Hitting can be taught.
This page is based on the recent on-field experience of WebBall coaches. It's not the typical quick tips page which we offer elsewhere on the site. But based on recent surveys and feedback, there is a segment of our visitors that appreciates both the broader picture and greater detail on the skills of baseball. This is for them - and, we hope, you.


A late call-up to an elite team, this player appeared to be a good contact hitter, with decent hand-eye coordination. But there was not much power in his swing and it was soon obvious in ground out after ground out. To the point where the team wondered if this was a bad call up decision.

The original suspect apperared to be a weaker upper body. This is not uncommon in early high school years... players do mature at different rates.

Previous attempts at improved power had failed ...the coaching staff's fault, we think, because everyone had focused on his weak upper body. However, as Jeff Cavaliere (of "Load to Explode") has explained, a biomechanical weakness in one area can lead to a breakdown in other areas.


Turns out, it wasn't all that complicated. What was spotted during one swing drill sequence (almost by accident, it had been overlooked prior)... he was collapsing his front knee.

Maybe it was the previous focus on upper body as the problem, or maybe it was a different angle of observation. After all, most of the time in working with hitters, the instructors tend to be in one of two spots... either behind the L-screen throwing, or on the front side watching the bat come through the zone.  This time though, the observation was made from some distance away, from the back side (i.e. the 3rd base dugout view of an RHB).

This was in a practice. (It's always best to avoid over-instructing during a game.) And it was handled subtly. The coach had a suggestion for him, if he was willing to try it, but nobody didn't want to mess him up because at least he was making contact.

Fortunately, the player was willing to know what the suggestion might be. All the instruction given was that he should try to stiffen up his front leg. He did so on the next swing and the ball shot off his bat on a line drive.

Not trusting such an immediate transformation, we started to explain why. Then stopped and just tossed him a few ore balls. Several more practice swings with the same result.

Of course, as we all "know", you can't fix anything instantly, and in a scrimmage opportunity afterwards, he started to revert to the knee collapse. A quick reminder ("firm front") and he was back on track. It has to be said, when you can spot something that easily and see an immediate improvement, that's what coaching is all about. Nothing more.


In the four games since that one correction, everything has fallen into place. First game afterward, he went 1 for 2. And the failed at-bat was actually a long fly ball to center field ...something he had not done since the call up. The next game was not a success, but no swing repair is bullet proof. And he did need to hear his "firm front" cue once or twice.

However, in the next two games he went 4 for 6, scored 4 runs, had 2 stolen bases, and got 2 RBI's on a game-winning walk-off single. The bonus was a dramatic improvement in his fielding work. The results at the plate built up his confidence in the field... turning opposition doubles into singles, chasing down fly balls, and at least one absolutely spectacular diving shoestring catch.

Will this be a permanent transformation? Too soon to tell. But the change has been everything a coach could hope for.