I was just impressed with the way Pujols was able to maintain his hitting position and pull his hands in without rolling over (aka keeping it fair).

Pretty much looks like this:

One of the things I like about Upton’s swing is that he generates tons of power but doesn’t have a lot of “noise”.  Specifically, he doesn’t get far away from a good swing plane.  Here is an illustration of what I mean, just before Upton unloads his swing:

Justin Upton swing plane

Lots of bat speed + consistent swing path = power AND consistency!

The good stuff starts around the 13:10 mark…

the Happy Gilmore drill

Harrington talks about turn/twist/rotate through to impact, which is a concept or explanation that sometimes gets a bad rap in baseball because of players’ tendency to drag the bat or spin on the back foot when focusing on rotation.  The baseball swing has a quickness component that doesn’t exist in golf, but even in golf it is possible to drag/cast the club.  Golfers, however, typically try to maintain a “hinge” angle or prevent the club from casting too soon in order to save up all the rotational energy and release at the last possible moment upon contact.  This way they can create a lot of power through their rotation AND be in position to transfer it to the club right before contact…..this can’t happen in baseball or golf if you’re dragging the club/bat.

And of course, there is the Happy Gilmore drill (hard to spin on the back foot doing this one!) where Harrington talks about taking a step as in a baseball swing, and how he uses it to create EXTRA power.  This would typically be seen in baseball in a common drill called the walk-up drill.  Remember, the idea is to take the lateral momentum and then use it to ADD to what Harrington described as turning/twisting/rotating into contact.  The big lateral shift is relatively worthless (think sliding or lunging) if it’s not converted into rotation.

Here’s a little more from Sports Science:

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Here’s a look at El Nino’s swing in several different slow motion views…

click for videos

This first one starts in regular speed and slows to 120 frames per second (fps).  The pitch is a fastball that he hits off the right field wall for a triple:

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

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Clip #2 is a higher speed of 240 fps and shows Hanley making an adjustment to an off-speed pitch and still hitting a line drive double to left field.  Ramirez  is able to delay the unloading of his upper body – can you see the hesitation after his foot lands?

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

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Lastly, this super slo-mo shot shows what an incredible pre-swing move Hanley has.  This type of body control during the load is really special:

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

I’m planning on adding more video content in the future so don’t forget to visit and subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Check out this video where Grossman himself describes his thoughts on his hitting approach:

Click for video

This past post on plate discipline gives some different insights on developing command of the strike zone, and Grossman says something similar:

When I’ve got a pitch to hit, I’ve been swinging. But if not, I’ve been taking it.

Sounds simple, right?  Well, yes, the concept can be very simple, but execution is the key.  Especially as you advance each level and the decision making process gets tougher and tougher – or, in other words, the pitchers get better.  Hitters who control the strike zone and have an actual plan at the plate really do stand out – they know how to take an at-bat.

While you’re working on perfecting your swing, don’t forget about the strike zone and pitch recognition.  In today’s game, plate discipline is becoming valued more and more.  Work on it by putting yourself into different counts while taking batting practice and distinguish between looking for pitches to drive early in the count versus putting the ball in play with 2-strikes. Find different ways like this to shift your focus from swing mechanics to the seeing the ball, it’s release point, and where you’re making contact in the strike zone.

In this video, Bautista talks about how he changed his hitting mechanics, and his explanation is fairly simple.  He started his swing earlier so he wasn’t late so often.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

For a more complete picture, check out this article about Jose Baustista’s transformation.  One of the things I found most interesting was the insight into Baustista’s mindset:

In his free time, Bautista reads books on exceptionality. “I’m trying to understand why mediocre people become good at what they do,” he says, “and why good people become the best.” So he mixes other players’ post-career musings on success with real mental protein.

A few things that I really like:

1.  The way he moves against his back leg

2.  The position of his upper body

3.  How his bat gets on and stays in a really great swing path

It’s not easy to have a short swing and create bat speed at the same time, but this is a pretty good example of what it looks like.

Aside from all of the drills and exercises, here is one quote I found particularly interesting:

Everything in every sport really boils down to rotational power.

Enjoy: