Hit It Here

How you start your swing either has you in a good position to adjust to pitches in all four corners of the strike OR limits you ability to the adjustments you might need to make on a particular pitch.

So what is the best way to start you swing? I tell players I work with to remember U-U-I. That stands for Up, Up, and In.

The first U or Up is for the positioning of your body with the “Up” really meaning “Upright”. You want to be upright on your axis with the shoulders pretty level at the very beginning of your rotation to the ball. This combined with the other “U” which mean to keep your HANDS Up close to your back shoulder or right at the top of the strike zone.

Why do you want to to be Upright with your hands Up around the top of the strike zone at the beginning of your swing? Let me answer that question with some other questions. Which adjustment is easier to make? Adjusting from high to low or low to high? In other words, is it easier to be in a position to hit the high pitch and adjust for a lower pitch OR to immediately drop your back shoulder and hands to be in a position to hit the low pitch and then adjust back up for something high in the zone? Sure, it’s obvious the easier adjustment is high to low.

We’ve all heard the expression don’t dip your back shoulder. In fact, I recently posted a video on this blog about that very thing. At the start of your swing is where an immediate drop of the back should is bad. Be Upright and Up with your hands to be in a position to adjust from high to low. Read more on the good dipping and bad dipping of the back should HERE.

The “I” in U-U-I is for In. In, meaning to keep your hands in close to your body and staying inside the ball. Why is this good? Again, a few questions to answer that. Which adjustment is easier to make? Adjusting from inside to out or from outside to in? In other words, is it easier keep your hands in and be able to hit the inside pitch and then adjust from inside to out for a pitch on the outside part of the plate OR to immediately let your hands get away from your body to be in position to hit an outside pitch and then adjust back in for something inside? Again, the answer is obvious and that is it’s easier to adjust from inside to out.

So what’s a good position for the start of your swing(rotation to the ball)? U-U-I. Up(right), Up, and In. Doing so puts you in the best position to hit in all four corners of the strike zone.