Stepping It Up

A hitter's step is simply something that a hitter does before her swing. It is something that starts the hitter's momentum, like a running start to a sprint instead of a static start from the blocks. While some hitters prefer a no step swing, it is not recommended for smaller hitters with less strength since they need to have the extra momentum to keep their hands from dropping. Referring back to the "Throwing Bows" post, a hitter's hands will drop if they need to help get her hips around faster to hit the ball hard. A hitter who is bigger and has more upper body strength does not need to use their hips as much to hit the ball hard, and therefore will be less likely to drop their hands. While using your hips is the most efficient way to hit, it is an unfortunate fact that stronger hitters don't use their hips as much because they are successful by simply using their arms. It's not saying that bigger hitters can't benefit from a good step however, details will be described in the following.

A good step can be separated into 2 phases: Striding forward towards the pitcher, and the heel drop. Striding forward is automated, it happens as a reaction to the pitcher releasing the ball. The heel drop is the trigger for the swing, when the front heel drops the back heel comes up which is the start to "elvis" (refer back to the "Squishing Bugs" post) and in turn the start of the swing. Remember, a swing is a flow chart, and it is very important to have a good step in order to stay on the most efficient path. Therefore, a good step should have 3 characteristics: 1) The stride must be closed 2) The front foot should land on the inside of the big toe, with heel up 3) When striding forward the front foot should be lifted a few inches off the ground, avoiding kicking front knee up too high.

Although not completely necessary, it is a good idea for a hitter to start with an open stance. With an open stance, she is able to open her shoulders and turn her head so that both eyes are able to look at the pitcher. Compared to a closed stance, an open stance is far more comfortable, as the hitter does not have to strain her neck and eyes to see the pitcher. Figure 1 shows the start of a good open stance and closed stride towards the plate. Striding closed about 6 inches past the toes of the hitter's back foot towards the plate provides a wall, or base for her back leg to drive against and decelerate rotation. Without this wall, the hitter is more likely to fall off balance over the plate.

Figure 1: Open stance and closed step for left handed hitter. Click to enlarge image.

The second characteristic of a good step is landing on the inside of your big toe creating an approximate 45 degree angle with your foot, also shown in Figure 1. It is also very important the hitter's hands load back while stepping forward as shown in Figures 2 and 3, as well as in the video in Figure 4. We'll call this the stretch. Refer back to the “Making Adjustments” post to learn more about loading hands. By having the upper and lower body going in opposite directions, the hitter is in control and is able to freeze in this position. Conversely, if a hitter did not load her hands, and upper and lower body moved in the same direction at the same time, she would create a net momentum towards the pitcher, making it harder to stop. It is very important to be able to stop/pause during our swings because all pitches are not the same speed, and not all pitches are worth swinging at.

Note: The key to hitting a change-up well is the ability to pause and stay on your front toe so the ball can travel far enough into your stance before swinging. Remember golden rule number 1 states that if the ball is low and outside (where most good change-ups should be), the hitter must hit it farther back in her stance aka stay on her toe for the longest time.

Figure 2: Green and blue dots show initial position front foot and hands. Click to enlarge image.

Figure 3: Hitter steps forward landing on the inside of her big toe, hands load back at the same time. Click to enlarge image

Figure 4: The stretch: Loading hands and closed step forward. Note that the hitter lands on the inside of her big toe.

Lastly, it is important that the hitter's front foot not get too high when striding forward. An over-zealous knee kick results in excess downward force from the weight of the hitter's front foot, making it harder to leave his heel up, and making it very difficult to wait for a change up.