Sherman Schuett Instructs Colorado Aliens’ Baseball Club On His Top Ten Tips Of Hitting For Power

Jan. 12, 2011 - PRLog -- 1. Study what the pitcher is throwing for STRIKES, BEFORE coming to the plate.  If the pitcher is consistently missing with his curveball  then look for a fastball; a good pitcher  will want to get out in front of you on the count.  Good hitters can hit well over .300 if the first pitch is a ball while dropping down to .180 if the first pitch is a strike.  

2. Anticipation of the pitch. OK to guess on a pitch if not your 3rd strike.

3. Recognize the pitch. Watch the pitcher’s hand, try to recognize whether a fastball or off speed pitch.

4. Start the swing Step #1. How does a hitter get started with his swing?  By setting either his lower or upper body first.  For the lower body, the hitter can “toe tap” or “buckle” his knee inwards as the pitcher is completing his pitching motion but before release of the pitch.  For the upper body, the hitter can use a “hitch” (cock the body) to gain momentum - as the pitcher is completing his pitching motion but before release of the pitch.

5. Start the swing Step #2.  The first movement for a hitter is to uncoil the hips as the pitch moves toward homes plate. The upper part of a hitter’s body is NOT moving forward at this time!!  The hitter powerfully and quickly drives his rear hip forward by having his rear leg pivoted on the ball of the foot, turning the knee and the hip toward the pitcher, while keeping the front leg rigid. This provides a base for the powerful motion to follow.

6. Start the swing Step #3. The hitter uncoils his legs so that they end up in an inverted “L” position; again, this provides the base for the power that is generated.

7. Start the swing Step #4. The top portion of the hitter’s body must remain static or ideally reversing BACKWARDS slightly as the lower portion of the body moves into the classic inverted “L” position.  As the “L” position is completed, the top half of the body starts forward – UNCOILING, the front shoulder begins to rotate around the “L” position.

8. Start the swing Step #5. The hitter’s rear hand must “punch” forward in a straight line toward the pitcher, at the same time the front shoulder is starting to rotate, similar to a boxer taking a swing. This allows the bat to “slide” forward down the plane, the knob of the bat moving in the direction of the pitcher. The rear hand and arm must remain VERY close to the hitter’s body and MUST not swing out, as this action will prevent a quick and powerful swing from occurring!

9. Start the swing Step #6. The hitter should strive to hit the ball well out in front of the plate, with the arms driving straight to the pitch and not rounded outside of the plate.  This action provides for a powerful action because the bat has moved to the ball in the quickest possible time providing additional power.

10. Completing the swing.  The hitter must drive THROUGH the pitch by rotating the hands closely to the body as the swing is completed.  Stopping the swing at contact will only provide a hitter with singles. Doubles, triples and home runs can more easily be accomplished by keeping the hands in close to the body throughout the complete swing.

Sherman Schuett trained 11 Colorado Aliens in his 10 Hitting Tips on December 11, 2010 at Hinkley High School in Aurora Colorado.  In conjunction with the 60 minute lecture, Sherman also conducted “hands-on” training for those players in attendance.  Many positive comments were passed along to Sherman on these tips

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Sherman Schuett is a devoted Father, a Faithful Christian, and a Baseball trainer and Conditioning coach. He is a Black Belt in Martial Arts, a trained US Marine, and works for a Veteran Owned Small Business in defense of Liberty, and Freedom from terrorism.