I previously posted the “Home Run Drill” that Yankees hitting coach, Kevin Long, came up with and used with Robinson Cano, and now here is a look at Cano’s hitting mechanics that were recently on display in the 2011 Home Run Derby. At the :56 mark, there is a good side view in super slo- mo:
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.
Stack TV has a series of hitting, workout & training video clips featuring Evan Longoria from the Tampa Bay Rays. These cover aspects of his baseball specific workouts in the weight room that target power development through the lower body and core muscles, as well as training the upper body for stability. Just as important to the training, especially considering the daily repetition and long duration of the baseball season, is his mindset of taking quality reps in each area in order to maximize the training effect of his effort.
If you go to the Marucci Sports Multimedia page, there is a quick little video that shows Albert Pujols working on his swing mechanics using the batting tee and also some soft toss. Click the ‘video’ tab on the right and it is the 3rd video. It gives a nice, close up look into the training workouts and practice swings of one of today’s best hitters.
I posted a link to Stack magazine on the links page and I check there periodically to go through the videos they post. The following is one that not only shows some batting practice swings from New York Mets third baseman, David Wright, but also provides his insights into the purpose and preparation of his pre-game hitting routine:
In other words, it’s not just about getting your hacks in, but having a plan for what you’re doing. This sounds simple, but it’s something that begins to separate players of similar talent as the competition gets tougher and level of play increases.
Yes it’s been a while since the last entry. I suppose that is what getting married and moving will do…
Anyways, I had a chance to see the Mets come to town last weekend, and or course I had my camera.
Here is some video from the Mets’ batting practice. The big things that jump out to me watching these guys hit is efficiency and accuracy. They are not necessarily “going after it” but there is little wasted movement and you always hear them hitting the ball squarely on the barrel. Pre-game BP is more of a time to work on “skills” than to improve your ability. You should have already taken care of that in your training!
