Mastering Lead Shoulder Control for Improved Baseball Hitting

In the realm of baseball hitting, the ability to control the lead shoulder is a fundamental aspect that can significantly impact a hitter’s performance. Lead shoulder control is a critical component within separation, contributing to a linear path through contact and ensuring the hitter maintains optimal control over their swing. This blog delves into the importance of lead shoulder control, its effects on hitting mechanics, and actionable tips to improve this aspect of your swing.

Understanding Lead Shoulder Control

Lead shoulder control refers to the hitter’s ability to manage the movement of the lead shoulder during the swing. Proper control of the lead shoulder allows the hitter to create positive separation between the body and the hands, resulting in long, linear barrel extension through contact. When the lead shoulder is out of control, often described as “flying out” or “pulling...

Baseball Hitting Cheats: Strategies to Anticipate and Exploit Pitches

In baseball, the difference between a good hitter and a great hitter often lies in their ability to anticipate pitches and position themselves to exploit them. This blog will explore some of the cheats our hitters use—not to break the rules, but to gain an edge by anticipating pitches and making slight adjustments in the batter's box. These strategic moves can turn the tide of an at-bat and lead to more consistent success at the plate.

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CHEAT #1: Anticipating the Fastball in a 3-0 Count

One of the most predictable situations in baseball is a 3-0 count. When a pitcher falls behind with three balls and no strikes, everyone in the stadium knows the next pitch is likely to be a fastball. This is because pitchers trust their fastball more than any other pitch to get a critical strike. This predictability gives our hitters an opportunity to capitalize.

The Strategy

In a 3-0...

Dreaming About Being The Best? Here's How You Set Goals To Get There.

Dreaming about being the best is easy–but setting goals to get there? That’s hard. Taking the necessary steps to accomplish those goals is even harder. But it doesn’t have to be.

We’re all guilty of it—especially baseball players—finding ourselves dreaming of the day we drive in the winning run, get the ring, and get awarded the MVP trophy. I bet you have even imagined (or maybe actually practiced) your post-game on-field media interview.  We get this far-off gaze in our eyes and dream of accomplishing these Big Hairy Audacious Goals (or BHAGS) that leadership guru Jim Collins taught, almost as if they are already a reality. 

That far-out gaze you get and that sense of hope for the future aren’t goals. They’re dreams. I know that truth probably stings a little. But if you are confusing dreams with goals, you lie to yourself, and you will no doubt...

Choking Up On The Bat Doesn’t Make You A Better Hitter. Here’s Why.

Spend a few minutes watching a little league baseball game, and you will undoubtedly hear the coaches instructing some of the smaller players to choke up on the bat. There is this intuitive idea that when the bat is just a bit too long for the size of the young player, choking up reduces the length of the bat, thereby reducing the amount of time and effort it takes to rotate the bat over the plate. 

That same conventional wisdom has extended through the more advanced ranks of the baseball world. Coach tells you to "Choke up when you get two strikes." This is about changing your grip by moving your hands up the bat's handle toward the barrel. To be clear, I am not talking about choking up and staying there throughout your at-bat—Barry Bonds was famous for doing this—or when we face ultra-hard throwers or a game on the line. On these occasions, some hitters will choke just...