As a batter, the only part of your at bat that you have complete control over is what happens before the pitch is thrown; getting into
stance. That’s why getting into your optimal stance as a batter is absolutely vital, and gives you the best chance at hitting any pitch thrown into your zone. Here we’ll take a look at some common mistakes that may be driving your batting average down before the pitcher even winds up.
We’ll start from the feet and work our way up. First off, you want to make sure your feet are just outside of shoulder width apart. This is your base, and you want it to be strong and solid. Do not make the mistake of pointing your toes outwards – this weakens your stance, and will force your to compensate in other places of
your body. Your toes should be just slightly pointed inwards, because it will make the next level up of your stance more comfortable: your knees.
One thing you’ll hear alot of the great coaches talk about is stacking your stance. This is because if you keep the idea of stacking in your mind, your body will be strong at the base and balanced. Take your computer and mouse right now: if you put the monitor on top of the mouse, it would be wobbly, weak, and would probably fall over as soon as you let go. But if you stack the mouse on top of the monitor, the wide base and support will let it stand all on it’s own. It’s the same thing with your stance.
So now we’ll stack those knees on the base. By turning your toes slightly inwards and keeping your weight on
the inside of your feet, your knees will naturally bend inwards slightly – and this is the only place you should be bending. Bending at the waist will weaken your rotating power, and throw off the balance of your stack/stance. Your hips should be stacked comfortably on top of the knees, and will naturally sit in the right position if you’ve followed the previous steps properly.
That’s all for this post, but don’t worry, part two is on the way, where we will explore the proper placement of the shoulders, arms, and head; so stay tuned! And in the meantime, let me know if you have any requests, questions, or suggestions to improve the blog!