Posted by: Muc (Muckk@cox.net) on Sun Nov 17 19:42:05 2002

The Swing - Mike Candrea

After the hitter has achieved a good base from which to hit, it is time to execute the swing. The swing is initiated by a sequential unlocking of body parts. Powerful hitters unwind from the bottom up with a combination of linear and rotational movement. The back side rotates against a firm front side. The word firm is important: If the hitter locks the front side, her weight actually moves back as she executes the swing. This movement does not allow the hitter to create a positive weight shift that delivers her energy toward the contact point. When locking occurs, I like to use the term negative movement (hitter's weight is moving away from the contact point).

If we divide the body down the middle from the head through the belly button, the front side of the body supplies the direction while the back side provides power. This principle is the same when you are teaching proper throwing mechanics. Let the back side knock the front side out versus using the front side to pull the back side through.

A key element of generating the proper leg and hip action is the position of the back (pivot) foot. By watching the pivot foot on contact, you can tell what kind of weight shift occurred by the position of the heel of the pivot foot. Another key is the position of the back leg: L-shape versus straight leg. We like a hitter to have her heel up at contact. This tells me that she has achieved a positive weight shift. The closer the heel is to the ground, the more weight remains on the back side and is not transferred to the contact point. Some hitters actually finish on the toe of the pivot foot - for example, Laura Espinoza. This habit is common for hitters who hit off their front foot. Front foot hitters need to be strong in the upper body and gifted with great hand-eye coordination. Obviously, Laura has both, as she is the NCAA leader in home runs. As long as the hitter can achieve a positive movement to the contact point, the pivot foot takes care of itself. I have found more young hitters who have worked so hard pivoting that they actually overrotate, forcing their front sides to fly open and create a long swing.

Now that we understand that the legs lead the swing (unwind from the bottom up), it is time to discuss some key elements of the hand action to the contact point.

The bottom hand (the pull hand) sets the plane of the swing; the top hand (the throwing hand) finishes the swing. Both hands work together and have equal importance. Successful hitters keep their hands relatively close to their bodies and have a knack for controlling the barrel of the bat.

I use the phrase Throw your hands inside the ball. If the hitter is going to deliver the barrel to the ball, her hands must be inside the ball. Hitters who always try to hit the outside of the ball often have poor results. The only pitch hit on the back of the ball is the inside pitch. All other pitches are contacted on the inside half of the ball.

Some common attributes of the upper body in good hitters are:

- Hands are held in a strong position to throw the bat head (barrel).
- Hands are at the top of the strike zone. I like the bottom hand at the top of the strike zone.
- Bat is held at a 45-degree angle. Stay away from extremes, like the bat positioned perpendicular, flat, or wrapped behind the head.
- Elbows are down.
- Lead arm forms an 'L'.
- Both arms form an upside down 'V'.
- Front side is soft.
- Front shoulder is slightly lower than back shoulder.
- Wrists are in an active or cocked position to allow a throwing motion.

One of the easiest ways I have found to describe the proper hand action that results in a short, compact swing is to isolate the bottom hand. When the batter holds her bottom hand in the hitting position, her lead arm has three joints: shoulder, elbow, and wrist. When the hitter unlocks in the proper sequence, the first joint to move is the shoulder, then the elbow, and finally the wrist. Another cue I use: I ask the hitter to imagine she is drawing a line through her chest with her bottom hand, then executing a karate chop to the contact point.

This skill is easier to demonstrate than to describe. If you watch a successful hitter from the pitcher's circle, you notice the first movement is her elbow, then the knob of the bat, and the last thing to arrive is the barrel. Proper sequencing of the lower and upper body produces a key ingredient of great hitters known as bat lag. The barrel of the bat stays very close to the hitter's back shoulder as the hands are delivered toward the contact point. If the bottom hand does its job properly, the top hand takes care of itself.

As the bet head arrives at the contact point, the arms maintain flexion, contact is made, and the hitter extends through the ball. A common flaw is when hitters reach extension before contact, therefore losing bat speed. A hitter's hand position at contact is usually from palm-up/palm-down in the the lower position of the strike zone to backhand-of-the-bottom-hand/palm-of-the-top-hand in the upper portion of the strike zone. The rolling of the wrist is a follow-through motion and should not be overemphasized.

Contact points vary depending on the location of the pitch. I actually put three balls on the ground that signify the proper contact points for the inside, middle, and outside pitch. A key coaching point for proper contact is the following:

- For an inside pitch, the barrel is in front of the hands.
- For a middle pitch, the barrel is even with the hands.
- for an outside pitch, the barrel is behind the hands.

As the hitter completes the swing, her hands should finish somewhere around her front shoulder. Hitters vary with the location of their follow-throughs, either above the shoulder or at the shoulder. The follow-through should allow the hitter to maintain balance and assure a quality head position.


In conclusion, great hitters often have God-given talents that you cannot always teach - hand-eye coordination, bat speed, depth perception. I feel you can make any hitter better by understanding the principles of the swing. Develop a sound foundation that allows them to receive viable information and remain tension-free (stance). And finally, teach a short compact swing that stresses a positive movement to and through the ball while maintaining a good head position and balance throughout the swing. Teach from the ground up, as a hitter must unwind from the bottom up to use her body effectively. Last but not least, softball is a quick, compact game that gives hitters little reaction time. My goal for them is to minimize negative movement and maximize efficiency.