Baseball coaches and hitting instructors from the youth to the professional level testify that Olympic ‘quick twitch’ muscle training dramatically improves any player’s visual acuity to become a consistent power hitter on their baseball or softball team. “Olympic ‘quick twitch’ muscle training conditions any baseball or softball player to have a longer reaction time to hit nearly any pitch thrown to them, regardless of their hitting ability. Unfortunately, traditional batting instruction fails to address how to strengthen and develop the ‘quick twitch’ muscle movement in players,” says Joe Magno, a leading expert on batting instruction. “Most batting drills leave this component out, preventing players to fully reach their true hitting potential.”

Testimonials from baseball and softball coaches alike have shown that this type of training has caused their players to hit outfield line drives much more frequently during games, besides drastically reducing their strike outs, pop-ups and grounding out. Olympic ‘quick twitch’ training has been used for years to develop the muscle quickness and speed in many Olympic athletes. Even boxers use this type of training to effectively prepare for a fight. Only recently has this type of training been used by baseball and softball coaches and parents to dramatically improve the visual acuity in their players and kids to be consistent power hitters.

Coach Magno has helped countless players from youth league to the professional level more than double their batting average as a result of using this training. “Having sharp visual acuity to see any pitch with longer reaction time is what will turn any mediocre batter into a power hitter that gets a base hit nearly every time up at bat. I’ve helped numerous players who struggled with too many strike outs, low batting averages, and slumps change into consistent power hitters within days. This type of training is absolutely changing the way proper batting instruction is taught.” To find out all about this proven strategy please go to http://www.powerbatting.com

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Related speed and power baseball training posts:

1. Improving Your Baseball Hitting with Proper Baseball Training
2. Baseball Hitting Drills for More Power at the Plate

If you are a dedicated baseball player like I am with the thirst for power hitting, you know how important a good set of power hitting drills are. The sweet feeling of entering the ball park having your teammates proud and thankful to be on your team, to step up to the plate and have the other team’s coach tell the fielders to move way back…it feels great.

However, before I found the right set of power hitting drills to incorporate into my baseball training, I didn’t exist in the world of batting, let alone power hitting – I sucked!

It didn’t matter what power hitting drills I did..or ate. My family couldn’t afford a weight system, batting gloves don’t help – just a waste of money, batting tees kinda helped my level swing – useless against non-stationary baseballs, I even tried eating a plate of spaghetti before every game – a mom tip. I would either end up flailing around at the plate like I had spaghetti arms (no pun intended), or I would get a stomach ache.

I was sick of everybody’s advice and almost quit – there was a nice summer reading program at the library I could volunteer at for my community service hours for school.

Believe it or not, it was physics class that gave me a new practice drill – we had a question involving baseball distance and batting speed. Obviously, went home and looked for ways to improve my bat speed. WARNING: CLICHE MOMENT. It seemed too good to be true -PowerHittingDrills.com – a site devoted to baseball power hitting drills by university coaches and scientists (don’t let this discourage you, it’s about baseball, so it’s written for baseball players).

Given that it’s tested material, and the fact I was fed up with dumb redneck batting tips and willing to try anything, Given that these baseball power hitting drills are tested power hitting drills, and the fact I was fed up with dumb redneck batting tips and willing to try anything, I went for it. Going back to the beginning of this little blurb, this was the best investment ever – better than my ps3.

By just adjusting my grip I lost spaghetti arm and could make solid contact with the ball, so I was excited about learning the real power hitting drills.

Within weeks (or within a few season games for another perspective) I had added several power hitting drills and tips to my arsenal, power hitting baseballs to the fence for triples, and even ground rule doubles. Finally, within a month….same ol’ season games – I hit my first home run – 290ft. Within another week or so, I became a power hitting machine. It’s quite amazing how many friends remember you when you start winning games for their team.

You can read more about my story at PowerHittingDrills.com

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The Major League baseball swing is a thing of beauty. The dream of millions of little league baseball players is to become a major league baseball player. Hitting a major league home run is a fantasy baseball dream of every youth baseball player. How do the major league baseball players hit with such power? What makes their swing so powerful, productive, and perfect?

The smoothness, compactness, and timing of the professional baseball swing make it one of the most graceful things to watch in all of sports. Professional players practice and practice the fundamentals of the perfect baseball swing. If you watch it in slow motion, you will see that there are 3 common elements of the swing that that most major league baseball players have in common. Baseball batting practice repetition makes the Major League Baseball Swing consistent with the same 3 basic elements exhibited with every swing of the bat.

Great hitters always have the following swing qualities:

1. Solid and Stiff Front Leg

2. Rotational Swing allowing them to Stay Over Stack

3. Maximum Extension of the Hands and Barrel

Here I will discuss each of these 3 elements of the Major League baseball swing:

1. STIFF FRONT LEG
The power hitters in major league baseball use a stiff front leg to give them leverage for their power. When you study their swing, the front leg is firm and at an angle that allows them to stop all body movement forward. The front foot is the anchor that prevents lunging and hip travel forward. Maximum power is generated when the arms are extended and the hips rotate. If the front leg bends power is lost.

Coaching Point: A stiff and firm front leg requires the hitter to have the timing and patience to allow the baseball to get inside the front foot before attacking the baseball. Maximum power is generated when the lower body, hips, and torso spin to generate bat speed. The tendency to lunge at the ball must be avoided.

2. STAYING BALANCED AND OVER STACK
This is a term that refers to the spinning motion of a batters body and the process of keeping the head and torso perfect aligned over the back leg during the swing. The head does not move, travel or lunge forward during the swing. The perfect swing is a rotational motion with the body staying back and spinning over the back hip.

Coaching Point: Head travel is a no-no. If the head is moving forward then the batter has too much forward movement. The body must stop all forward movement and spin like a top. This rotational hitting motion generates maximum bat speed and power. A great tool for teaching and training young and advanced hitters this skill is the STAY BACK TEE and HandsBackHitter Trainer by Swing Buster. This innovative tool is a great baseball training aid that forces the batter to keep the correct front leg position during the swing. The STAY BACK BATTING TEE will teach the batter to have a stiff front leg and to stay over stack through the swing.

3. GETTING MAXIMUM EXTENSION THROUGH THE BALL
What this means is that when the bat makes contact with the ball, the hitters drive the hands and barrel of the bat through forward as long as they can to prolong the bat to ball contact. They power-drive the moving the hands forward on a level plane as long as possible. This down and through motion of the hands is like the landing of an airplane. The bat travels quickly and compactly to the ball on what is commonly called an A to C swing. But, once contact is made with the ball great hitters have the ability to drive the hands and barrel forward on a level plane to generate and maintain bat barrel to ball contact. The longer the barrel stays in contact with the ball, the more force will be exerted on the ball.

Visit the Baseball Coaching Digest Blog for daily post and articles on every aspect of coaching baseball. The Baseball Coaching Digest Blog. Check out the Bat Action Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.

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If you’re a hitter – baseball, slow pitch, or fastpitch softball, you’ll definitely find this to your liking!

I’m a big proponent of appropriate strength & conditioning
as a way of increasing GAME TIME performance. This includes generating maximal bat speed. Unfortunately, science says what most of you are doing in the on-deck circle just prior to stepping to the plate is hindering your bat speed and quickness right when you need it most.

What are most of you doing in the on-deck circle? Swinging some type of heavy implement. Why is this wrong? I’ve summarized below the results of a study done in 1991 by Dr. Coop Derenne of the University of Hawaii-Hilo. Results are ranked fastest to slowest by implement used. Bat velocity was measured by use of a photosensing computer timer. Players were college age; game bat weight was 30 oz:

1) Wooden overloaded bat (34 oz)

2) 27 oz underloaded bat

3) Standard 30 oz game bat

4) 25 oz underloaded batv
5) Power swing (adds 32 oz to bat)

6) 23 oz underloaded batv
7) Donut ring (adds 28 oz to bat)

Notice that the WORST item was the standard heavy batting donut. Also, using UNDERload (light) bats produced better readings than heavier implements. Just swinging your game bat with no weight attached produced better readings than any of the heavier tools!

The question you may be asking is WHY? Why, when you grab two or
three bats or another heavy device, swing them vigorously, then grab your game bat (which now feels light as a feather) does this slow you down? You feel so much faster with your game bat after this, don’t you?

What happens is simple fatigue of the fast twitch muscles you’re depending on to perform at your best. At an imperceptible, neuromuscular level, all of this heavy work just before performing actually tires you out! So, right at the time you need to be your fastest, you’ve just slowed yourself down. It’s sort of like a sprinter running a bunch of sprints or laps minutes before a race. Yes, he’s warmed up, but he has also depleted too much of his energy, so he cannot perform at his peak.

Notice that the two best times were with weights that were about 10% above & 10% below the game bat weight. Just enough weight (the 34 oz bat) for you to get warmed up and ready, but light enough to not affect swing mechanics. The underload bat (27 oz) is noticeably lighter, allowing for an effective warm-up and priming the body to swing faster – overSPEED training.

Don’t confuse this on-deck performance with a regular workout using heavy implements to develop strength and power. During such a workout, you’re not appearing at the plate facing perhaps a 90 mph fastball. Tiring the muscles during a workout is the point.

However, this data underscores the fact that bat speed is most effectively developed by a combination of both heavy and light training. DO NOT NEGLECT OVERSPEED/UNDERLOAD TRAINING! If you only train slow and heavy, mechanics will be negatively affected (a real problem with a refined ‘power skill’ such as hitting) and you’ll perform slow as well.

So put down that heavy device in the on-deck circle and go light! Especially when you’re facing serious gas! And slow pitch hitters who are not facing ‘gas,’you too need to generate maximal bat speed to drive the ball hard/deep.

Steve Zawrotny, MS, CSCS

405.373.3253

steve@baseballfit.com

FREE REPORT: “Harmful Resistance Exercises
Baseball/Softball Players Should Avoid”

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Many people think in order to become a great baseball hitter they must work with a trainer to get the best results possible. Although if you get the opportunity, take it but many people can only do things on their own. Realizing this there are a few simple things you can do on your own to get the baseball training necessary in becoming an efficient hitter.

The most important thing is to be yourself. Seriously, it sounds odd but the next time you go to the batting cages watch all the Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, and Ichiro Suzuki stances used by others around you. Yes those three are great hitters, but with all do respect the way they bat may not work for you. Effective hitting doesn’t mean trying to hit it out of the ballpark every time either. You will need to have patience, good vision, quick hands, strength, and the ability to take criticism while learning. Then of course you will need to find a bat that fits your size and arm length. Once you have all this you can interact with certain baseball drills to fine tune your batting.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with everything. For instance staying away from “hitting the ball off of tee” because it´s boring. Make it fun, and remember if players like former batting champion Tony Gwynn did it while he was a pro then so can you. It will help you learn to hit the ball cleanly and hit line drives which will only increase your overall batting average. There are a few major things to remember about how to train yourself to be a better hitter; practice, practice, practice. However, keep in mind if you are practicing drills without tweaking your batting stance to become better or bringing a heavier bat along with you to hit as far as you can then your not really practicing.

If you are going to take baseball training seriously it would be in your best interest to make a schedule, and keep it. In doing so you will begin to get in a routine that between such and such an hour this is what is practiced throughout the week. Add different things for each day of the week so you won’t be burnt out quickly. Its definitely hard work to become a better hitter, but when it happens the rewards are exciting and fun. Here are a few more things to think about when getting up to the plate.

When you take your swing at a pitch be sure to keep your stride short and sweet. This will allow your body to move in one fluent motion. If your strides are long you have a greater chance of throwing your balance off in the process. Keeping your head still is another solid point to remember during every swing. It allows you to focus on the ball, what kind of pitch, and helps your plate discipline deciphering if its good or bad. If your head is moving to the left or up to the sky you’ll know that you can’t see the pitch hit off the bat which can take away from your strengths becoming more luck than skill.

While many of these are basics of the game and have been told over and over again they are the most important parts to your baseball drills. Once you have mastered these you will see it in your overall offensive statistics during the season. Just remember to keep it fun, and learn to try new things if what you’re doing now isn’t working or you’ve hit a slump. The smallest change may make all the difference in becoming a true baseball hitter.

Discover more about how to improve your baseball hitting techniques on baseballtrainingsecrets.com

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If you are looking to increase your baseball hitting power then you have arrived at the right place. I am pleased to introduce to you the overhead kettlebell swing! This single exercise is guaranteed to drastically improve your baseball hitting power.

This single exercise is designed to hit all of the necessary movements and muscles in your core and trunk that are specific for being able to put the bat on the ball with force every time. As you may know the kettlebell is a strength and conditioning device that has been around for over three centuries. This style of training has been used by the world’s greatest athletes and strongmen for a long time. By utilizing the overhead kettlebell swing you incorporate hundreds of muscles at once that range from your glutes, hips, quads, stomach, chest, shoulders, and back. All of these have to work together in order to effectively swing the bat to be a top notch slugger. This single exercise is performed by you picking the bell up and swinging it from between your legs all the way up to above your head. This is done by executing a movement known as the hip snap. The hip snap is done by you having to constantly flex and extend at both your hips and knees in a continuous and fluent motion. This creates the necessary momentum for you to swing the kettlebell all the way up to above your head. This should be at the top of your baseball training drills if you are serious about increasing your hitting ability.

If you were looking for a baseball hitting secret then you just found it my friend! I guarantee that your competition isn’t doing this and that is where you will benefit. Remember that anyone can train hard, but only champions train smart!

To learn more about how to utilize your body, Kettlebells, and to achieve Mind Blowing fitness get your copy of My “Better Than Steroids Ebook” by clicking here: http://www.betterthansteroidsebook.com/www.betterthansteroidsebook.com/Better_Than_Steroids_Ebook.html

You will become one of my Free Elite Members if you make your “Better Than Steroids” purchase, but to just become one of my Elite Members and receive my free Newsletter just go to http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html

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If you are serious about your baseball then you know that hitting the baseball is a big part of the game. Getting better at hitting the baseball these days doesn’t necessarily mean spending more time in the batting cage. The key to hitting better means that you’ve got to get stronger! Check out the best strength exercise I have included below to help you do just that.

The Double Arm Kettlebell Swing: The kettlebell is second to nothing when it comes to developing superior core strength and power to improve the baseball player’s bat speed. This particular exercise is performed by picking the kettlebell up from between your legs and swinging it back and forth from between your legs up to chest level. This is done by implementing a hip snap that involves flexing and extending at both your hips and knees. This snapping motion creates the necessary momentum to swing the kettlebell back and forth in an arc like motion. This is tremendous in helping the baseball player to develop superior core strength and hip power. It is no secret that these muscles are just what you need in your sport in order to hit the baseball with authority!

Take the time to endure the learning curve with the kettlebell my friend. If you do this I guarantee you’ll see your game improve immediately. Invest in the kettlebell and take the time to access the rest of my articles to learn what is necessary to drastically improve your game. Train hard and enjoy my friends!

To learn more about how to get good at your job or body come and visit us at: http://www.efandps.com

To be one of our members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit us at: http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html

I’m Brandon Richey the owner of Elite Fitness and Performance Systems.

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There is no arguing that one of baseball’s biggest attractions is “the long ball.” That’s right, hitting home runs is exciting. Even though this is an exciting part of the game there is a lot that goes into being able to do it. It takes technique, bat speed, and power. As a strength and conditioning specialist I have included 2 hard-hitting drills, no pun intended, in this article to help you to achieve these necessary traits. Kettlebells are a great way for a baseball player to develop incredible power and tremendous bat speed.

1. The Double-Arm Swing: For this drill you will only need a single kettlebell that is of moderately heavy weight. To begin, set the bell between your feet and make sure that your feet are about shoulder width distance apart in length. From here perform a proper form squat and pick the bell up. Allow it to hang at your groin. The next step you have to perform is a technique known as the hip snap. The hip snap is executed by you flexing and extending at both your hips and knees in order to create enough momentum to swing the bell up from between your legs up to your chest level. Make sure that you keep your arms straight and your shoulders retracted. Lock out at the top of each swing. The hip motion is great for developing those muscles and your core which are the source of your hitting power! Attempt 30 to 50 of these in a row with a moderately heavy bell.

2. Kettlebell Push-Up Rows (aka Man-Makers): For this drill you will need the availability of a pair of kettlebells of equal weight. You will want to get into an upright push-up position while stabilizing your body on the kettlebells. Make sure that your hands and the bells are shoulder width distance apart in length. Grip each handle of the kettlebell firmly in the palms of your hands. Your hands should be in a mid-pronated position or your palms should be facing towards each other. Stabilize and control your body. Make sure you maintain good rigidity from your shoulders all the way to your feet. Your feet can be shoulder width apart. From here simply execute a push-up off of the bells and when you ascend simply row one kettlebell to your rib cage picking it up off of the ground. Set it back down and perform another push-up to execute another row on the opposite side. This is a highly effective strength training drill for baseball players. You further develop incredible core strength and power to help prep you for the long ball! Train hard and enjoy my friends.

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at: http://www.efandps.com
To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at: http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html
I’m Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

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If you are a baseball player looking to step up your hitting power then you need bat speed! Kettlebell training for baseball is a great new venture. If you want to combine a total-body blasting workout that will increase your entire body strength and at the same time increase your hitting power then you are reading the right article.

Kettlebells are an ancient strength training device that have been used by strongmen for over three centuries. They are extraordinary for developing both power and top-notch conditioning. For baseball these are essential traits when it comes down to executing the staple skills involved in the game such as throwing, running, and hitting. The one thing that all of these skills have in common is that they require you to have a powerful core.

The base lift of the kettlebell known as the double-arm kettlebell swing is great for developing just that. Not only can you develop tremendous core strength by executing the swing, but there are variations of this lift that are more advanced such as the single-arm swing and overhead snatch that can drastically improve your arm speed for throwing and leg power for running! It is the total package.

By incorporating kettlebell training for baseball strength and conditioning you are doing yourself a big favor. There is nothing that compares to this style of training and you will quickly realize that the sooner you start reading my other articles on proper lifting techniques and implementing them into your own training. Train hard and enjoy!

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at: http://www.efandps.com

To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at: http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html

I’m Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

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If you want to show up at the beginning of baseball season practice and impress your teammates and coaches with your bat speed and power then you need to learn about the kettlebell. Kettlebells have been around for over three centuries and have been field tested and proven by the greatest strongmen and athletes of all time! This ancient tool is second to nothing in terms of helping you to develop superior athleticism and the performance to match!

First of all, in order to train with kettlebells you must learn proper technique. Just like hitting the baseball requires fine tuning your skills so does kettlebell training. This particular type of training integrates hundreds of your muscles at once training your body to perform with the most efficient movements. Training your body for strength and power requires big core movements and learned skills. It involves a lot more than just “going through the motions!” Kettlebell training for baseball is a sure way to increase your athleticism and allow you to develop the necessary core strength for you to match the power of any cleanup hitter! In order to achieve an optimal level of strength and conditioning as it relates to baseball you must have a sound training plan. The kettlebell is the perfect device and method of training for the baseball player to invest in!

If you want to take the path to developing superior hitting power then take the time to learn about the iron bell. I will even make it easy for you by allowing you to access ALL of my other articles on the matter for FREE! Train hard and enjoy my friends.

To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at http://www.efandps.com
To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at: http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html
I’m Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

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