I’ve had a lot of hitters take a swing and keep all their weight on their back leg as they swing. This is NOT what it means to fall behind.
Incorrect:
- Knock-knuckles pointing forward
- Improper grip produces a sweeping action.
- Rear elbow at 90 degrees… change the grip
If the batsman remains on his back for the entire hit, he needs to adjust to this immediately!
Looking at all the best professional hitters, we can see that when they are in contact with the ball, their front end is firm, with their weight against their front heel. They stand on tiptoe, with their hind legs forming an “L”. They are not on the ball of the rear foot. The center of mass of the body is in a stacked position. The weight does not return to contact, but is transferred through the ball.
The body stacks on contact. The hands are in front of the body, not on the plate.
The proper term here is not falling behind, but “starting over.” We pick up our weight on the stride. We must distribute 30-40% of our weight. Then when we pivot, the weight is transferred from the rear to the front. This transfer is controlled by the hips as they move closer to the pitch. This method allows the batter to transfer his weight through the ball.
What really gets left behind are the hands.!
Using the following steps, the weight transfer will be smooth and powerful:
1. Load (or coil). The weight is pushed back as the hips rotate inward slightly, lifting the front heel off the ground.
2. Stride. 30-40% weight in the stride. When the front heel drops, the next step occurs.
The hands are back on the step. Throughout all this time, the hands are left behind.
This is what “falling behind” really means.
As the front heel drops, the hips are squared at the pivot and weight transfer is from back to front. The hands have the option at this point to shoot or not to shoot.
Hands in throwing position
The hands go last.
When a coach sees a hitter commit his hands first, maybe that’s when we hear him say, “Stay back.”
This should not be interpreted as keeping the weight back for the entire stroke. A better way of saying this would be “Keep your hands back”. A hitter must train his hips to get to the ball and discipline his hands to wait for the right moment to initiate the hit.