When does the batter start moving.

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Apr 20, 2018
4,581
113
SoCal
So, when does the batter start her negative move, load, coil and stride. I have heard dance with the pitcher. I like that. I like slow to explode. All hitters are different, but does anybody teach a cue to start your hitter moving? Since the best mechanics in the world are useless without timing the swing to the pitch shouldn't the hitters have a general cue on when to start dancing? I know pitchers have different deliveries, but is there a basic cue (pitchers position- like when her hand come towards home, the hitter starts to coil) that would help hitters struggling with timing live pitching? Thanks
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
The general rule of thumb I use is "ball in the air, foot in the air". In other words, on the pitcher's release, the stride should be going forward. All pre-stride movements need to be complete before that moment. Watching the pitcher from the dugout, followed by timed practice swings on deck, will help a batter get a feel for when their process should start.

That said, if the pitching is significantly slow, the timing of the process might need to be adjusted. This is why players need to spend time studying the pitcher BEFORE they step out onto the field.

In related news...One of the most common issues I see with players moving from rec ball to travel ball is timing their swing against faster pitching. With slow, rec league pitching, players will often have enough time to read the pitch and complete their entire swing process after the ball has left the pitcher's hand. As the pitching speed increases, there comes a point where there simply isn't enough time to start the swing process after pitch release. Learning to get started on every pitch, before knowing the location, is a critical adjustment.
 
Last edited:
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
It depends entirely on the pitcher. And the hitter.

There is really no right answer here.

The faster the pitcher, the earlier you have to start. But it's still not the same for every batter. The best hitters can wait juuuust a fraction of a second longer because they're quicker both mentally and physically.

Agree with everybody here who says a batter needs to start to get her timing down before stepping up to the plate.

If we have an especially slow or fast pitcher, I will remind my girls about starting earlier or waiting a bit longer, but generally the timing part has to be up to them.
 
Jan 6, 2009
6,587
113
Chehalis, Wa
giphy.gif
giphy.gif
 
Jan 6, 2009
6,587
113
Chehalis, Wa
giphy.gif

giphy.gif


These are no stride swings, although the same things happen regardless if the front foot moves. These are two examples of when the weight gets back. One starts early and one is quicker,
 

rdbass

It wasn't me.
Jun 5, 2010
9,131
83
Not here.
No offense but, useless(above examples) unless the pitcher is included in the gif/video/demo.
Kind of like this:
Miggy_pat_seq.gif


And this:
Braun_pat_seq.gif

Again JMHO...
 
Jan 6, 2009
6,587
113
Chehalis, Wa
I can mark when the pitcher releases. Definitely not useless. From the pitchers view you don't get how much the hitter gathers for example, however the pitcher view is helpful.
 
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