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Discarded Baseball Hitting Technique! Have you ever heard of squashing the bug?
Sometimes in sport, as in life, we do things and we don’t really know why. Our techniques and responses have been ingrained in us for so long that we just accept that it’s the way to go. There are countless examples of this in the great game of baseball.
To test my theory that we do things automatically without analyzing the ‘why’, I went out to batting cages and baseball practices to see the coaches and players in action. My goal? To identify and counter old hitting techniques that most believe are successful “if only the player got it right.” My findings may surprise you and will ultimately help your player significantly improve his batting average.
Since then, I’ve helped baseball coaches, parents, and hitters overcome misconceptions about hitting a baseball and how to challenge old coaching techniques that actually do more harm than good. In total, we have eliminated seven misconceptions from the park. Here is one of the most popular:
Have you ever heard of smashing the bug in baseball? This phrase refers to the pivot of the back foot when the batter swings the bat. In this case, the back foot “rolls” on the ball of the foot, as we do when we squash an insect.
This is what the result will be:
- a long stroke
- inhibited weight transfer
- The hands may not come forward to make contact.
- No need to push with your legs
This is what should happen during the pivot:
- The rear foot rolls over the rear toe as the hips rotate toward the pitch.
This is what the result will be:
- Facilitates a shorter stroke
- Weight transfer will occur.
- The hands will be allowed to make contact with the ball in front.
Try these proven techniques today to improve your swing and overall confidence in the game.