Control Your Forward Move

This week's podcast is on the New College Baseball Recruiting Process 

* New Rules

* Recruiting Timeline (for each division)

* Camps + Showcases

* Evaluation process for pitchers and position players

* How coaches find players

Listen:

iTunes

Spotify

How To Help Hitters Control Their Forward Move

First, let's define forward move: I define the forward move as the hitter's first movement towards the pitcher.

This is how many hitters end up after their forward move:

Drifting forward.

Unable to adjust against different pitch shapes.

There will be times when a hitter does have to ride out the back leg, especially on off-speed pitches. But that's a by-product of being able to control their forward move in the first place.

Here's a great example of hitting a CB this past week by Gunnar Henderson:

You'll notice the difference between that swing and when he hits a FB right down the middle (below) for a home run. 

So, that's great, for Gunnar Henderson, but how can we help players learn to move that way? 

Today, I'm going to show you 3 drills you can do to help hitters control their forward move.

1. Reverse Stride 

I like this drill because it's helping the hitter feel the opposite of what they're normally doing.

Most hitters are taught to 'go get the ball' and that leads them to lunging towards the pitcher.

The reverse stride does the opposite, as they're now striding in the opposite direction, towards themselves. 

2. Sammy Sosa 

Sammy Sosa was one of my favorite hitters growing up, and I always liked mimicking his swing.

The toe tap variation of this drill helps hitters feel their back hip. 

Have the hitter start with their feet spreed apart of one another. 

Now have them slowly step back with their front foot. 

Then have them stride forward and swing. 

3. Single Leg RDL 

There's a few variations I've done with this drill. 

Here's the one we will talk about today. 

Continuous movement during the rdl. Instead of having the hitter do the rdl once, and then flipping them the ball. 

Having them continuously doing a single leg rdl. 

This process takes time. I wish I had a magic pill to help hitters in a few weeks. 99.9% of the time, that won't happen. 

Here is Cooper Ridley (Miami, OH Commit) over the course of the last 12 months. 

You'll notice his stride is much more controlled now, and his swing is more connected and tighter. This has allowed him to have a better bat path and be more consistent this summer. 

Plan + Consistency + Time 

= Results 

Whenever you're ready, there are 1 way I can help you:

1.  PJB Recruiting Consultation: Meet with me 1-1 via zoom for a college recruiting evaluation.

This is only for 2027, 2026, and 2027 graduates.