Where Should the Top Hand be at Contact?
If you study the great hitters of the past, you will notice certain things that they have in common. One thing you'll notice is where the top hand is at contact.
When working with young hitters for the first time, the one thing that they have in common is "rolling" the top hand at contact. Why is that a bad thing? Because when the top hand rolls early, the barrel not only gets out in front of the hands too soon, it also "rises" as the hitter is making contact. This will always result in a weak ground ball with the big hops that |
infielders love.
A line drive should be the goal for all young hitters. Professional hitters work hard to consistently hit line drives. Consistent line drives will certainly boost your batting average. One of the keys to hitting line drives is to make sure the top hand is underneath (palm up) at contact. In other words, when you get to contact, if you open your top hand the palm should be facing the sky. This is a major key to having good bat control.
When the top hand stays underneath at contact, the barrel stays on a "flatter" plane to the ball. But when the top hand starts to "roll" over, the barrel rises from the "flat" plane causing you to hit the top of the ball.
A great drill for helping a hitter get a feel for the top hand underneath at contact is the Contact Point drill. You can do this drill with or without a tee. I prefer a tee when doing the drill. Place a ball on a tee and have the hitter slowly go to the contact position and stop. Check the position of the top hand, if it is wrong, correct it. Have him or her repeat the drill until it feels right. Next, when the batter is comfortable, have him or her take some swings from the tee until it feels right and are hitting consistent line drives. Now they should be ready for live swings. Do this drill before taking batting practice.
A line drive should be the goal for all young hitters. Professional hitters work hard to consistently hit line drives. Consistent line drives will certainly boost your batting average. One of the keys to hitting line drives is to make sure the top hand is underneath (palm up) at contact. In other words, when you get to contact, if you open your top hand the palm should be facing the sky. This is a major key to having good bat control.
When the top hand stays underneath at contact, the barrel stays on a "flatter" plane to the ball. But when the top hand starts to "roll" over, the barrel rises from the "flat" plane causing you to hit the top of the ball.
A great drill for helping a hitter get a feel for the top hand underneath at contact is the Contact Point drill. You can do this drill with or without a tee. I prefer a tee when doing the drill. Place a ball on a tee and have the hitter slowly go to the contact position and stop. Check the position of the top hand, if it is wrong, correct it. Have him or her repeat the drill until it feels right. Next, when the batter is comfortable, have him or her take some swings from the tee until it feels right and are hitting consistent line drives. Now they should be ready for live swings. Do this drill before taking batting practice.
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