Back Side Control
Controlling the backside throughout the stride is essential for maintaining the optimal swing plane, power production, and timing throughout the swing. The common mistake young hitters make is getting over their front side on the stride in anticipation of the pitch, causing major breakdowns throughout the remainder of the swing. A hitters inability to hold the backside throughout the striding process negatively impacts the swing in these three major ways:
1. Downward Swing Plane
If you think about what’s actually happening when you are coming out of your back side during the stride, you are essentially committing your weight too early to the pitch and allowing your head and chest to fall towards your front. This early commitment results in you losing your ability to stay “behind” the ball and instead forces you to look “down” on the incoming pitch. This downward view is caused by your head and chest both taking a downward angle upon landing in the launch position, causing the swing path upon initiation to follow in suit. In order to maximize the amount of time your barrel spends in the zone, you should maintain a posture that favors the angle of the incoming pitch. Since the angle of the incoming pitch is at a slight down angle, the opposite and optimal angle you create should be a slight up to match.
2. Loss in Power Production
When you commit your weight too early to the pitch, your ability to keep your back foot grounded becomes near impossible. When discussing power production, there is no relationship more important than that of the back leg/foot’s relationship with the ground. We are trying to use the back side to DRIVE against the ground, in order to DRIVE our hips through the swing. Learning how to control the backside throughout the stride will ensure that you can maintain enough pressure in the backside and contact with the ground, necessary for power production.
3. Inconsistent Timing
Something often overlooked or misunderstood is the fact that your timing is controlled by your ability to control your weight with your back side. Most people believe that timing has more to do with your FRONT foot getting down than anything else, when in reality what allows you to control when your front foot hits the ground is your ability to control your weight with the BACK side. Yes, getting your front foot down on time is of course essential, but learning to control your weight with the back will allow you to better control the timing of your front. The inability to control your weight throughout the stride will often times force you to commit to the pitch well before you’re ready and prevent you from being able to adjust mid-stride, leaving you exposed to off-speed. Additionally, committing your weight too early forces your timing to have to be PERFECT in order to produce. Hitting is incredibly difficult and perfection is near impossible, forcing your timing to be perfect every time will surely hinder your ability to be successful at the plate.
Learning to control the back side is incredibly difficult, but with the right understanding and application can pay MASSIVE dividends. One of the most important things to look for when assessing your own swing is to pause yourself at the “launch” position to see where your weight distribution and head/chest position appears to be when your stride is complete. We like to teach a 50/50 weight distribution upon landing, but in reality this really equates to about a 60/40 back to front weight distribution, with the back of your head just INSIDE the back thigh. If you notice your head drifting away from the inside of that back thigh, you are most likely committing too much weight forward or making it difficult for yourself to work behind and through the ball.
Thanks ya’ll, keep grindin!!!
Noah Brewster