Free Work-Smart Hitting Manual

The drills install and groom Hornsby's #1 tip; 'aim with the knob of the bat. My good friend George Sisler says it another way, he says try to align the ball, your forearm, and the bat. It's not quite possible but, try'... that's 5 .400 seasons speaking very carefully! It's about how the bat starts, at the instant of visual pick-up of a pitch. It influences the launch of the swing, without being the whole swing. Remember, it's a start and not the whole swing. The drills show you how.

It might mean a thorough revamp of your swing. Foot and hand action, weight-shift, knob-to-ball, wrist action. Each drill adds something you need. Each one adds to what came before. They add-up to a swing. With drill 8, you have a whole working game swing. Use that swing along with the tips and edges written here, and it's a batting method... a swing that works.

The practice pitcher must throw per needs of each drill. Must understand the drills. Should start each drill at a speed the batter can easily handle. Should increase speed along with batter's growing ability to handle it.

Drill 1

Object: a smooth well timed stride with the pitcher. Your strides land together.

Pitcher: Wiffleballs thrown from the stretch. Underhand is okay. Stride-release cadence regular. All high strikes, flat trajectory. Easy speed at first, step it up as the batter learns.

Batter: Learn exhaling/rhythm, smooth start, release point pickup,
Stride only. Exhale the rhythm.
Be aware of and control your body and stride.
No motion but forward. Omit waste motion carryover from your old swing.
No bat. Hands on hips.
Stride lightly with the pitcher.
No turn of body.
No rock onto back leg, to start.
Forward motion only.
The 3-5" stride is just a soft, controlled, light forward "fall" onto the toe.
With hands on hips, it's easy to be aware of waste motion urges, and omit any body-turn.
Sneaky-softly, like a cat.
If you mistime one, just Take it. Back off and get set for the next pitch. Like in a game.
Stance foot-spread is so close and stride so short that stride is a lift-land seamless, controlled, soft, sneaky forward "fall".
Move smoothly for steady clear vision.
Lots of reps until it's smooth and sure.
Learn to match your stride with the pitcher's.
Like a stalking cat.

Drill 2

Object: seamless stride-weight-shift.

Pitcher: wiffleballs, as in drill 1.

Batter: Learn to blend the stride into weight shift.
Drill 1 applies.
Soften-up the knees.
Breathe the Beat.
Stride-shift. Blend stride into weight shift.
Forward weight shift added by action as back leg feeds torso over the front foot.
Front side reaches vertical as pitch arrives. Cat-like.
No bat, hands on hips.
Stride-Shift only.
Stride with pitcher, hands on hips, eliminate body turn as stride lands.
No turn, no rock-back.
Blown timing on a pitch? Stop Now, get set for the next pitch. As in a game.
Knees soft and loose, not stiff.

Drill 3

Recall the strike zone coverage demo on page 16 in the article on swing tension. Now we get deep into that.

Object: seamless stride-shift-lead in and out. Auto-tracking to high-inside and outside.

Pitcher: wiffleballs, all high strikes, inside and out. Instant visual pickup at release.

Batter: No bat. Just the arms and interlocked hands.
Learn knob-to-ball move. High strikes: be selective, Take any others.
Elbow to pitch. Follow elbow: soft front knee makes-way in/out.
Hands follow front elbow; ("rock-a-bye baby" motion).
Forearms align, hands pass center, reach armpit with forearms still nearly aligned.
Shift all the way over the front foot with hands still in and without or turning torso.
Keep arms and hands in and head down.
Coinciding are; full shift, front elbow, pitch.
No bat.
Fingers interlocked at rear shoulder, front forearm above high strike.
Front forearm level and parallel with chest, then other forearm glides into line.
Stride with pitcher. Foot lands and shift, hands, elbow move to pitch.
Move to high strikes only.
Stride-Shift-Lead, front elbow to ball.
Soft front knee gives to allow elbow action, adjusts stance in or out to pitch location.
No rock-back, no turn.
One smooth move ends with full elbow lead, full forward shift, arriving pitch. Hands at breastbone.
Stride-Shift to forward limit.
Soft front knee gives to let front elbow & hands move in/out.

Drill 4

Object: knob-to, inside and out. Closed bat.

Bat choke-gripped at midpoint. Closed bat. Knob-to-ball to high strikes. Adapt whole body (auto-pilot) to knob-to move to high strikes across the zone. Previous drills apply.

Pitcher: high strikes, consistent rhythm.

Batter: Previous drills apply.
Extreme choke, grip loose : batter sees plus feels how he controls bat-opening.
Hands start forward, closed bat trailing behind [lengthwise] as hands pass chest.
See the bat, feel the wrists, relate sight and feel.
[It's a spear, not a paddle. Be your own coach].
High strikes only now. [Take everything else, Coach!]
If you blow one, forget it and start over. Breathe the rhythm.
See how the bat levels-off and glides parallel with/past chest.
Bat angle declines from [stance] 45degrees, as knob approaches location, barrel trailing behind hands and knob.
Bat stays closed long as possible, [barrel moves a bit outward late].
Forward motion only.
At full shift as pitch reaches knob; no hurry, hitch or lag.
A disciplined move is the goal. Knob & ball may
tap now, a good sign and fun; but not the goal so, no jabbing or fudging to tap a ball, Coach!
Fight-off intrusive old static. Erase old urges from memory.
Back-off if you blow one, and start over with the next pitch. We all do it at first. No motion but forward.
Fight conditioned urges and reflexes. Pick up a bat and it captures your mind, makes decisions if you let it.
Eliminate waste motion or explosion.

Drill 5

Object: knob-to, to every corner, in/out/ and high/low. Opening bat.

Pitcher: wiffleballs to all points.

Batter: This is the Key drill.
8" choke grip. Open bat, square it, make contact, pop it straight back, follow-thru at pitcher.
Fat ones go straight back; the others spray.
Bat opens. Front knee soft, back side complies.
Start knob to any point, open bat into ball.
Previous moves apply. Forward only, No rock, turn, twist, cocking, etc.
Stride-Shift-Knob-to-ball; hands-in until bat must open on pitch. Knob controls, shoulder follows.
Soft front knee; loose, soft knees/legs.
Knob and knee action instantly at visual pickup.
Knob to low pitch, front knee dips and lowers torso. Backside complies.
Knob to inside opens shoulder, knee helps. Knob to outside closes shoulder, soft knee permits.
Knob to high border up the middle; steady knee. Knob low; front knee gives.
Bad pitches. It's good game-conditions practice.
Stop and get set for the next.
Note how location feels as the body adapts; it's feeling location with your body.
With knob consistently within 2 feet of strikes, you could reach them with a full grip and are ready for the next drill.
Be patient and selective.

Drill 6

Object: choke-up and nail every strike on the sweetspot. Resist turning. Hit fat ones straight back. Others, up the middle.

Pitcher: Wiffleballs to all points.

Batter: 4" choke grip, locate the sweetspot and slap hit.
Other details like Drills 1 to 5.
Exhale as always; the Beat.
Slap hit, try to follow-through at pitcher, not around.
Work as before, time the one smooth move to meet every pitch on-time without lurch or lag correction.

If you mis-time one, instantly pass. That's life, you're in control, Taking is part hitting so get used to it. Pass when you've blown timing, control, on bad pitches or moves. Hitting is about timing, control, being ready.

Practice perfects the rhythm and timing. Trashing bad starts is good practice.

Shorter choke grip gives you the feel of the bat now, the feel of it incites wild old urges. The bat tries to take control and make you extend, open, explode, or turn your body too soon. Discipline yourself to get the straight pitch-ward move. You and the knob are in control now, not the bat. Hands and knob lead, bat trails. The bat and body turn at the very end; so, not yet.

As you lead forward fully with the knob and coordinate full lead, full shift, and the ball the bat cracks open naturally as hands travel forward. Test that in dry runs now.

Drill 7

Object: full grip, and 10 for 10 hard square contact on the sweetspot. Slap hitting.

Pitcher: Wiffleballs to all points in zone.

Batter: Full grip. Slap it and follow through around. Exhale the beat. As in Drill 6 but with full grip and follow through. In a smooth move, Stride-Shift-Aim-Soft Knee; as hands and pitch converge shove bat through to tag it.

Full shift + extension + body = Open-Bat-On-Pitch!

Here's how it works:

as knob moves forward, bat cracks-open, as you "reach to tag it" arms extend, body follows as bat opens fully. Ball knows what to do. Try a few easy, careful dry runs.

Start easy, accelerate gradually, peak speed into contact. Resist, delay turning.

Hit fat ones straight back, let the others spray, the ball knows where to go. Run that bat as far up the alley as it'll go before turning into follow through. Try for 10/10 square contact to all corners. You can do it now.

Drill 8

Object: plug-in wristcrank. Graduation Day!

Pitcher: wiffleballs to all points in the zone.

Batter: Learn the wristcrank; you know the rest.

Full shift + extension + wristcrank + body = Open-Bat-On-Pitch!

Same details as Drills 1 thru 7. If you mastered Drill 7, you can trust wristcrank to sting the ball quick as a flash. Breathing/rhythm and work-smart technique blend you and a pitch into One. Hitting won't be so tough any more.