Chapter 1. Batting Tips

Batting or "putting the wood to the ball", is the key to the success or failure of the ball club and the individual.

There is no great mystery about what makes a boy a good hitter. He has to have:

1. A certain amount of natural ability
2. A mastery of the fundamentals
3. Confidence in his ability to hit

The phrase "natural ability" covers a great deal. It means strong arms, wrists and hands; quick reflexes, good coordination, perfect eyesight and speed afoot.

Regardless of how much natural ability a boy has, however, he won't hit as well as he should if he doesn't master the fundamentals and believe in his ability to hit the ball as it comes through the strike zone. Self-confidence, of course, stems from success. And success in batting comes from batting practice. The following text describes the mechanics of hitting as they apply to ball players in general. By following the principles involved, the well-coordinated boy could easily become the batting star of his team; the average boy could certainly become a better-than-average hitter.

THE STANCE

If a batting boy is right-handed, he should turn his left side to the pitcher; the right side if left-handed.

The body should be fairly erect and relaxed with the weight distributed evenly on both feet. The hips and shoulders should be level. The feet should be shoulder-width apart with the toe of the front foot even with the instep of the rear foot. When the ball is being delivered, the batter's heels should be up slightly, his knees flexed slightly. A most apt phrase is -"stand on the big toes!"

THE STRIDE

As the ball is being delivered to the plate, the batter should raise his front foot just above the ground and slide it forward (toward pitcher) about six inches. This step, a critical part of hitting, begins what is generally termed "timing". All other movements that are a part of batting flow from it.

Fig. 1	Fig. 2
As Indicated at left, batter's body should face pitcher slightly, with toe of front foot about in line with instep of rear foot. Middle of batter body should also be about opposite tail end of plate. Batter's hips and shoulders should always be level, as shown in sketch at right

To learn batting and practice The Stride, beginners should first take the stance just described and place hands on hips. Then, simply step forward. And back. Forward. And back. Forward. And back.

Now, well begin to build on the timing cycle. As the front foot comes down, the batter is to rotate the trunk toward the pitcher. From the hips up, he twists the body sharply and as far as it will go.

Again stand with the feet shoulder-width apart, toe of front even with instep of back foot. Place hands on hips. "Stand on the big toes."

Ready for batting? Step-and-twist. Back to starting position.
Again step-and-twist. Back.
Step-and-twist. Back

Arm and Hand Positions

Let's try now to add the arm movements to The Stance and then coordinate them with The Stride.

Right-handed batters: place your left palm against the front of your right shoulder, little finger down, thumb up. Move the left hand forward about six inches and make a fist.

Left-handed batters: place your right palm against the front of your left shoulder, little finger down, thumb up. Move the right hand forward about six inches and make a fist.

The elbow of the arm that is now extended across the body should have almost no bend in it and there should be no strain on the arm. This is the arm and hand that guide the bat through the swing. The opposite arm and hand provide the batting power.

Make a fist with the Power Hand and place it on top of the Guiding Hand.

Raise the elbow of the Power Arm so it is level with the top of the shoulder. There will be some strain there. Drop this elbow slowly until there is no strain. (The elbow of the Power Arm should come to a stop about two inches below the top of the shoulder.)

Keep elbows and hands away from the body in batting!

THE SWING

Now you're ready to start the Swing. Try it as follows:

Assume the Batting Stance with arms and hands in proper batting position.

Move both hands slowly away from the body until the arms are fully extended in front of the Power Shoulder. Bend both wrists down as far as they will go. Move the arms slowly toward the imaginary pitch. As the hands come in front of the Guiding Shoulder, stop. That's about where the bat will make contact with the ball. Once that contact is made, roll the wrists toward the pitcher as far as they will go and continue the swing, carrying the arms as far around the body as you can reach.

Practice the move slowly a few times, then increase the speed of the swing.

You should be ready now to work it into the foot and body batting movements.

HIT AGAINST THE FRONT FOOT

The hitter should start the swing a split second after the front foot strikes the ground. As the front foot digs in, the hips twist and the arms and hands snap the bat out and around. Without a bat, go smoothly from one movement to another. Make it one fluid surge of batting power. Here we go batting!

Take the Batting Stance.

Ready for batting? Step. Twist-and-Swing. Back
Step. Twist-and-Swing. Back.
Step. Twist-and-Swing. Back.

Pick up a bat. Look for the label or trademark, and swing the bat slowly. As the bat goes over the plate, that trademark should always be straight up or facing the ground. If it isn't, you will be hitting against the grain of the wood and the bat is apt to split. Now, turn your hands so the middle knuckles are about in a straight line.

Again assume the batting stance. The big end of the bat should be pointing skyward and not laid back so it is horizontal. Without moving the feet, bring the bat through the swing, using the form you practiced before. As the bat gets directly in front of the body, stop batting. Is the bat level with the ground? If not, raise or lower the end and continue the swing. Try batting again, with the stride, and KEEP THE BAT LEVEL WITH THE GROUND!

Start the batting cycle once more and check yourself.

Stance-Are hands and feet in proper position? Are hips and shoulders level? Is the body fairly erect and relaxed? Is it balanced on the big toes?

Step-Twist-Swing-Was the label of the bat up as it went across the plate? Was the swing level with the ground? Were the arms fully extended for batting. Did you roll your wrists? Did you go all the way around-"follow through"?

Once the batter learns the proper form, he is ready to step to the plate and face a pitcher.

IN THE BATTER'S BOX

Generally speaking, the back end of the plate should be about even with the middle of the hitter's body. The big end of the bat should extend to one or two inches beyond the outside edge of the plate when the arms are fully extended for batting.

The type of pitcher and the situation tells the batter how to adjust. If the pitcher is very fast and relies on his fast ball most of the time, the batter should stand as far back as possible. If the pitcher uses a curve most of the time, the batter ought to move to the front of the box and try to hit the curve before it breaks. If a runner is on base and the "Steal" sign is flashed, the batter should stand back as far as he can so the catcher will be forced back a few steps, adding to the length of his throw. If the count is 3 balls and no strikes, the batter should crowd the plate and make as tough a target as he can for the pitcher.

HIT IT WHERE IT'S PITCHED!

Once the pitcher starts his move, the batter wants to... [Chapter Incomplete]

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