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Many past and present hitting instructors at the San Diego School of Baseball-Tony Gwynn, Reggie Waller, Alan Trammell, George Brett, Joe Morgan, Willie Stargell, and others-recommend a slightly closed stance (fig. 1-4) that gives you plate coverage (fig. 1-5).
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1-4. At the San Diego School of Baseball, Tony Gwynn, Alan Trammell, and other hitting instructors recommend a slightly closed stance for most hitters.
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1-5. Watch batting champ Tony Gwynn - he always taps his bat on home plate in order to check his plate coverage.
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Many young hitters who are aggressive stand too close to the plate, and when they stride toward the pitcher, the head of their bat is way out past the plate (fig. 1-6). Good plate coverage means that the head of the bat can cover the outside corner.
1-6. When a hitter stands too close to the plate and takes an aggressive stride toward the pitcher, his bat head will end up beyond the outside corner of the plate and the handle will be over the plate.
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We also recommend the use of a light bat for most hitters. Maybe it is because Tony Gwynn uses the lightest bat in the majors, but we have taught the light-bat theory since 1971. Many other great hitters, such as Ken Griffey Jr., use a very light bat. Hitters who use a bat that is too heavy for them usually develop many mechanical problems and habits that may be hard to break at a later time.
Four Good Reasons Not to use a Heavy Bat:
It is difficult to control, and you must start the bat forward earlier in the swing. This will cause more strikeouts.
It forces you to use your upper body to initiate the swing and risk pulling your front side off the ball.
It will slow your bat speed and cost you power instead of increasing your power (as some baseball experts think).
It may lead to career-long bad habits; in Tony Gwynn's words, "Using a heavy bat can ruin your swing."
USING YOUR HANDS PROPERLY
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"A hitter's trigger is everything to him, and a wise coach leaves this area alone."
George Brett
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Before you begin your swing, you must prepare for the swing with a cocking action of the bat. This "trigger" is an attempt to overcome the dead weight, or inertia, of the bat. In simple terms, it is easier to swing the bat forward if you first put the bat in motion.
Veteran hitting instructor Reggie Waller believes that the hands trigger naturally and should be left alone as long as the hitter still gets to a good hitting position before coming forward. Hitters such as Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds, Tony Gwynn, and others seem to confirm this theory: they move the bat a great deal before their hands start the bat forward.
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