Bat Speed -- Baseball Hitting Forum

Posted by: Tom Waz (sluggoking@msn.com) on Thu May 6 07:17:06 2004

I'm a freshman in high school and im the starting catcher. Ever since the beginning of tryouts my coach has been messing with my stance. Before High School I was one of the most feared hitters in the league, and now with the new stance my coach MADE me adopt, i cant hit a lick, my bat is slow, my hips fly open and my front foot flies open, and because i cant hit with the new stance he DH's for me EVERY game (i only have 10AB's in 13 games this season). He told me that my old stance was full of flaws, like keeping by back elbow up and keeping my bat back and having my feet about a little wider than shoulder width apart and having a miniscule stride. Hes got this motto that i hear every time we take BP. Gather, Stride, Swing, and it takes so much time to do the pitch is already past me. I was wondering if my old stance was really that bad and if what i should do about my problem. Thanks.

Corey,

First off you must make some honest observations. Do all the other players hit the way the coach asks? Do you hit the way the coach asks? In both B.P and Games? I would suggest you get a friend or family member to video tape as many players during B.P. and games as possible and watch them closely. If the rest of the team is hitting well (power and average) you're going to have a difficult time going against the grain. Make a video of yourself with both strides and ask the coach to show you what was so bad with your old stance and if you got the new one down right. If you have the new stance down, give it a little more time or ask the coach what changes you need to make to start hitting better. It sounds like you need to start the process much earlier and on every pitch. If he insists on you using the new stance and can't help you then ask one of the better hitters on the team for help. If you still aren't comfortable with the results ask your coach to give you some time (2-3 weeks) to prove that you can hit with your old stance. This can be a frustrating time and you'll really need to feel your coach out and see how flexible he is. Good luck and never stop trying. - Tom Waz

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> I'm a freshman in high school and im the starting catcher. Ever since the beginning of tryouts my coach has been messing with my stance.  Before High School I was one of the most feared hitters in the league, and now with the new stance my coach MADE me adopt, i cant hit a lick, my bat is slow, my hips fly open and my front foot flies open, and because i cant hit with the new stance he DH's for me EVERY game (i only have 10AB's in 13 games this season).  He told me that my old stance was full of flaws, like keeping by back elbow up and keeping my bat back and having my feet about a little wider than shoulder width apart and having a miniscule stride.  Hes got this motto that i hear every time we take BP. Gather, Stride, Swing, and it takes so much time to do the pitch is already past me.  I was wondering if my old stance was really that bad and if what i should do about my problem. Thanks.
> 
> Corey,
> 
> First off you must make some honest observations. Do all the other players hit the way the coach asks? Do you hit the way the coach asks? In both B.P and Games? I would suggest you get a friend or family member to video tape as many players during B.P. and games as possible and watch them closely. If the rest of the team is hitting well (power and average) you're going to have a difficult time going against the grain. Make a video of yourself with both strides and ask the coach to show you what was so bad with your old stance and if you got the new one down right. If you have the new stance down, give it a little more time or ask the coach what changes you need to make to start hitting better. It sounds like you need to start the process much earlier and on every pitch. If he insists on you using the new stance and can't help you then ask one of the better hitters on the team for help. If you still aren't comfortable with the results ask your coach to give you some time (2-3 weeks) to prove that you can hit with your old stance. This can be a frustrating time and you'll really need to feel your coach out and see how flexible he is. Good luck and never stop trying. - Tom Waz

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