Wide Stance .vs. Narrow Stance

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff:
there are not very many narrow stance, long stride, hitters in the Major Leagues or Pro ball or college ball.

I'm dead now, but I had a narrow stance.

A narrow stance would make it easier to get away from a bean ball. Wider is a shorter strike zone.... obviously.

Smokescreen, I tell 'ya.......

quote:

Originally posted by BlueDog:
Smokescreen, I tell 'ya.......

I'll agree with BlueDog on this and take it even further. If you stay back and load properly, stance width, toe touch, and even heal plant can (should?) occur independent of the rear hip thrust/drive without losing power or consistency. IMO, this is a comfort and personal style aspect of the swing.

In an instruction environment, you can use a wide or narrow stance to promote a feeling. For example, I worked with a HS player last night who severely bent his lead leg during his swing. It looked like he sank/dropped into his swing. I had him take some swings with his feet together and no stride so he could feel "staying tall."

I originally googled "players with wide stances" and came across this thread. Slightly late but I'd like to add my two cents because I find this interesting enough. From what I know about baseball stance is preference. Every great player finds their "spot" in which their original stance and their stride gel correctly to give them the right balance throughout their swing. However, a wide stance is much more practical in several ways. First, it gives you a much smaller strike zone. It gives you a better ability to take any ball and hit it where you want to. Obviously simple logic is that a larger base is more stable. With a larger base, you will have more control over your body. It may take some time to adjust to, but once you get used to a wider base, you will have all of these advantages. As for the disadvantages of a narrow stance it's pretty simple. A narrow stance means you must get to that wide position when it comes time to start your swing and bring your bat to the ball. This step that gets you to that wide position leaves some room for error. One, you might lower your body when you step, lowering your head, and your eyes, ultimately changing your perception of the baseball. You will miss the ball constantly if you make this mistake. Two, you might begin to step out of the box or towards the pitch. This will reduce your ability to hit the ball, also changing your perception of the ball horizontally, unless you move only your lower half, but this may affect your body swinging towards where you stepped and could also mess you up when you begin to face better competition. One thing I saw mentioned was that a step provides power by allowing your body to get momentum towards the ball. This may be true, but relying on your momentum to come at just the right  moment will cause you to get fooled on many pitches, and unsubstantial contact on most of them. Now I am not talking about a nine inch or so step, I'm comparing a large step with no step at all. A small step is beneficial for weight shift, and you will not get all the disadvantages of a large step, or no weight shift of no forward step at all. A step is needed for contact, it's how long the step is that matters. In conclusion a small step is highly beneficial, and will result in hitting the ball not only for contact, but for some power.