A good, quick swing is the secret to good hitting. By shortening the stride and stroke of the bat, a hitter can compensate for the off-speed pitches and get better contact and better wood on the ball than he can by taking a long swing and a long, lunging stride. Unless a hitter has good bat control, he is not going to be a consistent hitter. A short stride is best because it keeps your body balanced, provides split-second timing, and allows the hitter to check his swing if he sees a pitch is bad.

As Tommy Davis, a National League batting champion with the Dodgers, demonstrates so effectively in the hitting series above, a short stride keeps the weight on the rear foot until the swing is started (Series A).

Effective Hitting Major League batting coaches are in firm agreement in advocating a relaxed, smooth, rhythmic swing that stresses proper alignment of the head, perfect balance, and full arm extension. Indeed, this type of hitting swing enables a batter to hit the ball hard more consistently than does a crowd-the-plate, arms-in, tense, muscle-up, swing-from-the-heels approach.

The good hitter is aggressive. I like to see a batter up at the plate that will attack the ball, one who is always going into the ball. We encourage our hitters to go get the ball. A non-aggressive hitter is one who more or less lays back and just feels for the ball.

The ability to be quick with the hands, wrists, and arms will determine just how good a hitter a player is going to be. If a hitter is fast with his hands and wrists, he will be able to wait longer for the pitch. Mike Schmidt, a great Hall of Fame hitter with the Phillies, made an adjustment at the plate in 1980 which made him a better hitter. No longer a dead pull hitter, Schmidt began standing off the plate and striding into the ball (Illus. 1).

Perhaps the most important rules in batting are a level swing, timing, and hitting the ball where it is pitched. A level swing provides the greatest hitting arc – to hit the ball where it is pitched. Outside pitches should be hit to the opposite field, while inside pitches should be pulled.

With the improved change of speeds and different pitches being thrown today, timing is probably the biggest factor in hitting. Only constant work at the plate, swinging at every type of pitch, will give a hitter timing.

What is the Proper Swing? The type of swing depends on the hitter himself and, of course, on where the ball is pitched. The arc of swing varies – level, slightly upward, or slightly downward. On the low ball, the swing has to come up. Otherwise, he will hit the ball on the ground. On the high pitch, he has to take a slightly downward stroke at the ball.

“I recommend a short, compact swing,” said Pete Rose, one of baseball’s greatest hitters. “I like to see a hitter go up there and swing hard and just hit the ball. I try to swing level because if I uppercut, I will hit nothing but fly balls, and I don’t want to hit too many ground balls. So, I just try to take a hard, level swing.” (Series B)

“I take a short stride,” said Rose, “because it helps me keep my weight on my back foot. But there are hitters like Johnny Bench and Henry Aaron who prefer a longer stride. When I take a long stride, I have a tendency to start lunging, so I keep my stride to four to six inches.”

Batting champions like George Brett, use a short, compact swing. Brett has both of his arms extended in a “perfect triangle” as he meets the ball squarely in front of the plate, just before he breaks the wrists (Illus. 2).

A hitter will generally start the swing downward but finish with a little uppercut. Actually, the bat starts down and then levels off through the swing. On the point of contact the swing is fairly level.

The follow-through will be a slightly upward swing, especially if the hitter turns loose with the top hand and lets the bottom hand get good extension.

Select a Bat You Can Control The weight of the bat is very important. Each player must decide for himself what type of bat is right for him. Harmon Killebrew, pictured here, explained, “He should find one that feels good in his hands, neither too heavy nor too light. The bat has to feel comfortable to him.” (Illus. 3)

Pete Runnels, an outstanding major league hitter, said, “I always like to have a bat that feels good in my hands, one that I got a lot of hand control over – that a ball away from me, I have just as good a swing as the ball that’s on the inside corner.”

Many hitters have found success with the lighter and thinner bats, with the weight out on the hitting area. The idea behind using this type of bat is to swing the bat faster, thereby setting more velocity into the swing.

Even though Johnny Bench, pictured below, is a power hitter, he used a bat considered fairly light by major league standards: thirty-five and half inches long and weighing between thirty-two and thirty-three ounces. Bench explained: “I can wait until the last second to whip the bat. With the slightly heavier bat I was using before, I couldn’t get any whip if I waited too long.” (Illus. 4)

When the bat is too light, however, a hitter has a tendency to over swing, to swing too hard. With a heavier bat, the hitter has better control, and with more wood, he has a greater chance of hitting the ball. For the majority of hitters, a heavier bat choked up for balance is more effective than a light bat swung from the end.

Assume a Comfortable Stance Stances used by successful major league hitters vary. A batter should move his feet around until he finds a stance that feels good. The best stance is the most comfortable one.

As he assumes his position at the plate, the hitter should make sure he has complete coverage of the plate. He should be close enough to the plate to handle pitches on the outside corner and far enough from the inside corner to keep from being handcuffed or jammed on the fists.

Basically, I like to start a young hitter out with both of his feet even, not closed, not open, and adjust from there. The most balanced position is one with the feet shoulder-width apart, and with the front foot turned a little toward the pitcher. The weight is distributed equally on the balls of the feet.

The head must be held fairly still. It has to move a little, but very little. Both eyes should be facing the pitcher and the ball.

The hips and shoulders must be kept level, with the front hip and shoulder pointing at the pitcher. He should tuck the chin in close to the front shoulder to keep his head from pulling away as he swings.

Batting Grip The grip of the batter should be comfortable and firm but not tense and tight. The hitter should grip the bat where he can swing it best. He can do this by “shaking hands” with the bat and lining up the middle knuckles of both hands.

A loose, relaxed grip is essential for quickness and power. A tight grip has a tendency to tighten up the forearm muscles and the biceps. While assuming a relaxed position at the plate, the hitter should have a firm grip with his bottom hand and a loose grip with his top hand.

While a long ball hitter like Jim Rice prefers holding the bat down at the end, batting champions like Matty Alou (right) find they have greater bat control choking up on the bat a few inches (Illustrations 5 and 6).

The Hitting Swing A level, natural swing is a characteristic of all batting champions. The younger hitter should always try to meet the ball solidly, and not try to over swing. By making good contact, a batter always has a chance for a hit. The shorter and more compact the swing, the better chance a hitter has for contact.

The Swing of a Batting Champion Rod Carew had a fluid, graceful hitting swing, with a smooth weight shift. As he brings the bat forward, Carew begins to rotate his body. Failure to pivot results in locked hips and prevents a smooth follow-through. Quick, strong hands and his “soft” grip on the bat are two of the secrets of his hitting success (Illus. 7).

Taking a Rather Short Stride I like the short stride because it keeps the hitter’s body balanced and enables him to have split-second timing. In addition, the short stride allows him to check a swing if the pitch is bad. The player who takes a short step controls his forward motion. He can wait longer on the ball, and then he can adjust to the pitch.

The Casual Stride We like a hitter to take a short, “casual stride,” simply because it allows him to keep his body back. The “casual stride” is more of a lifting or shifting of the weight from both feet to a little more on the back foot. It enables the hitter to stride forward with his front foot but not let his body go forward. The weight of the body is kept back, and the bat is back. His bat is back, cocked, and ready to meet the ball when it comes.

Weight Shift is very important to hitting success. A good extension of the arms will result in a good weight shift. At the point of contact, the front leg is as rigid as a board. A hitter has to hit against a firm front side, a closed front hip, to obtain a controlled stride, it is essential to maintain a firm rear foot because a hitter generates his power in his push forward as he “throws the bat” at the ball.

The Classic Batting Swing of Hank Aaron Henry demonstrates one of the greatest batting swings in baseball history. His quick hands and wrists enable him to hit the ball out in front of the plate. Aaron preferred to use a short stride because it kept his body balanced and gave him split-second timing. The front arm more or less guides the swing, and then the top hand does a little snapping (Series C).

I like a hitter to point his front shoulder right at the pitcher. He should push his shoulder toward the pitcher. If the batter does not drive the shoulder toward the ball, his head will move, and he will lose sight of the ball.

Keep a Strong Front Arm The front arm more or less guides the swing and then the top hand does a little snapping. I like a hitter to point his front shoulder right at the pitcher. He should push his shoulder toward the pitcher. If the batter does not drive the shoulder toward the ball, his head will move, and he will lose sight of the ball.

Hip Rotation Batting power comes from rotating the hips. Many hitting experts believe the action of the hips is more responsible for a powerful swing than the roll of the wrists and hands. A hitter has to put his hips into it! (Series D)

Getting the hips out of the way and letting the momentum and power of the body come forward into the swing is one of the most important points in hitting. The hitter has to hit against a firm front side, a closed front hip. “The hips help turn the shoulders when swinging the bat,” says Harmon Killebrew, pictured here. “They bring the hips and shoulders around together.”

Good Wrists and Hands are essential because they “pop the ball” well. On contact with the ball, the hands are still fairly straight and the wrist turn-over occurs afterward, like a follow-through which provides the extra pop. So, it all comes back to the power of the hips.

Line Drive Swing Even home run hitters like Mike Schmidt try to meet the ball solidly and not over swing. In the series below, Mike takes a hard, level swing. He coordinates all the parts of the swing, and this requires timing. As the hitting swing starts, Schmidt’s weight is shifted from the back foot and finishes on the front foot after contact. He meets the ball squarely in front of the plate (Series E).

Good Hip Rotation A hitter pivots his hips to get drive and a powerful swing. The hips help turn the shoulders when swinging the bat. The pivot brings the hips and shoulders around together. The back hip is whipped around as the front hip is thrown out of the way.

Being quick with the hands and wrists is one of the most important phases of hitting. The quicker they are as the ball comes to the plate,” said Hall of Fame great Ted Williams, pictured here, “the longer you can wait to judge the pitcher, and the less you will be fooled.” (Illus. 8)

Once the hitter decides to pull the trigger, he must get his bat moving quickly. Everything – shoulders, hips, hands, and wrists – is brought through smoothly, unleashing his full power on the ball. The ball should be met in front of the plate, just before the hitter breaks his wrists. The wrist snap is the final accelerator after the hips, shoulders, forearms, and hands have laid the bat on the ball.

A hitter should hit the ball before he breaks his wrists, not when the bat is across the plate. The head of the bat is what turns the wrists over.

Hitters like Bill Buckner, pictured below, have found success at the plate by shortening up and swinging down slightly. By shortening the stride and stroke of the bat, the hitter can get better contact and also make the necessary adjustment on off-speed pitches. Buckner liked to hit balls up the alleys. (Series F)

Follow-through After the hips and wrists have whipped through and hit the ball, a complete follow-through provides power to the hitting swing and gives distance to the hits. The body follows through in the direction the ball is hit. The bat continues under its own momentum to the rear of the body. The wrists snap and roll over, and the arms swing to the rear. The hitter (Harmon Killebrew) should be in perfect balance, with the body facing the direction of the ball just hit.

A batter should never stop or “chop off” his swing. When he completes his swing, his bat should be at the middle of his back. The rear hip follows through. The belt buckle comes around and faces left field on an inside pitch, center on a pitch down the middle, and right on an outside pitch. The weight comes forward, causing the back foot to pivot, or, for some hitters, to lift on contact with the pitch. (Illustrations 9 and 10).

While some hitters have their rear foot off the ground, the lifting comes only after they have made contact with the ball. To obtain a controlled stride, it is essential to maintain a firm rear foot because a hitter generates his power in his push forward as he throws the bat at the ball.

Walter Alston, Hall of Fame manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Don Weiskopf co-authored in 1972 the first edition of The Complete Baseball Handbook published by Allyn & Bacon, Inc., followed by the second edition in 1984. Alston, a six-time winner of A.P.’s Manager of the Year Award, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame July 31, 1983, in Cooperstown, N.Y.