My minor league manager Sandy Alomar once told me that in order to have good hands you must develop your feet.
When it comes to hitting mechanics, footwork may be the most under coached area of them all. Most hitters work diligently to prevent long approaches without paying any attention to their feet. At Diamond Directors, our goal is to eliminate the bad habits and help you do the right things every time you step into the batter’s box.
Below are three bad habits you should avoid with your feet.
1. Not getting your foot down properly will cause a long approach
A good load base is when your feet are aligned with the length of your bat – from your back foot to your front foot. Your front foot also must be firmly engaged in the ground so that you may leverage your body from your approach-to-contact – think extension an finish. If you load with your front heel up, you’ll be forced to rush it down before your approach, causing you to spin away from the ball.
2. Not getting your front foot down on time
You must get your entire front foot down on time, and properly, in order to direct and maintain a proper hand path to the ball. A good hand path allows the barrel of your bat to follow, which fosters good contact and lots of power. Check my Tool Box for an illustration on proper timing and drills.
3. Over rotating your back foot
Most hitters are taught to get their hips started before their hands. That method worked for me when I was younger. And then I started to see breaking balls. As long as your bat is in your hands, you should initiate your approach with your hands, and allow your feet to support your hands for power production. If your back foot rotates past a straight line to the pitcher, you’ll lose a direct path to the ball with your hands.
To get an up-close and personal look at these drills and more, check out our complete offerings of online training drills and hitting lab sessions. Sign up today.
BIO:
C.J. Stewart has built a reputation as one of the leading professional hitting instructors in the country. He is a former professional baseball player in the Chicago Cubs organization and has also served as an area scout for the Cincinnati Reds. As founder and CEO of Diamond Directors Player Development, CJ has more than 12 years of player development experience and has built an impressive list of clients, including some of the top young prospects in baseball today. If your desire is to change your game for the better, C.J Stewart has a proven system of development and track record of success that can work for you.
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