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Thank you. At any level no matter if you go from Little League to the Major Leagues and the high priced ball players. The number one thing is contact. And it's a mechanical step that you can make. To make contact that determines how good a hitter you can be. I think that a hitter has to from a standpoint of preparing himself to be a hitter before you get in there and to the batters box I think that you have to get yourself in the right frame of mind what it is that you are going to do not necessarily what the pitcher is going to do but it's what you are going to do when you
get in there and you have to design your style of hitting. Contact is what you're trying to make regardless of your size and speed and strength. Contact your personal Point High School in Little League or wherever. It's not a big bet just because you hurt somebody else won a big battle and you have to stay here. And I think that is very important at all ages to use a bat that they can swing easily. In other words it isn't the weight of the bat that hits the ball it's the speed of the bat. The faster that you can generate the speed of the bat at the point of contact with the ball. That's what generates power. Big bad all it means is that some ball players in our club use a big bat because their swing is so passive they try to slow it down. You might get a little bit more Carry out of a big bag but as far as power goes I don't think there's any correlation so that it's important to get a light bat that you can
handle easily so that you can wait as long as possible. Control that bat and have bat speed. For me personally I think that the lighter the bat the better you get to be able to control your bag back untrue and I use a pretty lightweight bass bars. The big hitters are concerned. I use a 34 ounce in a 34 bat. There are some bumpers that use up to 37 38 ounces and same in like 36 or 37 inches. I use a reasonably small bag because I feel that I'm more back until I have the more. More effective here I'm going to be and I think that it's important to try to get the bat out in your fingers as far as you can and get it away from full grip. You don't want to get the bat stuck back in your hand you want to try and get the bat out in your fingers and have a firm grip but not a tight grip. And at the same time have a relaxed feeling in your wrists and your forearms.
You don't want to tense up when you tense up it actually slows down the speed of the bat. The stance or course I think is probably one of the basic fundamentals of hitting. You have to be in a position so that you can reach any pitch that's in the strike zone and the stance that before the pitch determines how far you can go to reach your goal and how you can handle the ball inside and outside. We try to keep our feet about shoulder width apart. We try not. To start and get in to stepping in the bucket. We try to keep our feet straight towards the pitcher and keep our shoulder tucked in and when you start your stride you stride straight towards the ball keeping your whole body straight in your hands back to keep your hands back and show you exactly where the ball is going to be and
then you commit yourself and come through. If we keep our shoulder in it allows us to keep our hand in longer and if it's easier to watch the ball all the way to the point of contact. And his core stance is concerned. There's a straight away stance and there's your open stance and your clue is stance and I think the majority of the big bumpers are using the close stance even close to the straightaway. I prefer the close stance. And the reason for this that I stay in longer. I don't have a tendency to step in the bucket with what they call it a close stance to begin with and I open up a little bit as much right. I'm still. Going more on a straight into the pitch and that's what you want you want to stay in Sochi have all your power and all your body behind you something you don't want to be pulling out so that your body is wasted and all you have is just your hands in your arm swinging the bat. You got to use your body and your hips and your swing. That's why I propose stance and
science straight straight into the ball as much as possible. You don't want to take too big a stride. You want to try and keep your head level if you can if you take a good take too long a stride your head's going to dip your eyes are going to dip and you can pop up to pop the ball up more than likely. I say what I mean. You're here you take a big strike your head drops down here you tell us to reasonably medium's your heads because you know a pretty pretty level in your eyes are going to stay pretty still when you walk to the plate. Try to be as calm as you possibly can get in the stands out to what kind of stance it is just be there and you feel calm. And you know a lot of people stress up and into the step and straight. No one wants to step away because hardly have. I think the easiest just to be comfortable and step spring. We're going to assume a straight away stance. So that the bat can cover
the plate. Now we have our feet straight to get straight away to the pitcher. They hands approximately at the top of the strike zone and slightly away from the people from our body. And what we want to do is make contact. Right over the plate. Some people have the mistaken idea that you may contact out in front of the plate. But films will prove that they contacted the bat and ball is right about here. And sometimes even back a little farther and then it's that swaying that takes the bat and your roll over with your wrist. That drives the ball the follow through really drives the ball. If you want to cover the outside part of the plate as well as the inside part of the plate it's important to keep your front shoulder in and go directly to the ball. Stride straight at the ball. If
our first move is away from the plate. Weight of our body is going away from the ball and we end up not being able to cover the outside part of the plate and also not having our body into the swing. Then it becomes just a hand action. If we keep our stride straight in our front shoulder in as long as possible we've got the whole body going into the swing and the power of the whole body driving the ball. You can drive the ball much stronger with less effort if you try not to get into this habit of opening up. And then having to go back out for the ball. When they start to roll. It's always back when you start your hand should never be in here you know where your hand should be.
You're not spent with your body. If you get your future here and here and you can't you can't really do anything. So when you start. Keeping your hand and your body back here I think the most important aspect of hitting you is trying to stay on the ball in other words stay back as long as you possibly can. Waiting for the ball to get into the hitting area and hitting areas about two or three feet out in front of you if you can wait until this last moment and then what we call pop the bat what it means is bring the baddest fastest you can around and let the battle take care of the ball and jump and Jet the ball off your back. But they have the good basic contact swing. I think that you can start with your hands about. Letter high. And possibly a little bit away from your body and it's not a matter of being the wrists at the ball.
It's strictly a matter of your hands over. The swing. It's not action where you flick your wrist to get that speed. It's. A situation where that comes through and actually all you're doing is turning the wrists over. It is important to have them coming through all the way through and not to hit the little fly. You got a chance for a base hit on any ground. You have no chance for a base hit so that we should think in terms again of coming right and just turning the hands over out and. Trying to get back
a truck. Are you going to play. First place. Just go ahead like anybody else would. So just. Rely back everything else. Just try to be even sweet strong. Just try to hit the ball in my heart everything else is going to take care of itself. Be an aggressive type of hitter. You know always going to the ball. Step right into the ball and just you know just. Just be a hungry ball player hungry type a hitter. I just attack the. Person I think you know that's what I concentrate and I'm just really attacking a bomb being an aggressive hitter if you have the upper cut swing. It makes it much more difficult. To go out and get the ball away from you and it makes it much more difficult. To hit the high fastball the pitch in the top of the strike zone.
It's hard to get that bat coming through and hit line drives and base hits. If you are tremendously strong there's a chance that you could drive the ball over the outfielder's head. But from a consistent contact standpoint it's a more difficult swing to control. Rather than the uppercut try to have the barrel of the bat coming from around the top of the strikes and coming if not level at least as close to a level as you can make it. Sometimes it isn't exactly a level swing especially on the low pitch but try to make the swing as near level as you can. Try not to let the barrel of the bat come up through the ball like that. Basically you want to come down on top of the ball this way. Suppose you are a six footer. And. You had a punching bag. You know and you playing karate with it and you wanted to back in again and he's about this time.
You wouldn't want to get this way. We're back in this way to get something out of it. You see and that's what you visualize when you swing a bat you get it most of the time your hands coming up this way instead of this way. And you see your heel coming up this way you know you got your knuckle cutter and then subsequently you're sure you can hit certain pitches it was a ball that is going to be tough to. Get on top of it because you go in this way. So you always when you're this way at all times you know like a smack in the middle in a space you. Now Basically you point your shoulder at a pitcher. With the same feeling. And as he pitches you kind of close a little bit more as you use a reaction you know it's not a full type of moves as a reaction you just drop your shoulder to your chin instead of as you pitches that are going away. You kind of go into the ball. This way. So you can cover the ball unless it's when it starts curving you still have to play coverage.
Let's say. Let's say. I had something over here. To. The microphone in order to get play covered. Say I did this I was here. That I'm there all the time writing time I swing right there. Now if I open a watch to watch the Benthamite. She does six inches. That's quite cover if you want to always cover that plate in certain areas now you know what you're supposed to be a certain area all the time. Once you get this down you don't have you get Betty you know Betty Betty and Mila have taken care of I think little league ball players have a tendency to believe that the bigger heavier bat. Will make them hit the ball harder and farther. When in fact. The speed of the bat drives the ball and I think that if the average little league ball player would take his bat and choke it an inch or so.
In some cases even more than an end it will give him a better feeling for the bad you know give him better bat control and he'll have better bat speed with better bat control. You have better bat speed and you're more able to have better contact on the wing. Now remember the basic things are to keep your stride going straight towards the ball. Open up your whole front and when you open up your front side it pulls your hands in your head has a tendency to come up off the ball. Try to keep your stride straight with your head still your hands back as long as possible and stay on top of the ball and try not to hit the little fly ball. Try not to hit a home run if you're not a big strong fella. Try to make contact for line with a level swing. Line drives and ground balls.
While Bunning is very important for any ballplayer we have a couple of situations one is that for the team the sacrifice bunt can be one of the most useful and important. Tools that they have to score runs and late in the ballgame. The other point is that for the individual case it can give him a few extra base hits if he can learn to bunt. And it can add rightly another 20 to 30 points on his batting average. If he's not a particularly strong ball player who hits the home run an extra base hits a bunt down the third baseline is just as valuable as a line drive to left field especially starting off in any concerning the sacrifice bunt. You take your normal stance. In the bettas box just as if you were going to hit the ball. Just as the pitcher gets into his wind up and gets ready to release the ball you pivot on your back foot. You don't pick up your back foot and squirm around because this is an unnatural
position different from your normal hitting stance. You try to stay in basically the same stance but just pivot around with your back foot bring the bat out in front of you. Prefer up in front of the plate. The bat. Would try to hold at a 45 degree angle. Slide your backhand up to about the trade mark. And you just slightly hold the bat you don't hold it real tight just with a light grip and you don't try to push the sacrifice bunt and you don't try to deaden the bunt by drawing back. Just hold the bat there and. For lack of a better term just try to catch the ball with the bat. Just try to catch the ball with the bat in the basic sacrifice situation. We have a man on first base. We're trying to sacrifice him to second. And we try to place the ball between first base line and the pitcher's mound the first baseman will be holding the
runner on. So we bunt the ball down the first baseline and then trying to make the first baseman feel the ball. And giving the runner time to get to second base the object is to advance the runner. But in an obvious bunt situation with a man on first stand second base and no outs. We try to bunt the ball down the third baseline forcing the third baseman to field the ball. We keep the ball away from the pitcher and dunk the ball a little bit harder. The basic stance is the same you still come out. You do everything the same. Only when the ball gets to you you try to push the ball a little bit. Because you want to bunt the ball a little bit harder with a man on first and second base because now you're forcing the third baseman to field this ball so that we can at least advance the runner to third base we want to get our runner to third base. Which we want to now where a fly ball might when it's a ball game. Specifically in terms of watching the hit I don't think that you can emphasize too
much the importance of watching the ball as far as possible picking the ball up as soon as possible from the point of release of the pitcher and watching the ball the entire way up to the point of contact. If you can hold your head still pick up the ball from the point of release of the pitcher and watch the ball all the way to the point of contact. With your head right there. That would be the ideal situation that would give you a better opportunity to make consistent contact on the ball down on the ball away or the breaking pitch. Now I think it's important to try to condition yourself to watch the ball all the way. It's important in batting practice to get in the habit of trying to pick up the ball as soon as possible out of the pitcher's hand. And watching the ball all the way and if it's a pitch that you don't swing at. If it's a ball out of the strike zone. Try to watch the ball all the way back to the
catcher's glove. You watch every pitch as long as you can and by watching the ball even pass the strike to the catcher. You don't condition your pitch after pitch to stay with the ball as long as possible. The most important things are hitting is concentrating on the ball and you've got to know exactly where the ball is coming from. I know when I was younger. I used just can look at the picture and not really know exactly where the ball is coming from but the more I played baseball especially in professional baseball I learned you know exactly where the ball is coming from in the pitcher's hand whether he's over hand or three quarters with U.S. Army. And once you determine that from the pitcher then just concentrate on a little box you know about this big right in that area where you know a ball coming from in relation to his body is three quarters so you want to look into a box just off the right you know just off the shoulder and the area right there and just concentrate on that. Forget about his windup forget about his facial expressions and grunts and anything else just look at that one area. And just concentrate on as soon as you get into the batter's box when you get set. And just look at that area and
just be ready for the ball coming out of that little square. And that's where you pick up the bald tire sixty six inches or whatever distance it is known that way you'll see the entire distance if you if you see it right from the earliest point if not you might pick up maybe a third of the way down and you're losing that much time in deciding whether you get a swing or not and knowing that by hitting the ball squarely you can have a better chance to squarely see it all the way. I feel that the ball is coming from the middle of the mound which is bitching. It's very easy to hit the ball back to where it's coming from since it's in the middle of the mouth. You know I feel that I'm basically right in the middle until the boy tells me to do something different. Otherwise the ball is going to be inside I got a reactive ball inside it is not I want to hit the ball. True I feel every time you put it out there when the ball is pitched inside it makes you not have to react to it in order to hit him so hard to bat at that time. It'll go to the field. So you're talking about angles.
I think it would be important for all young ball players. While they're on deck watching the previous hitter. I think it's important for them to study the pitcher. To find out exactly where it is that he releases the ball does he release the ball up here or does he release at three quarters or does he drop down. It's also important to watch the area that this particular pitcher likes to throw the ball. Some pitchers are high fastball pitchers basically some pitchers drop down a little bit. They're a sinker or slider curve ball pitcher trying to keep the ball down. I think that if a young hitter starts learning where the pitcher releases the ball he can pick up the ball sooner and when he gets in the hit he'll have a little bit better idea of where that pitch is likely to be whether it would be a high fastball or possibly this particular pitcher likes to keep the ball down. I think any young ballplayer at any league. Can start learning
where it is that that ball is coming from which might give them another fraction of a second better look at the ball as the pitcher releases it. Right so I just try to go in and get myself put in again. Very good all the time for strides so I try to do this no matter if it's a curve ball fastball or slice of the strike zone by the rulebook goes from the armpits to the top of the knees so that if we draw diagram in your mind you should try to picture a square which extends over the plate from the top of the knees over the plate. In this area going up. To the armpits so that you end up with a box and Bobby gets his case. The strike zone box would be approximately like. So now the hitter has to be able to kind of visualize in his
mind what his particular strike zone box is and then try to discipline himself to not commit himself unless that ball is in the strike zone. When the ball is out of the strike zone you've got to just learn to take the hit. Bobby Gretsch has more or less a straight away stance slightly close just slightly close to the pitcher that is that is front foot is in closer to the plate when he gets into a swing. He wants to keep his front side closed as long as he can to let the body drive the ball. OK Bobby Now just take your regular swing slow swing straight on through. Now when he strides his stride straight at the ball covers the whole part of the plate. Do you see his back covered even the outside part of the strike zone. That's what we're trying to do. Cover all parts of the strike zone. He brings to start out with your regular stance
now. Now he's he's. Bends his knees just a little bit to relax his leg straight away stance batted around the top of the strike zone. Now when he gets into his stride he strides straight at the ball. Hands are still back. Now he goes into the swing. He's got the whole body coming through and he covers. You see he's covered his bat even extends a little bit past so that he can easily cover all parts of the strike zone. Now the follow through his backhand is rolling over the top and he's bringing the bat all the way through on a complete follow through and his head is still in. He hasn't pulled his head out off of the pitch. He was able to hold his head in at the point of contact because he kept his whole front side in as long as he could. Try that one more time Bobby show so that they can concentrate on your front side and your head as you swing through. That way he can have all the power of his body to drive the ball it's not only the hands
that are hitting the ball and he can cover the complete strike zone. But now that ball was a little bit high and out of the strike zone. Made member to bring the ball down into the strike zone. That ball was almost down the middle of the plate just slightly below the belt right over the middle of the plate that would be the good ball to hit. Here's another pitch. That ball was at the bottom of the strike zone. Possibly a little low on Bobby because he's a tall ball player but that pitches a good ball to hit. That ball was down the middle of the plate in terms of height but on the outside part of the plate. That's the pitch that you have to have the bat coverage the plate coverage with if you fall away a step in the bucket. It would be difficult to cover that pitch with your bat. That's the type that ball was on the outer a couple inches of the plate.
One. Can just do these two things ahead and here I am. Bar have your body weight going towards the ball and concentrate on having strong hands. He should make consistent contact. Remember. Swing the bat the more you swing the bat the better off you're going to be. Copies of this program can be obtained from the station to which you were to.
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Series
Basically Baseball
Episode Number
2
Episode
Hitting
Producing Organization
Maryland Public Television
Contributing Organization
Maryland Public Television (Owings Mills, Maryland)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip/394-10jsxq7q
If you have more information about this item than what is given here, or if you have concerns about this record, we want to know! Contact us, indicating the AAPB ID (cpb-aacip/394-10jsxq7q).
Description
Episode Description
Hitting #2
Episode Description
In this episode of "Basically Baseball" the Baltimore Orioles demonstrate how to powerfully hit a ball when playing baseball; giving tips on bat speed, bat control, contact between the bat and the ball, and how to properly stand at home plate when swinging, and how to hold a baseball bat. They also go over bunting and what the strike zone is.
Broadcast Date
1980-06-17
Asset type
Episode
Genres
Instructional
Topics
Sports
Subjects
Baseball
Rights
Copyright 1973 The Maryland Center for Public Broadcasting
Media type
Moving Image
Duration
00:29:33
Credits
Copyright Holder: MPT
Director: Winter, Richard
Editor: Ennis, John
Editor: Hackerman, Nancy
Editor: Seigel, Marian
Guest: Grich, Bob
Guest: Powell, Boog
Guest: Blair, Paul
Guest: Frey, Jim
Guest: Bsylor, Don
Guest: Rettenmund, Merv
Guest: Davis, Tommy
Guest: Shopay, Tom
Producer: Gillette, Thomas E.
Producing Organization: Maryland Public Television
AAPB Contributor Holdings
Maryland Public Television
Identifier: 21662.0 (MPT)
Format: U-matic
Generation: Master
Duration: 00:30:00?
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
Citations
Chicago: “Basically Baseball; 2; Hitting,” 1980-06-17, Maryland Public Television, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed March 29, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-394-10jsxq7q.
MLA: “Basically Baseball; 2; Hitting.” 1980-06-17. Maryland Public Television, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. March 29, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-394-10jsxq7q>.
APA: Basically Baseball; 2; Hitting. Boston, MA: Maryland Public Television, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-394-10jsxq7q