Understriding (while batting)

TWmccoy

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
Sully said:
Interestingly enough, have you seen Giancarlo Stanton hitting lately? He was struggling and now he has like 5 HRs in 5 games. One of the things he did was switch from an open stance to a closed stance. I played around with an open stance for a while but always end up going back to closed because I find I'm more consistent with it.
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I've messed around with an open stance. Zero success with it and I feel like my whole lower body gets screwed up when I use it. I don't like the feeling of my hips starting open. I've never really dabbled with a closed stance. Might be worth giving a try.
 
4xtra

4xtra

Player/Coach
Sully said:
Interestingly enough, have you seen Giancarlo Stanton hitting lately? He was struggling and now he has like 5 HRs in 5 games. One of the things he did was switch from an open stance to a closed stance. I played around with an open stance for a while but always end up going back to closed because I find I'm more consistent with it.
Click to expand...
The 2 games this past Saturday
Game 1 - went 3 for 4 (3 Doubles)
Game 2 - Single and 2 HR's and was Intentionally WALKED on my 4th at bat

Bats used:
12Easton Salvo SV100 28oz
17Worth Greg Connell Balanced 27oz

Used this feet placement stance with a HIGH leg raise
and with a raised elbow
upload_2017-8-10_12-26-42.png
 
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TWmccoy

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
Are you pulling the ball with this stance? How far off the plate are you standing?

One thing I'm noticing with a longer stride is the ability to drive the ball with serious authority to RC.... I've always been able to hit oppo, but lately I've been hitting some deep bombs that direction.

This closed stance somewhat intrigues me. I'll have to play with it in BP. I'm figuring start with the back foot further from the plate than I usually do though since the stance is closed.
 
4xtra

4xtra

Player/Coach
TWmccoy said:
Are you pulling the ball with this stance? How far off the plate are you standing?

One thing I'm noticing with a longer stride is the ability to drive the ball with serious authority to RC.... I've always been able to hit oppo, but lately I've been hitting some deep bombs that direction.

This closed stance somewhat intrigues me. I'll have to play with it in BP. I'm figuring start with the back foot further from the plate than I usually do though since the stance is closed.
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I am up and away from the plate.
My right foot is at the front of the plate.
The vast majority of my hits go like this:

The type of pitch----------Ball placement
Low and flat----------3rd base line/LF/LCF
middle/8+ ft arch--------LCF/C
High/outside-------Backside/RF

My home runs were LCF and LF

A closed stance is not as comfortable as a open stance
but a closed stance will keep you from swinging upwards
when the ball is in the hitting zone.
Basically, a closed stance keeps you disciplined.

A guy I played tournament with was in a slump for 2 games and
I told him to go to try a closed stance.
We hit a couple of balls between games and later on, his hitting got so hot,
they moved him to LEAD OFF in the last part of the tournament.

Record yourself hitting with a open and closed stance so we can take a look
 
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jhitman

jhitman

Well-Known Member
A closed stance will also keep you from opening up too soon by keeping your shoulder in. I feel a little restricted with a closed stance. I prefer square or slightly open. Whatever works for you.
 
D

Dars

Addicted to Softballfans
Changed my stance in a tourney this weekend. First 4 games(8 game tourney) I hit ok, just not with any authority. My stance was a little too spread out, wasn't getting enough hip and leg drive into my swing. Teammate told me to keep my feet close together, and get a solid stride going. Results after changing stance: 10-14(2 outs were hard line drives that almost killed the 2B)with first HR of the tourney, and every ball I hit was a rocket. Before the change i was barely barreling anything, and was hitting weak ground balls or fly balls. Now I just gotta get the muscle memory going, and get used to my new stance. Thanks for this thread, gave me a lot of ideas on how to fix my swing.
 
swingnmiss

swingnmiss

#1 IN YOUR HEARTS
I wanted to say also, that when my hands are too low I have a hard time with short striding. I get in the box for bp and I notice I'm having a hard time moving forward, I raise my hands back up to about ear level and it makes it much easier to lengthen my stride. I don't know how mechanically it all ties together, but when my hands are too low. I short stride and I suck.........BAD!
 
Sully

Sully

Wanna buy jerseys/rings?
In an article today by Buster Olney of ESPN about whether the Marlins could trade Stanton, he wrote:" But through an adjustment at the plate -- closing his stance -- Stanton has suddenly become one of baseball’s best players, and a serious candidate for the National League MVP Award. Over his last 59 games, Stanton has 32 homers, 58 runs, 60 RBI, 34 walks and an OPS of 1.205, while playing his home games in what is generally perceived to be the worst hitters’ park in baseball. For years, he has been the position-player Paul Bunyan because of his size, and now, he is the source of Bunyanesque production.
 
TWmccoy

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
Sully said:
In an article today by Buster Olney of ESPN about whether the Marlins could trade Stanton, he wrote:" But through an adjustment at the plate -- closing his stance -- Stanton has suddenly become one of baseball’s best players, and a serious candidate for the National League MVP Award. Over his last 59 games, Stanton has 32 homers, 58 runs, 60 RBI, 34 walks and an OPS of 1.205, while playing his home games in what is generally perceived to be the worst hitters’ park in baseball. For years, he has been the position-player Paul Bunyan because of his size, and now, he is the source of Bunyanesque production.
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I do find this intriguing for sure. I might toy with a closed stance in BP, but I never really have thus far. No flying open early on the ball.
 
dunkky

dunkky

Well-Known Member
bump. very healthy and informative discussion. love it. I am going to keep my long stride which i am comfortable with but fix the problem everyone was mentioning with my stride.
 
RECKLESSxRUBEN

RECKLESSxRUBEN

New Member
shorter stride is best. There was something I heard about head movement while trying to hit/catch a ball. It said that if your head moves more than 4 inches your vision basically completely goes away and you legally blind. meaning that your just guessing where the ball will be since you wont be able to see anymore
 
jhitman

jhitman

Well-Known Member
RECKLESSxRUBEN said:
shorter stride is best. There was something I heard about head movement while trying to hit/catch a ball. It said that if your head moves more than 4 inches your vision basically completely goes away and you legally blind. meaning that your just guessing where the ball will be since you wont be able to see anymore
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If you stride too long it does change the position of your head and ultimately you will dip and lose power. Also, if you don't stride long enough it confines you a little bit and you lose power. You basically have to find what works best for you, but I think a medium controlled stride is best as it helps you stay in balance.
 
TWmccoy

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
I agree. Somewhere in the middle. I find that if I stride too far I end up lunging anyway and getting under the ball a lot. If I stride too little I don't feel like I get any lower body involvement in the swing.

There definitely is a magical spot where the front foot has to come down for maximum swing potential. Finding that spot can be tricky.
 
Hiltz

Hiltz

Built for comfort
RECKLESSxRUBEN said:
shorter stride is best. There was something I heard about head movement while trying to hit/catch a ball. It said that if your head moves more than 4 inches your vision basically completely goes away and you legally blind. meaning that your just guessing where the ball will be since you wont be able to see anymore
Click to expand...

I think what you heard was referring to baseball. If your head drops as you stride, your eyeballs are moving with it. So you're trying to judge a fastball or a breaking ball with movement and your eyes are also moving and sending wrong signals to your brain. This would technically still be happening in slowpitch, but the ball is moving so slowly it wouldn't be much of a factor.

That said, keeping your head from moving around should still be a goal. It might not be as big a factor as it is in baseball but anything you can do to improve, you should. And there are lots of elite MLB players who take a long stride, they just manage to keep their heads still.
 
Normy

Normy

Well-Known Member
I've never made a video but I'd say my stride is comparable to Brett's. Body angle a little more vertical. Swing mechanics are way worse though.
 
jhitman

jhitman

Well-Known Member
Dan411 said:
He's definitely changed his stride and stance since moving to the Yankees. I really don't see how he doesn't get busted by inside pitches more often.
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I agree. I would be busting him inside hard every AB. If he gets his arms extended it's over.
 
swingnmiss

swingnmiss

#1 IN YOUR HEARTS
RECKLESSxRUBEN said:
shorter stride is best. There was something I heard about head movement while trying to hit/catch a ball. It said that if your head moves more than 4 inches your vision basically completely goes away and you legally blind. meaning that your just guessing where the ball will be since you wont be able to see anymore
Click to expand...

I completely disagree with this.
 
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