Minor problem with stepping "out"

Bp is not a good barometer of game performance. It will allow you to see what making good contact with your swing will produce.

From what you are describing, the bp scenario is where you excell. Two reasons for this are probably that

1)the bp pitcher is throwing slower and fatter pitches than you will see in a game

2) you are ready to swing on every pitch.

In the game, the decision phase of the swing comes into the picture (swing or no swing). this 'load step' has to be into the swing and into contact.

In my view, you should eliminate the 'load step' in favor of loading in your stance. The additional time that the 'step' takes may be your undoing.

If you 'step' on every pitch, you are apparently stepping for the sake of stepping. Even if the main portion of your weight stays back, you have created an unstable platform from which to launch your swing.

Eliminate the 'load step' and eliminate the problem.

Quincy, this isn't the first time you've advised against the load step, so I'm going to assume you'd rather not see it.

Can you explain why is it an unstable platform automatically if you take a load step?

Also, what if its used as a timing mechanism?

Overall, in my opinion, the load step is one of two things.

1) It is the stretching of the muscles to load the swing.

2) Re-loading the muscles from the original load in the stance.

If the 'load step' is 1, then it is comparable to winding up for the swing while the pitcher is in his delivery. This limits the plate coverage to only the area that the swing is loaded to. Secondly, it minimizes the time a batter has to read the ball out of the pitcher's hand to determine the type of pitch. If the load is 'fastball' then the batter is particularly vulnerable to off speed.

If the 'load step' is 2, then it is a redundancy. The sequence would become load in the stance, stretch and re-load again in the step. This is time consuming when the batter has to see the ball, read the ball, decide to swing and then launch the swing.

Since the 'load step' would also be weight shift, it would minimize the 'power' in the stance after a delay for an off speed pitch. The old expression is that a batter has no legs in the swing.