You’ll probably witness 18 distinct batting stances if you observe a baseball game. Sometimes batters will stand upright, while others will squat low and spread their arms wide.
However, despite the wide range of peculiarities, all batters’ stances fall into one of three classifications. Square, Open, or closed are the three options.
This page explains the various hitting stances. As well as their benefits and drawbacks, so you can choose the best batting stance for you. We will also explain the correct batting stance and common errors of several hitters.
It is primarily a matter of personal preference. Especially when it comes to how tall you stand or even how low you crouch. A particular posture may aid your swing or swing more efficiently than another. It’s something you’ll have to experiment with for yourself.
Best Batting Stances
Square Batting Stance
In the batter’s box, this is the most popular hitting posture. Some claim that it is the ideal batting stance. It is an excellent place to start for beginners. Here is where all superior hitters want to be at contact. Creating here simplifies your swing and stride.
- A square stance is one in which both feet are parallel to the batter’s box edge and level with the pitcher.
- All you have to do is take a straight stride into the pitcher.
- You must be in a great position to hit the pitch with this set.
- Your upper body is now in the proper attacking position for baseball.
- With eyes open, it should be simple to see the pitcher.
Open Batting Stance
It is the second most prevalent, and it generally occurs due to difficulty with a square stance. The majority of individuals come to this arrangement because they have problems seeing the ball. They prefer to get it on the plate and tug the baseball. Also, you might use them to step a bit in the bucket while they were square.
- If your front foot is farther from home plate than your back foot, you’re in an open batting stance. You’re ready for pitching.
- Being available to the pitcher helps to turn your head a little further toward him. It allows you to view the ball with both optics.
- When you’re open, you’ll have to get into the square to hit the ball. It means the front foot must stride into home plate instead of far from that if you start square.
- It is a challenge that some right-handed hitters encounter, particularly a right-handed pitcher. A left-handed batter is against a pitcher who is also left-handed.
- Most people believe that closing your feet will solve the problem. But this will create your stepping in the bucket extra noticeable. Then you will risk ending up in the same position with your feet.
- When hitting the baseball, placing your feet back square enhances the chances of hitting any pitch in any place.
- Some batters prefer this posture because it allows them to pull the baseball more effectively.
- Stepping a little near to the plate would remove the plate’s outer layer, bringing it closer to them. Players can then focus on their expertise, which is pulling the baseball.
- Some batters occasionally sell out to yanking the baseball and don’t quite go back to the square. That is why they must approach the plate tighter than most hitters.
Closed Batting Stance
This position isn’t as popular now as it was in the 1980s and early 1990s. They are typically utilized to sell out on the strategy looking for the ball in the opposite direction, hitting it like that. It can make getting to an inside pitch more difficult.
Since your upper torso is closed off, your bat must go a little further to reach an inside pitch. It must navigate around your torso. The majority of people choose this stance when they are having difficulty controlling the angle away. At the same time, they strike the ball in the opposite direction.
- If your front foot is closer to the plate, you’re in a closed batting stance, unlike your rear foot. You are also closer to the pitcher.
- Because your backside is tilted slightly towards its pitcher, closing your eyes makes it harder to see the baseball.
- You’d want to get to the square from that now. However, if your front foot slides back from the plate, you’re losing momentum and spinning away from the pitcher. It’s challenging to stay square during the baseball game because of this.
- You’ll be capable of handling pitches out much more manageable. You will also strike the ball with much accuracy the other way if you keep your feet locked at contact.
- Whenever you put your feet locked upon contact, your path to an inside pitch becomes long and difficult to get.
Most baseball batting stances have advantages and disadvantages. They should be employed according to the style of hitter and swing they have. Pay close attention to any issues you may be having at the plate. Then, adjust accordingly to improve the efficiency of your swing.
The Proper Batting Stance In Six Steps
Great baseball hitters must first master the proper batting posture, regardless of how powerful they are, how fast their hands are, or how extraordinary their “eye” for the game is. When you wouldn’t begin with the appropriate batting posture, then you won’t be a consistently successful batter.
However, if you observe a Major League Baseball match, you’ll likely see various hitting stances. So, what’s the deal? But which is the correct one? In actuality, there are several different types of batting stances. Therefore, each batter adjusts his view slightly to find one that is suitable for them.
Such positions can be closed, open, or even. Most batters stand tall while others crouch close to the ground. Although such stances may appear to be somewhat dissimilar, they still work. They adhere to the same basic principles as a solid batting stance. Let’s take a closer look at how to get a perfect baseball batting stance in a few techniques.
- Prepare your feet.
The first step you should do while entering the batter’s box is to get your feet correctly situated. By matching your feet and shoulders and envisioning a perfect line going through them, you can achieve this. Then, step your front foot forward around five to seven inches, towards the pitcher.
You’ll be able to retain decent balance by spacing your feet this far apart. Any wider or narrower over this can make it difficult to maintain posture while swinging. Lastly, place your weight on your rear foot and plant your front foot on the floor. You’ll be able to have your body behind the swing this way.
- Become more aligned.
Ensure you’re lined up well with the pitcher now that your feet are set. Align your toes and chest toward home plate to accomplish this. At the exact moment, stretch your arms while keeping the bat parallel to the ground. As you swing, stand back from the plate such that the bat barrel may cover the entire area.
How much further back from the plate you should stand depends on how long your bat is. You’re in good shape when the bat reaches the plate while your arms are stretched throughout your swing. You’ll have to modify how much further away from the plate you’re standing. If it doesn’t reach the entire plate or if it covers too much.
- Your knees should be bent.
Apart from a distance across your legs, you keep your stance balanced by bending the knees. You wouldn’t want to be standing completely erect, having your legs unbent. Simultaneously, you wouldn’t want to be hunched entirely over like a catcher.
You should find a comfortable position that is halfway between the two. With the knees bent just enough but not that much. Throughout the box, try to keep your emotions to a minimum. As you sway the bat, touch your toes, or shift your body a little as you wait for the pitch.
Far too much motion might put your timing off. You aim to stay as still as possible in the box while waiting for the pitch.
- Prepare Your Fingers.
When it comes to how you grip the bat, the fingers must be correctly aligned. On the bat, you must place the hand over the other, and they should be contacting. In addition, the joints on the bottom hand’s fingers must completely align with the knuckles just on the top hand.
One must be capable of drawing a straight line from the top hand’s knuckles to the bottom hand’s joints when you twist one (or both) of your hands in either way. You will disrupt the fluidity of your swing, and you will reduce the maximum power you can generate.
- Maintain Your Focus on the Pitcher.
Once you’re in your batter’s box posture, you will observe that even if you keep your head upright and don’t twist your neck. You will be staring directly through one of the dugouts. If you’re right-handed, the pitcher will be to your left.
If you’re left-handed, the pitcher will be to your right. So it isn’t going to work.
Ensure your sights are on the pitcher and that you are not rotating your entire body towards its mound.
Ensure the head is up straight to achieve this. Next, with the chin slightly angled to the position of your front shoulder, do the same. You’ll be able to view the pitcher with both eyes. Follow the ball to your bat, from its pitcher’s glove to your bat.
- Hold your hands in the air.
The last important aspect of developing a solid batting stance is to take your hands high. Ensure the hands are up but not higher above the shoulders while holding your bat.
You must also draw a straight line from the back elbow to your shoulder, level to the ground. The hands should be parallel to the chest, and you should lift the bat diagonally over your head.
Common Errors Of Hitters
Since you know how to set up a proper batting stance in baseball, it is better to know some of the most typical batting stance errors. If it doesn’t seem right or you’re having difficulties making firm contact. It might help you figure out what you’re doing incorrectly.
We can remedy what you’re doing incorrectly and guarantee you have a solid batting stance by recognizing the most prevalent errors.
- Starting 50-50 is not a good idea.
It all comes down to where you put your body weight in your stance. We discussed how or when to shift your pressure to the back foot—while maintaining your front foot planted. It is correct, but you should ensure that the weight is spread reasonably equally across your body.
It will be tough to shift your weight forward in time to contact the ball if you have too much weight on your back leg. Likewise, it won’t be easy to generate a great deal of power in the swing if you put much more weight on your front leg.
The majority of batters who commit this error put too much weight on the back leg. Again, looking at the back knee is the most excellent method to know when you’re doing it. When the back knee is situated over your back foot, you’ve transferred the weight too far to the back.
- Keeping your head behind the center is a bad idea.
Ensure that the body is in a straight line from top to bottom. You wouldn’t want your upper body to become too far forward or backward from your bottom body. It will throw the balance off. Also, ensure your chin, nose, and eyes are aligned with the belly button.
Verify whether you’re aligning your body appropriately. When players are too further behind, you’ll begin in a terrible posture and have to “work uphill” when you swing. It is because, in most circumstances, the front shoulder will be higher than the back shoulder.
- Getting The Front Heel Off the Ground.
Several batters prefer to begin by lifting the front wheel off the ground. They believe that this will assist them in filling up before the pitch arrives. In actuality, this makes it much more challenging to load effectively and throws the balance off significantly.
You’ll see that if you lift the front wheel off the ground even a little. The weight moves back significantly in the stance. As we’ve already discussed, it’s not a positive idea. However, lifting the front wheel off the ground is the most comfortable place for you.
You will have to be mindful of this natural weight movement. Put it another way, and it’s OK to lift the front wheel off the ground as long as you bear in mind that you’ll have to move part of the weight to the front.
Takeaway
Unless you’re having difficulties making contact or feeling off-balanced after setting your stance, check out these common stance errors for you to determine if you’re committing one. You will be able to change your posture effortlessly. For you to offer yourself the best chance of making effective contact after that.
