Starting high or low does it matter?

[Mr T]

Clearly there are great hitters who start low. Say, I don't know, Ricky Henderson, and I would guess Pujols doesn't have a lot of drop. Whereas a guy like Donaldson is pretty upright then sinks or sits into that rear hip.

Not so much asking about great hitters, but rather when trying to help novice hitters with lower body action do you find one is more or less likely to be productive as a style? May relate to stride length, but there is a super strong girl on our 14u team that has tons of pop if she would only use her lower body. She is both pretty wide in stance but also little to no bend in the knees, so I am wondering if a wide, upright, sit style is possible.

Also do they both have their benefits while experimenting to get a feel or learn good action?

 

[mann]

i wonder the same thing. My dd was scrunchy,and went to some clinics who had her wide like puhols. but now i like tall, sink into, and bounce, or spring the energy forward.
Which pops the hips to ball.

 

[straightleg]

I start the girls tall. Bend at waist barley soften knees, until the weight goes out to the pads of the feet. They are then set up tall with a little tilt from the waist.
They then can get the high ball and just be athletic to get the low ball.

The one boy I have he starts straight up and down and sinks tilts into his swing.
The boy makes a more athletic move, but that style works for him


It works for the students I have.


Straightleg

 

[Ken Krause]

I also like them to start pretty high and then go low if needed. Think about trying to walk or run. It is more difficult to move quickly if you are squatting even a little. On side shuffles, which is probably more applicable to hitting because you're moving laterally, you also don't want to get too low because it restricts movement.

There are always exceptions, but as Straightleg said that's what works for the students I have.

 

[ian]

I think it depends on the individual. Some like the ball up, so they might have a squat stance like Bagwell. Some like the ball down in the zone so they stand upright like Griffey Jr. Can you Imagine If the hitting coaches told Rickey to stand like Griffey and Posey to stand like Julio Franco? Body type and athleticism also should be factored in. Start with what the good lord blessed them with and go from there. Tall hitters might want to shrink up the strike zone by getting lower. Some people are so gifted it doesnt matter what their stance is they just hit.

Sounds like your hitter needs to work on the lower half. Drills using a tall narrow stance with a decent stride or walking up to the tee and swinging might help her to 'feel' it. Other people will learn better by seeing proper lower half work and comparing it to their lower using video.

All that being said the best starting point for stance is the classic 'athletic position'. Feet slightly wider than the shoulders, little bend in the knees, weight on the balls of your feet ect.

 

[Mr T]

I think it depends on the individual. Some like the ball up, so they might have a squat stance like Bagwell. Some like the ball down in the zone so they stand upright like Griffey Jr. Can you Imagine If the hitting coaches told Rickey to stand like Griffey and Posey to stand like Julio Franco? Body type and athleticism also should be factored in. Start with what the good lord blessed them with and go from there. Tall hitters might want to shrink up the strike zone by getting lower. Some people are so gifted it doesnt matter what their stance is they just hit.

Sounds like your hitter needs to work on the lower half. Drills using a tall narrow stance with a decent stride or walking up to the tee and swinging might help her to 'feel' it. Other people will learn better by seeing proper lower half work and comparing it to their lower using video.

All that being said the best starting point for stance is the classic 'athletic position'. Feet slightly wider than the shoulders, little bend in the knees, weight on the balls of your feet ect.

Thanks for your thoughts on this all. Yeah ian, unfortunately I don't have to imagine too hard to wonder about good hitters being reduced to robotic hitters, I see it all the time in the softball world.