Hitting the Inside Pitch

BP with inside pitches is the most important, unless you have trouble w/ mechanics. Rotate the hips in order to hit the ball solidly, otherwise pitchers will jam you all day.

Use a Tee to work the right mechanics first.

The key is to keep the arms bent and compact, especially the lead arm and make contact further out in front of the plate that you normally would.

Then maybe use a batting cage/pitching machine set up for very very inside pitches. If you can start hitting pitches aimed at your stomach you are OK.

Best advice..talk to your coach. Ask him what's wrong because he's the only one out of anybody who sees you swing everyday.

Z-dad

quote:

The key is to keep the arms bent and compact, especially the lead arm

Im sure you mean well, but this is not good advice.......Chameleon, be nice

So I suppose Ortiz is doing it all wrong then?

Looks like pretty sound advice to me.

Looks to me like Ortiz let himself get jammed. Happens to everyone from time to time.

The key to hitting the inside pitch is to initiate the swing earlier, making contact when the ball is ~18" in front of the plate. Then no mechanical adjustments are required.

if i was u i would hit about 50 to 100 balls off the tee with it set up for an inside pitch

quote:

Originally posted by Texan:
Looks to me like Ortiz let himself get jammed. Happens to everyone from time to time.

The key to hitting the inside pitch is to initiate the swing earlier, making contact when the ball is ~18" in front of the plate. Then no mechanical adjustments are required.

He hit that for a homerun, if he was jammed I'd like to jammed like that all the time. No, he swung like that on purpose.

While it is possible to hit inside pitches by swinging earlier you will either hit it foul or you will need to setup further from the plate to make it work like Ryan Howard used to do in the minors.

Ryan Howard made it into the big leagues by mechanically adjusting his swing for inside pitches as I described. This allowed him to crowd the plate and get better plate coverage.

Other than extending or contracting the arms more for outside and inside pitches I would agree that no other mechanical adjustments are needed.

Im sure that isnt ortizs best swing nobody wants to have alligator arms when hitting and inside pitch,,the guys such a brut he could probably muscle that ball out if he gets it sweet,,but lets face it thats not a picture perfect cut for ANY pitch

If anyone doesn't understand the meaning of staying inside the ball... Watch the video above!

Some of the best hitting coaches I've known teach exactly what Ortiz is doing. Clear the front elbow on the inside pitch! Get hands in, it keeps top hand palm up and you can square up on the inside.

It also helps to be as strong as a horse when you are getting jammed!

quote:

Originally posted by Z-Dad:
While it is possible to hit inside pitches by swinging earlier you will either hit it foul or you will need to setup further from the plate to make it work ...

Incorrect. Make contact with the inside pitch 18" in front of the plate and you will hit it to left, not foul.

No early extension is required (or would even be conceivably desirable). The hitter will still be "staying inside the ball" for those who use that verbal cue.

quote:

Originally posted by Texan:

quote:

Originally posted by Z-Dad:
While it is possible to hit inside pitches by swinging earlier you will either hit it foul or you will need to setup further from the plate to make it work ...

Incorrect. Make contact with the inside pitch 18" in front of the plate and you will hit it to left, not foul.

No early extension is required (or would even be conceivably desirable). The hitter will still be "staying inside the ball" for those who use that verbal cue.

Again, that will only work consistently if you maintain a larger distance from the plate. A batter who chooses to crowd the plate must make the adjustments that Ortiz does.

...if you maintain a normal distance from the plate.

Take a tee out to the field & try it. That will settle the question very quickly.

quote:

Originally posted by Z-Dad:
He hit that for a homerun, if he was jammed I'd like to jammed like that all the time. No, he swung like that on purpose.

Z-Dad,

Actually that swing(s) resulted in a double off the right field wall. How do I know this? Well, because I made both clips. They are replays of the same swing from the ALCS back in 2002 against the Angels. If you look at the properties of both clips you'll see that they say "Double". I typically include the result of the swing in the name of the clips I make.

Just thought I'd let you know.

Jason

Hey hey FlippJ, a big thanks for making the clips and the explanation. Sorry, I saw someone who posted it claim it was a HR and assumed it was true. Awesome that it is a front and side view of the EXACT same swing, you rarely get that in a vid.

Still, a very nice hit.

quote:

Originally posted by Z-Dad:
Hey hey FlippJ, a big thanks for making the clips and the explanation.

A nice hit indeed! You're welcome.

Jason

I really think you have to keep it simple, hand inside, swing the hips, think, think think in what .2-.3 seconds. I don't know, the simple approach to me is fence drill,fence drill, fence drill and always think hitting the ball up the middle, the rest takes care of itself.

Maybe I should expand on that, for our young contributor, The fence drill keeps your swing short and compact,(Go to a fence or any vertical plane, get as close too it as you can, usually the length of your bat from your belly to the fence, take your normal load and swing without the bat hitting the fence.This may take some time so use a cheap or used bat)You will automatically adjust to the outside or inside pitch by always thinking hitting the ball up the middle. That is a great video of Ortiz, but if you really look at it, the hands come in, the barrel is at an angle and plane to hit the ball up the middle, it is inside and he pulls it some, that reaction is a direct result of the hitting to the middle approach. He does not adjust his swing, the placement of the pitch determines when he hits it. The plate is only 17" wide. Meatball down the middle great but why do we all have to think the this major adjustment has to be made for the 8 inches on either side of that. Middle, middle, middle. You know you can think yourself into a terrible slump. Do your drills, pay attention to the game, work as hard as you can but the bottom line is be an athlete!!! Don't think so much!!

Middle. middle, middle lol

NEVER do the fence drill.

Can you expand on that comment?

The fence drill teaches pushing the arms and hands.......Not what MLB hitters do.....

N E V E R do the fence drill.

Is this what you want your swing to look like??....I hope not!!


http://photos.imageevent.com/siggy/forums/enforcer-disconnect.gif

Here is what the fence drill teaches.....

http://imageevent.com/siggy/hitting/analysis;jsessionid...&c=4&l=0&w=4&s=0&z=9

http://imageevent.com/siggy/hitting/analysis?p=17&n=1&m=20&c=4&l=0&w=4&s=0&z=9

Thanks, Blue Dog, very constructive and informative. The videos are great but seem to exagarate the drill,the last one is the best, the disengaement of the elbow can be a real problem, but the coach seems to be extremely close to the fence,it would appear that the only way this drill would work for him is if he was using a 20 inch bat. He is 2-3" from the plate and the fence is on the outside corner. Seems to me to be an improper approach to the drill. I am not saying that this drill is the be all end end all of hitting, but those examples seem to be an improper approach to the drill itself. It would seem to me if done properly it would help to teach keeping your hands inside the ball. I am not looking for an argument here, just a constructive dialogue, I really appreciate the effort.

How far must one stand from the fence, to do the drill properly?

Who tells you that?

Well at the very least the length of the bat. Chameleon, I am not trying to induce an attitude here,or a confrontational thread. Just trying to learn and bounce some things around. At the very least,at the end of this we can always agree to disagree. I want to learn from you guys, but you have to give me more than just don't do it. BlueDog gave me his opinion and the basis for that opinion and I respect him for that, I also see his point, but to respond with just "don't do it" with no explaination is not fair to my time and the others on this site who really want to exchange opinions, Hell, if I was right all the time I would not be here. I would be on working on my second billion dollar deal somewhere.

What good is the fence if you have to stand a certain distance from it?

By the way I still have not figured out my 1st billion dollar deal. Just so you know where I am coming from LOL

As I said before I think it helps you keep you hands inside the ball. Not think so much and drive the ball up the middle.

Or pull or shoot the ball based on the pitch

Ortiz is keeping his back elbow close to his body and does not get to extension in front to hit the inside pitch.

Keys: Keep elbows tight, turn and burn, don't be concerned with extension.

What do you mean by "Front elbow Disconnection"?

Thanks

Front elbow is disconnecting from the body. Flying away. This gets the barrel out front and keeps it tight.

Papa's correct

How ya' doing baseballpapa?? I know this is a hitting thread but heard that RHP FSU reliever named Casey Whitmer was lighting up those stalkers' the other night. He pitched a couple of innings against those Blue Devils didn't he? Tell see-dub/CW Shep says "great job" and keep up that superior freshman work for those 'Noles See ya' soon brother! Hope you received the mail I sent ya'.
peace shep

Shep

You did it again !!!!


piece

The hitting gurus forgot to tell you how the Japanese players who won the World Championship hits the inside pitch --- they step out and run while they hit it.

Anyone else see it differently?