How to Get Into the Proper Batting Stance
Your batting stance up at the plate has to be comfortable. Tony Gwynn's or Barry Bond's stance may not be best for you, so experiment with different stances to see what works for you.
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Things You'll Need
- Baseball Bats
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- Baseball Fielding Gloves
- Baseballs
- Baseball Batting Gloves
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- Baseball Caps/hats
- Baseball Glove Conditioner Creams
- Baseball Scoresheets
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Instructions
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Choose between the open stance, even stance, or closed stance. An open stance is one in which the rear foot is closer to the plate than the front one. In an even stance (see photo), both feet are approximately the same distance from the plate. In a closed stance, the front foot is closer to the plate than the rear one.
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Have the feet spread about six to eight inches wider than the shoulders, the front foot opened slightly towards the pitcher at about 45 degrees.
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Make sure you have slightly more weight on the rear foot and more weight forward on the balls of the feet, with the heels only lightly touching the ground and your knees and hips flexed slightly to ensure a smooth stride.
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Check that your hips and shoulders are level, with the front shoulder tucked in slightly toward the plate.
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Keep your head steady, eyes level and your chin tucked in on your front shoulder.
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Put your hands comfortably away from your body about 8 to 12 inches and on the same plane as the back shoulder. Have your elbows bent comfortably, your back elbow about six to eight inches away from your body.
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Have the bat angle about midway between horizontal and vertical. This reduces the distance the hitting surface of the bat must travel during the swing so that solid contact with the ball can occur in front of the plate with the arms extended.
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Tips & Warnings
No matter what stance you're in, the trick to hitting is getting your body and the bat to the right place at the right time.
If you're having trouble hitting outside pitches, closing your stance might help.
If you are getting tied up by pitches on the inside part of the plate, try opening your stance.
Comments
View all 23 Comments-
Aug 08, 2006
Pretend that there is a knife attached to the knob of the bat. You want to try to stab the ball when it is coming in, flicking your wrist at the right time to get maximum pop.
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Aug 08, 2006
Pretend that there is a knife attached to the knob of the bat. You want to try to stab the ball when it is coming in, flicking your wrist at the right time to get maximum pop.
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Aug 08, 2006
With a neutral stance, it's easier to take the ball opposite field or up the middle, obviously. The question for you is, is it easier to open up on an inside pitch with a neutral stance originally thinking up the middle, or is it easier for you to go opposite field with an open stance? However, when I see a pitcher I know I can rip I'll keep an open stance for a strike or two to try and yak a homer.
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Jul 12, 2006
In the very beginning of your swing, lean back slightly and turn at your waist to speed up the swing and put more power behind it.
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Jul 12, 2006
In the very beginning of your swing, lean back slightly and turn at your waist to speed up the swing and put more power behind it.
