Advice for not lunging for the ball
- Thread starter Speedy07
- Start date
TWmccoy
3DX Connoisseur
Several things you can do....
1: Don't swing at short/low pitches
2: Stand more toward the front of the batter's box, closer to the pitcher. Being too far back will hurt you in USSSA, and every pitch will seem flat/low.
3: Don't start with all your weight on your back foot. Start with your feet shoulder width apart and remember to take a good stride when you swing. Not striding and getting caught on your back foot can lead to lunging.
4: Don't let your head drift too far forward as you swing. Doing that will cause you to lose balance, and you won't get any help from your hips or legs as you swing. Your head should remain fairly stationary as you swing.
5: Look for pitches at least waist-high to swing at.
6: Wait for the ball to get there. It's really easy to get impatient and start trying to stab/lunge at the ball. That will cause you to be early on everything, and not get hips or legs involved.
There's no 1 magical thing to make lunging go away. You'll just have to exercise good plate discipline and not swing at anything short or low.
1: Don't swing at short/low pitches
2: Stand more toward the front of the batter's box, closer to the pitcher. Being too far back will hurt you in USSSA, and every pitch will seem flat/low.
3: Don't start with all your weight on your back foot. Start with your feet shoulder width apart and remember to take a good stride when you swing. Not striding and getting caught on your back foot can lead to lunging.
4: Don't let your head drift too far forward as you swing. Doing that will cause you to lose balance, and you won't get any help from your hips or legs as you swing. Your head should remain fairly stationary as you swing.
5: Look for pitches at least waist-high to swing at.
6: Wait for the ball to get there. It's really easy to get impatient and start trying to stab/lunge at the ball. That will cause you to be early on everything, and not get hips or legs involved.
There's no 1 magical thing to make lunging go away. You'll just have to exercise good plate discipline and not swing at anything short or low.
ImminentDanger
Up and Over
Tee work can be very helpful to create muscle memory of a proper swing. Make sure you are practicing a good swing because it can also create muscle memory of a bad swing if you're doing it wrong. Either video tape your swing to watch it or have someone who knows what a good swing looks like watch you as you practice, either live or tee.
You should be using the tee to set a ball at the height you want your swing (muscle memory). And use it to understand where you have to stand in relation to the home plate to properly reach the ball. This perception of your stance to the plate will be an important understanding for live BP.
Live BP is critical to getting your timing and to developing pitch selection. And to validate that your Tee work swing is effective at the plate. There is no substitute for Live BP. It tests all your skills as close to game conditions as possible.
As always, you need to vary the location of the ball in both Tee work & in your live practice. This will give you an understanding of what you can properly reach & confidence to handle the pitches you can reach. In Live BP, try to let the really bad pitches pass by so that you are practicing your pitch selection. If you swing at every bad pitch you're not helping yourself.
Practice like you want to play.
%%%
You should be using the tee to set a ball at the height you want your swing (muscle memory). And use it to understand where you have to stand in relation to the home plate to properly reach the ball. This perception of your stance to the plate will be an important understanding for live BP.
Live BP is critical to getting your timing and to developing pitch selection. And to validate that your Tee work swing is effective at the plate. There is no substitute for Live BP. It tests all your skills as close to game conditions as possible.
As always, you need to vary the location of the ball in both Tee work & in your live practice. This will give you an understanding of what you can properly reach & confidence to handle the pitches you can reach. In Live BP, try to let the really bad pitches pass by so that you are practicing your pitch selection. If you swing at every bad pitch you're not helping yourself.
Practice like you want to play.
%%%
swingnmiss
#1 IN YOUR HEARTS
Very first.......Swing at strikes. Swinging at bad pitches screws you up. Not just bad results, but changes your mechanics.
Second.......... I would start earlier and more leisurely on my bottom half. Get your front foot up early and stride into the ball, timing your foot hitting just a split second before contact. If you start late you have to rush your mechanics, but if you start earlier, you can be slower and more relaxed on your lower half. You want to think..........
Bottom half, ease into the ball
Top half, explosion
Give this a try and see how you feel.
Second.......... I would start earlier and more leisurely on my bottom half. Get your front foot up early and stride into the ball, timing your foot hitting just a split second before contact. If you start late you have to rush your mechanics, but if you start earlier, you can be slower and more relaxed on your lower half. You want to think..........
Bottom half, ease into the ball
Top half, explosion
Give this a try and see how you feel.
