Five Ways an Incorrect Load Leads to an Incorrect Swing

A good coach I know and respect told me after one of our clinics last year that when he works with a group of kids learning to hit, the first thing he does is spread them around the room and have them practice setting up and loading correctly. It makes sense. You start from the beginning - the stance and load - and learn a correct starting point for the swing.

It seems the more I work with young hitters, the more I see a problem in this department. It is rare that I have a kid naturally load correctly and return to the proper hitting position. So I've started doing the same thing. My hitting clinics and initial lessons usually begin with working on how to correctly set up in an athletic stance, load the hips, and then return to a hitting position with the front foot down before any shoulder rotation or forward movement of the hands takes place. Boring stuff. But vitally important to the swing. And I'm always amazed at how difficult this seemingly simple act can be for young hitters.

Here is AL Rookie of the Year, Carlos Correa of the Houston Astros, doing it well:

Athletic stance, load the hips and return to a hitting (launch) position.

The batter loads to create energy. You go back to go forward. You have to do it if you want to hit the ball with any force. But so much can go wrong with young players' mechanics while loading. The head, wrists, elbows, shoulders, feet - anything - can move incorrectly during this time. It is very common with younger, physically weaker players. And it's a chain reaction. If one body part moves the wrong way during the load or return, it will likely be positioned incorrectly at contact.

As a youth instructor working with players ranging from about 7-15-years-old, I try to keep things pretty simple. Simple, meaning less moving parts, so less can go wrong and more can go right. It's very mechanical and scientific. To me, hitting is not an art. It's a science. It's physics. Force against force. I want to teach my players to have the best chance to put some direct force into the ball.

After a young hitter gets a simple, correct swing down, we dial back the mechanics talk a bit and try to loosen up and let the athleticism and energy flow. This energy is created in the load. But if the hitter has flaws in his load and doesn't return to the correct body positioning when the front heel plants, that energy won't be directed into the ball correctly. What follows will likely be a flawed swing.

Here are a few of the most common flaws I see in the load and return that will cause an incorrect swing. This assumes the player starts from an athletic stance, feet somewhat wide, hands near the back shoulder, knob pointing down at or in front of the catcher's feet...

Best of 2013

Just some of my favorite posts from 2013......


Importance of the Batting Stance in Youth Baseball

What We Can't See On TV - Swing Path

"I Miss My Guys"

It's Time For Some Safety Upgrades in Youth Baseball

Keep Battling, Adam

Selected Reading Material 1-18-13

A Sobering Look at Why I am Barely a Partying Sports Parent by Meagan Frank, Choosing to Grow: For the Sport of It  -  Thoughts on the abundance of alcohol being openly consumed by parents on some youth sports trips. I've been there. These trips can be like mini-vacations for the parents, and therefore an excuse to party. Great post. It took guts to write this.

Do You Have the Necessary Coaching Skills? by Jack Perconte, Baseball Coaching Tips  -  Time for a little self evaluation. Not everyone should be coaching young athletes.

Encourage Your Child to Participate in Multiple Sports by Jeffrey Rhoads, Inside Youth Sports  -  The benefits of playing more than just your primary sport. I would add - just don't try to do everything in one season. Some kids are spread too thin.

Best of 2012

These are a few of my own favorite posts from the year...

Creating Good Muscle Memory (1/3)

Which Youth Players Will Be High School Stars? (1/12)

Prepare for Youth Tryouts (2/23)

Top 10 Youth Swing Flaws (4/6)

Top 10 Youth Pitching Flaws (4/25)

What I Have Learned This Year (7/28)

Baseball Doesn't Have To Be So Expensive (8/4)

What To Teach Your 4-Year-Old Future Star (9/20)

A Case For Finishing Out Your Little League Days (11/20)

Teach Your Player To Coach Himself (12/16)

And in case you missed it... the Best of 2011.

What To Teach Your 4-Year-Old Future Star

As a youth coach and instructor, I have the task of teaching players how to fix their mechanical flaws. Many of them consistently throw, catch or swing in a fundamentally incorrect manner. Every young player has a bad habit or ten, and bad habits are hard to break, especially as they age.

I often wish that more kids were taught a few basic things when they were around the age of three or four. If they learn it then, it's like riding a bike - they'll never forget it. Their muscle memory will be correctly programmed for life.

So for all the proactive dads of preschool prospects out there, here are some basic things you may want to teach your kid about baseball. Your wife will give you grief, but don't feel guilty. If he winds up playing baseball and loves the game, he'll eventually thank you for helping him succeed and have fun. He may not even play beyond Little League, but those Little League days will be less of a struggle.

1. Throwing:  Many young kids do not just naturally pick up a ball and throw it correctly. If you want to lay the groundwork for an accurate, safe and powerful throwing motion down the road, show him how to properly separate the hands and take the ball back. Demonstrate how to close the front shoulder and hip to his target and separate his hands with the fingers on top of (not behind) the ball and thumbs pointed down. Both hands will go up and away from the body with the palms away. I tell kids to show the front palm (the glove) to the target and the back palm (the ball) to whatever is behind them, nearly opposite the target. Show it and throw it. Otherwise the throw may be more of a push, with less velocity and more stress on the arm. Pulling the front arm back into the body (tucking the glove) at the point of release will help too.

What To Accomplish This Fall

Little League Fall Ball is the Spring Training of youth baseball. It's an opportunity for players to work on their skills in a low-pressure environment. Many players are learning new skills, like pitching and catching, and are just beginning to gain confidence. Others are trying to become consistent hitters, or better fielders. The instructional aspect of a good Fall Ball program creates an ideal environment for player development.

Here is a list of what players can accomplish this fall:

1. Fix Your Swing Mechanics. Don't just take BP and accept wherever you're hitting the ball as long as it's hit hard. Learn correct swing mechanics, practice them on a tee and in front of a mirror. Then put it all to use in BP. Learn from the result of each swing. If you're not hitting line drives, there is a reason. Fix it. Every player has something to work on.

2. Focus on Throwing Mechanics. You can't pitch well unless you first learn to throw correctly. Pay close attention in warm-ups to the mechanics of each throw - how the hands are separating, how the ball is positioned during the stride, what the lead arm is doing, etc. Don't just play catch. Throw with a purpose and make sure you're repeating good habits, not bad ones.

3. Get Some Pitching Experience. The low-stress atmosphere of fall games is a great time for inexperienced pitchers to get some innings. Focus on the mechanics you've learned, not what the batter does with the pitch. It's about you, not him. If you execute pitches the way they are supposed to be executed, be satisfied and keep doing it, regardless of whether he hits it or not. You can't control what the batter does, so it's misguided focus. Thinking about results will only distract you from executing each pitch with correct mechanics. The more you pitch, the more comfortable, and therefore confident you will become on the mound. Then when the games matter next spring, you'll be armed with a good delivery and the confidence to go with it.

Baseball Doesn't Have To Be So Expensive

There's been a lot of web chatter about how much money parents spend on youth sports these days, baseball included. There are $200 bats, snazzy gear bags, brand new cleats, tournament fees, travel expenses, heat gear, cold gear, etc., etc.... so much to spend to help your kid keep up with the Joneses.

But it doesn't have to be that way. We don't have to always hand the best products and experiences to our children on a silver platter. It wasn't all that long ago that we swung cheap hunk-o-metal bats while wearing Toughskins and sneakers. I'm not against modern improvements to the game, but there are ways to do youth baseball without dipping into that home equity line. Here are some:

1. Buy last year's bat model. It may not have this year's paint job, but it's the same bat and it's $100 less. www.CloseoutBats.com.

2. Or better yet - just use the team gear. Most youth teams have their own bats, helmets and catcher's gear. If they don't, they should.

3. Shop online for discount clothing and cleats. Baseball pants, sliding shorts, undershirts, gear bags, gloves... You can find it all at clearance prices just like anything else. www.BaseballSavings.com.

4. Play Little League Baseball. No child is turned away because of an inability to pay.

5. Play on one team at a time. Playing for (and paying for) two teams during the same season can lead to overuse injuries anyway. Save your money and your kid's elbow.

What I Have Learned This Year

Spring, summer and fall... coaching youth baseball can be a year round business. The past year in particular has been a learning experience is several ways. Here's what I know now:

1. Having your son on the team is tough. No matter how well you handle it at the ballpark, the emotional aspect is stressful.

2. There are a lot of head cases in youth baseball - kids and adults.

3. You can't over-value smart, confident players. Give me the experienced, confident kid that can be molded into a reliable ballplayer.

4. Having someone else coach your son can be a great experience for all involved.

5. The list of people you can really trust and rely on is very small. Appreciate them.

6. This game takes its toll physically. It is not for 39-year-olds.

7. Your catcher's blocking skills can make or break your season.

8. It's hard to do much with a choppy swing.

9. You may think you know your defensive lineup at the beginning of the season. But you don't.

10. Taking a season off can be the best move you make.

Top 10 Youth Pitching Flaws

My last top ten list dealt with youth swing flaws. Today I will tackle a more important topic - pitching flaws. A mechanical problem on the mound can lead to a lot of walks or hits, or even worse, an arm injury. Here are the most common flaws that I have seen in working with youth pitchers over the last several years. The older the player, the harder these are to fix.

1. Striding Too Short.  A short stride can mess up a lot of things:  front side stability, velocity, release point, follow through... Stride length should be 85-100% of a pitcher's height. That can be a tall order for a young pitcher that may not have the strength and athleticism yet to support such a stride. But if his stride is too short, he won't be able to support himself anyway. This very important mechanical aspect can be obtained through practice.

2. Incorrect Hand Separation.  Many young players begin their throwing motion incorrectly by taking the ball up and out of the glove with their fingers behind the ball and their thumb up. This leads to pushing the baseball with less energy and more stress on the arm. Pitchers should separate with fingers on top of the ball and thumbs down, raising the ball up facing away from the target before pulling the ball forward.

3. Not Getting the Arm Up.  When the front foot lands, it's time to throw. At that most important moment a pitcher's elbows should be shoulder high. The throwing arm should be bent (not past 90 degrees) with the ball up behind the head. If his ball positioning is too low, the pitcher will likely lead with the elbow forward and upward, causing high pitches. This problem is often a result of getting the front foot down too early - either because of rushing the motion or striding too short.

Top 10 Youth Swing Flaws

It's spring break around here. No games for a while. Time to get back to basics and work on the detailed mechanics of the game. My team will be doing a lot of hitting, among other things. Every player is working on something - an adjustment to make - and they know what it is. No one is perfect. They all have at least one flaw and it probably falls into the list below. Here are the top ten swing flaws I see in working with youth players.

1. Rolling the wrists too early. Despite the fact that the barrel is what makes contact with the ball, the hitter should think more about the knob of the bat. If a hitter throws the barrel at the ball with the top hand behind the handle, rather than pulling the knob through contact with the top hand under the handle, the barrel will cast up and around the ball, creating a steady flow of weak ground balls instead of line drives.

2. Lunging. Many young hitters have their legs "backwards." At the point of contact, the front leg should be straight and the back leg bent. A braced front leg keeps the upper body back behind the ball at contact (a wide stance helps). It sends energy up to the hips where it is needed. Lunging forward with a bent front knee causes a loss of energy and lowers the hands under the ball. The upper body and head drift forward and hip rotation is weak.

3. No backside rotation. After the front heel lands, the back knee should turn in to a 90 degree angle. The back heel rotates up to the sky with shoelaces facing the pitcher. If the hitter keeps the heel down, he cannot fully open his main power source, the hips. He also can't get the hands through quick enough - it's an open invitation for an inside fastball on the handle. If he pushes with the back foot rather than rotating, he will pop himself up into a tall position, creating one or both of the above flaws.

Top 10 Youth Coaching Pearls of Wisdom

Humans like to pass down "wisdom" to the next generation, whether it's wise or not. Just for fun, here are some of the great youth coaching catchphrases to be on the lookout for this season. We are all guilty at one time or another.


1. Just throw strikes... If only it were that easy.

2. Get that elbow up... And then tuck it in correctly in the blink of an eye.

3. Throw over the top... A good recipe for shoulder pain.

4. Reach back and fire... If you are a stiff-armed catapult.

5. A walk's as good as a hit... Not usually.

6. Great swing... Perhaps, but if it was that good, you probably would've hit the ball.

7. Have a level swing... Level to what?

8. Feet shoulder width apart... A good recipe for a choppy swing.

9. Have fun!!!... Yes sir!

10. Watch for the changeup!... And good luck being ready for this here fastball.


Leave a comment if you have any more gems.

Best of 2011

New content will return in January. But for now, here are some of my favorite posts from 2011:


Get Behind That L-Screen - It Could Save Your Life

The Simplest Way To Get Quick

The Importance of Proper Hand Separation

Offseason Training for Youth Players

Miguel Cabrera Swing Mechanics