It is said that hitting a 90 mph fastball is physically impossible for people to accomplish, let alone hit the ball in play and for a hit. The batter will need to “cheat” and get motion started before the pitch to make this happen.
Before the pitch is even thrown, the hitter needs to perform many different steps. The batter will need to stride and load well before the ball gets to the plate.
1. Stance
New York Yankees Derek Jeter batting against the Baltimore Orioles during a baseball game Thursday, June 28, 2007 in Baltimore.
Watching the game of baseball, people see different hitters with crazy stances and doing different things with their hands. People see stances from Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz to Derek Jeter and Gary Sheffield. The stances are very recognizable and have all different movements before the pitch. The movement that they make is just a relaxing technique. Each hitter should be relaxed and feel comfortable at the plate to be confident.
A way for the hitters to practice this method would be to stand in front of a mirror. This way the hitter can know the feeling of the stance and be able to see it as well. This type of learning style is maintenance rehearsal. Maintenance rehearsal is repeating information over and over. With maintenance rehearsal, the more you practice your stance, the longer it will be in your working memory and the better chance the stance will stay in your long term memory.
2. Hands
When it is time to start the swing, the hitters hands are always in the same location. Like I mentioned in the first section, the hitters have many different stances and pre-at-bat rituals. However, their hands will always be in the same location before the swing starts. This location is about ear level and a few inches away from your head with the bat tilted slightly back.
3. Feet
The hitter’s feet should be about shoulder length apart and should line up toward the pitcher. This stance will give the hitter a good base. The weight of the hitter at this point should be balanced and split evenly between both feet.
Once again, the best way to practice this would be to stand in a garage or on a drive way. Then stand at a groove that is straight. Use that as a guide for your feet to get them lined up. Using something to help you learn something new and using it as guidance is scaffolding. In this situation, the groove on the ground would be the scaffolding for the hitter.