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Change-upitis: The change-of-pace is most troublesome to a batter who overstrides or lunges. Thus, in order to be better prepared to ht the change-up,
he should employ a slight inward turn of the hips as the pitcher is releasing the ball.
As a further aid in overcoming difficulty to hit the change-of-pace, the batter should try to hit to the opposite field.
Above all, he should just try to meet the ball rather than attempt to overpower it.
For more from Coach Dunn click on Coaches Corner on the JUGS® website.
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