- Ken Van Bogaert

Too many coaches get caught up in having players learn every term and technique, with the instruction as confusing as a physics class. Many coaches can't agree between themselves on what specific techniques are correct.

One of those terms is 'wrist roll', a term used in the Power Rotational Swing DVD. To clarify: the wrists should still be in the bottom hand palm down and top hand palm up at contact. We do NOT want the wrists rolled over before contact. Instead, they flex sideways and apply leverage to drive the bat head into the ball. This is more of a snap, followed then by a true roll - after contact. 

The term 'roll the wrists' has been around for years, but that's not what's meant by wrist roll. The two motions got lumped in a generic fashion. To eliminate the confusion we now use new terms to help teach this more accurately (see below). After all, the kids have too much to think about. It's better they develop a feel for a good swing. Many kids, once they have a solid base of fundamentals down, just try to use the hips and hands to throw the bat head thru the ball.  Hitters need to be able to concentrate on the pitch and just react by swinging explosively.

Before getting to the specifics, one final note: Good fundamentals are needed, however if your athlete has a slight flaw but is hitting great, don't ruin a perfectly good swing by trying to make it perfect! Always monitor and make sure drills are done correctly but generally speaking, leave the HOT hitters alone.

1 The coil step or wind-up

The hitter takes a short quick step, landing lightly with the foot closed - ON THE FRONT OF THE FOOT WITH THE HEEL UP. If not completely closed (toe pointing towards the plate), the foot lands no more than 45 degrees open (for a right hand hitter, pointing between first and 2nd base). At the same time as the step, pull the hands back, to slightly cock or coil the body. The lead shoulder will turn in from the pitcher and the body angle automatically adjusts (after some drilling of course) so the hips will open at the same angle that the ball is approaching the plate. The rear elbow stays down and close to body. The weight slightly shifts over the back leg. We do not want a premature shift of weight to front foot.

2 Front heel comes down, hips explode open

The rear hip - with a push off the back foot - rapidly turns. Combined with the straightening of the front leg ( which drives the front hip back) this creates a violent snapping open of the hips.  This rotational power transfers up the trunk to the upper body. The upper body takes this rotational force and uses it to extend (or 'throw' or 'push') the arms.  The hands and knob of the bat are thrown towards the center of the ball as fast as possible. The hitter tries to keep the arms and hands fairly close to the body and inside the path of the ball. Both of these movements should be somewhat similar to the 'feel' of throwing a ball. Short step with arm coming back, then hips explode open and we throw the ball. It's important for the kids to develop a 'feel' for the swing rather than being too analytical. The lead arm soon reaches its extension and can go no further on its straight path to the ball. It's important that we stay on a straight path - hands inside the ball path and aiming to the center of the ball. The bat head will have lagged behind the hands.

3 Wrist snap to contact

The wrists will then SNAP the bat head around into contact with the ball. The wrists are actually flexing sideways or snapping sideways to whip the bat head into the ball. The lead hand's forward travel has reached a relatively fixed position, so the continued drive of the top hand - off the rear hip rotation and upper body rotation - will explosively help snap the bat head into and thru the ball. Both wrists flex sideways to help the snap be explosive. The hands provide leverage on the bat handle. Because the lead hand is in the relatively fixed position, the bat pivots at the knob, thus we see a 2nd, faster level of bat speed and power as the bat head whips on this axis. If the hitter just dragged the bat head around into the ball, without this whipping action, the bat speed would be much slower. In the past we have lumped these motions together and called it the wrist roll, but by going into the details more, it's better explained this way. The 'snap' and 'roll' are more accurate terms than the generic 'wrist roll' of the past.

4 Roll after contact

We continue to drive the bat head thru the ball. Here the wrists will roll. The top hand finishes its drive or push. The lead wrist rolls to allow the bat head to continue on its same path for a good follow through. At the full extension position, both arms are fully extended, hips are fully open with the hips and the end of the bat facing the pitcher. The wrists are rolled with both thumbnails pointing up. Ideally, the wrists then continue to roll over and we finish with the bat in a position that feels natural. Do not try to pull the hands up into a golf-ish finish - just let it finish naturally.

By aiming at the center of the ball, the hitter maximizes chances of good contact. If the bat head drives thru the ball below the centerline, underspin will occur...with rising line drives and homeruns. If the bat head is above the centerline, topspin line drives and ground balls occur.


Like many programs, we always have used the term 'throw and roll'. Our kids understand it and develop well, without overanalyzing the swing. If you throw the hands as fast as you can - you cannot roll over the wrists until the lead arm reaches full extension - these things will happen naturally. It has worked well in our past teachings and most seem to understand well.

But remember - even though actions are broken down for discussion - they still must be performed as one explosive motion in the course of the swing. It's a throw and snap of the wrists, driving and rolling thru to full extension. Not much time for thinking of anything but exploding thru the ball. Just teach kids to get a 'feel' for the good swing. Lots of the information is fun to know and good for the coaches and parents to make sure the drills are done right. No one coach, book or video can present all the information you should look at. Each athlete is different and you will have to do what they need to learn a good swing.

Final thought: the less the kids have to think about, the better. They stay much more natural and loose. It's not always easy. As parent or coach, you ultimately must be able to describe the techniques differently to some kids who don't pick it up as quickly or easily.