Hitting Grip & Stance is an introductory hitting.  For those athletes with little to no plan, this drill provides structure to both stance and grip. This material for beginning hitters and designed to ensure that every member of a team can address home plate and hold the bat correctly. Instruction can move on from this point.

Execution / Stance – Starting with the feet, use the following keywords to address home plate (for a right-handed batter):

Right – Left – Right

• Right – Right foot steps to the back-corner of home plate
• Left – Left foot steps immediately behind the right foot
• Right – Right foot steps back to a comfortable distance (outside shoulder width)

Execution / Grip – Moving up to the hands, here’s a fun way to work through teaching a proper grip:

Left – Right – Barrel Up – Back Shoulder

• Left – Left hand reaches over home plate, palm facing down
• Right – Right hand extends over home plate, palm facing up
• Barrel Up – After squeezing bat (or thumbs), turn the barrel straight up to the sky
• Back Shoulder – Without thinking too much, take the bat to a position in front of the back shoulder

DC KEYS

1. Use a Batting Tee – Work stance fundamentals with a batting tee to see if right/left/right footwork leaves athlete in an appropriate position to make contact.
2. Knuckles – Second knuckles of the hands CAN line up… or the grip can wrap closer to the next knuckle.  Anything beyond this should be corrected. Allow the athletes grip the bat first and simply check knuckles.
3. Cones for the Feet – After establishing the batting stance with this trick, use three cones going forward to mark the position of starting and ending feet placement.

EQUIPMENT LIST