Making the Team

Question
Hey Rick,

It's Chris sorry. it wouldn't let me ask a follow up question so I just hit ask a new question! And cool my second favorite team is the Arizona Diamondbacks! Anyways when I step on the mat for wrestling I think to myself i'm gonna kick this guys butt. But in my swing I stand exactly like Mark Texeira and Nick Swisher if that helps you visualize it, I satnd like Mark Texeira, and I hold the bat like Nick Swisher. But with my stance my balance is way off when I finish my swing! But thanks the visualizing drill helped me out a lot! And I have one of those tees that the ball is on a rope and you put the rope around a pole then you throw the ball and you just keep hitting the ball and I also have a metal fence so I can have someone throw me the ballthrn hit it into the metal fence! I told all my family and friends about this site and about how much you have helped me out so thank you VERY MUCH! please if you have anymore questions about me or if you have any drills and self drills for me that would really be helpful! Also if you know of a way to get a faster bat swing when I use a BBCOR Easton Typhoon -3 33" 33oz bat! And my muscle build I was told by numerous doctors is ripped for my age! Thanks again! I will let you know how I am progressing with your drills and mechanics. And I hope to hear from you again Rick! Thanks!
-Christopher

Answer
Hi Christopher:  Get yourself a tennis ball, carry it with you everywhere you go, squeeze it.  Alternate hands.  Work with it every chance you get.  Like all muscle work, it will get easier with time, keep increasing your repetitions and time.  It will help your wrestling also.

It will strengthen your hands, wrists and forearms, ultimately help increase your bat speed.

Take a ton of swings without a pitch, or a ball.  Set up, use your imagination for a pitch, swing the bat just like you would in a game.  You are working on visualization to see the imaginary pitcher and ball out of his hand, track that same imaginary ball as you load/stride, swing and follow through.

You should be standing in the same two tracks that your feet are in after you load/stride.  Little flex to your knees.  If everything is on time, in line, you should not fall backwards out of those tracks.  

If you are falling backwards away from the plate, you are probably stepping off line, not directly back at the pitcher.  Undoubtedly pulling your head and shoulder out also, which will throw you off balance also.

Well worth the time and effort to work hard on the balance issue.  Work on getting your front foot down slow, and early.  Stride on the ball of your front foot.  This part of your swing is all timed out to the pitcher's fastball.  The slow part is important because it limits the amount your head moves.  When your head moves, the ball moves.

The early part is essential so you don't feel rushed.  If you feel like you are late, you will try to hurry the next time, which leads to swinging harder, thus generally pulling your head, which takes out your front shoulder, which drops the barrel of your bat ~ all resulting in less than satisfactory results in the at bat.

Two hundred "dry" swings a day would not be too many, every day until you start practice.

Part of bat speed is getting your bat to, and through, the hitting zone in a short, compact manner.  Think about taking the knob of the bat to the ball and your top hand back at the pitcher.  That keeps your hands inside the baseball.  The shorter your swing, the longer you can wait to decide if a pitch is one you want to swing at or not.

Keep working.  It takes time.  Build the base slow, all the rest will follow.

Yours in baseball,

Rick