By Paul Petricca, July 2008

When my daughter was first learning how to pitch a 12 inch softball, I came across a magazine, FastPitch USA, edited by Bill Redmer. The pitching technique promoted in the magazine was very effective and very simple because it identified the one and only true power source in sports... the ground.  In baseball, players use the power of the ground without ever realizing what an untapped energy supply they have right under their feet. When a player jumps for a line drive, stretches for a ball, throws a pitch, or swings the bat, baseball power is generated from the ground up.


Now that we know where the source of power resides, it is up to the hitter to take full advantage of this alternative energy source.  The first step for a hitter is to set up in a stance that will serve as a solid platform for the eventual swing.  A solid stance, with feet firmly planted in the powerful ground is a hitter's foundation that will ultimately generate bat speed.  Hitters who can harness the power of the ground throughout the swing will enjoy a power surge that is all natural.  To accomplish this, hitters must learn to deploy the built-in equipment they all possess... Springs!


Every hitter is blessed with the internal springs that are key to power generation.  The most important set of springs hitters all have at their disposal are the ones closest to the ground.  Every athlete knows that the “balls of the feet” are the springs that are necessary to run, leap, dive, and change direction.  For a hitter, the balls of the feet serve several critical purposes.  First, like the fastpitch softball pitcher, an effective hitter will set up in a solid stance in the batter's box on the balls of the feet.  Both feet should be pressed firmly into the ground to tap into Mother Nature's power plant.  The heels should be slightly off the ground, with weight evenly distributed over both feet.

With the springs in the feet set, the hitter is better able to react to a pitched ball with authority.  When the pitcher releases the ball, the springs in the feet allow the hitter to a make the fine adjustments to pitches on the edge of the strike zone.  Try standing on your heels while attempting to hit an outside pitch to the opposite field.  You will quickly realize the importance of foot springs.

How to Set the Foot Springs
As mentioned earlier, weight should be evenly distributed on both feet before the pitch.  Soon after the ball leaves the hand of the pitcher, the hitter should simply lift the front foot a few inches off the ground.  When the front foot leaves the ground, weight is automatically shifted to the back foot spring.  The weight on the back spring will now serve as the primary connection to the ground for the eventual swing.  It is important to note that the hitter should not lean back when the front foot is raised.  Leaning the body toward the catcher will cause the hitter to lose balance and will break a portion of the power connection with the ground.  When the front foot is lifted the hitter's head should remain perfectly still, horizontally and vertically.

As the ball nears home plate (and immediately after the front foot is lifted) the hitter should press the front foot back in place, re-establishing contact with the ground. Now, both springs are fully loaded!

It is critical to keep the foot springs pressed into the ground and loaded as long as possible.  The only way to do this is to use the springs in the knees.  Athletic success in all sports is highly dependent on strong knees.  Countless athletic careers, including those of the best baseball players in history, have ended due to knees that lost their spring.

How to Keep the Connection...
A mistake many hitters make is to use the springs in the knees to lunge toward the pitcher during the swing.  Stepping toward the pitcher will break the connection with the ground and significant power will be sacrificed.  Instead, knee springs should press downward into the ground in order to keep as much pressure as possible on the foot springs to capture as much power as the body will allow.  This downward pressure should remain constant until the body powerfully rotates and the swing is fully completed.

Another set of springs all hitter have at their disposal are the large, powerful hip springs.  The amazing thing about any spring is it can be compressed (foot and knee springs) or rotated (hip springs) to generate power.  The hip springs in the hitter's body are the triggering mechanisms that will cause the upper body to rotate forcefully into the ball.

How to Wind Up the Hips...
As the ball approaches the hitting zone, the back hip of the hitter should begin to rotate toward the pitcher.  As the hips rotate, the back foot spring will automatically pivot with toes pointing toward the pitcher.  It is important that the hips rotate independently of the upper body.  When the hips rotate while the upper body remains still, the hip springs will quickly wind tight.  Ultimately, the hip springs will generate so much resistance (torque) that the upper body will be also be sprung under high pressure to rotate forcefully.

Only at this point is the hitter is finally enjoying the total power supplied by the ground.  The foot, knee, and hip springs are acting in perfect harmony.  When executed correctly, the hitter should feel like the bat is merely an extension of the body.  The power generated initially from the ground will ultimately flow through the entire body of the hitter.


Many hitting instructors believe that bat speed and power comes from the wrists.  I will concede that a hitter can generate marginal power through wrist rotation, but wrist action alone should not be relied upon as the primary source of bat speed.  Hitters, who use the ground to generate power from their feet, knees, hips, and upper body, will come to realize that the wrists act like more of a “hinge” than a “spring”.

Immediately before the pressure of the hip springs force the upper body to rotate, hitters will also feel pressure naturally build in the hands and wrist.  As the upper body rotates, the hitter should use this pressure in the hands and wrist to delay the swing as long as possible.  At some point, the pressure will build to a point that the wrists and the bat will be violently released into the hitting zone and through the ball.


Bat speed equals power and hitting a baseball from the ground up optimizes bat speed.  Hitters, who learn how to use the springs in their bodies to tap into the unlimited power source of the ground, will enjoy markedly improved bat speed.  In addition to the greater power from increased bat speed, hitters will be able to wait longer before swinging at the pitch.  There is no need for energy conservation when hitters finally realize that all the power they need is right under their feet.