Mastering Batting: Practice Methods and Key Points to Prevent Opening Up Explained in Detail!
In batting, to effectively hit breaking balls and transfer all your power to the ball, you need to delay opening your body as much as possible. For those struggling with batting, understanding body opening is crucial.
This article clearly explains the benefits of preventing early body opening and introduces specific practice methods to correct it. If you're struggling with batting, please use this as a reference.
[About the Author of This Blog]
Minoru Hirohata, CEO of Amazing Inc., known as Minoruman
Played for strong teams: Hirakata Boys - Osaka Toin High School - Asia University - JR Tokai
Won the Giants Cup and served as captain during his time at Osaka Toin. Experienced victory in the Meiji Jingu Tournament.
A pioneer in baseball instruction, boasting over 200,000 followers on YouTube and Instagram.
What does "opening the body" mean in batting?
In batting, "opening the body" refers to the premature opening of your shoulders and hips towards the ball during your swing.
Of course, your body will eventually open, but delaying this opening until the last possible moment offers benefits such as transferring more power to the ball and increasing its distance.
If you're unsure whether you're opening your body too early, review your batting form. Check where your chest and navel are pointing when you go to hit the ball.
If your chest is facing the pitcher, that indicates your "body is opening." The ideal state, allowing you to transfer power efficiently and respond to breaking balls, is for your chest and navel to be facing home plate until impact.
What causes the body to open too early?
There are five main reasons why your body might open too early:
・Tensing up to hit the ball far
・Stepping foot opening too wide
・Swinging primarily with the upper body
・Being forced to anticipate inside pitches due to pitching strategy
・Being thrown off-timing
To achieve consistent results, the key is to maintain your normal swing. Specifically, "tensing up to hit the ball far," "stepping foot opening too wide," and "swinging primarily with the upper body" can be improved through daily practice. Focus on these points in your training.
Also, analyze your own form and pinpoint at what stage of your batting swing your body opens. Confronting your batting form is the first step to correcting early body opening.
Impact of opening the body too early
Opening your body too early leads to consequences such as "decreased ball flight distance" and "reduced sweet spot area." Let's look at each in more detail below.
Additionally, the video below introduces batting techniques by a former Japan national team player to prevent early body opening. If you're interested, please watch it.
The ball won't travel as far
If your body opens too early, the power from your lower body escapes, preventing the ball from traveling far. Furthermore, your swing path becomes an outside-in trajectory (swinging the bat down from the outside to the inside), leading to many negative effects such as the bat head not accelerating or being off-timing.
Many people might have wondered, "How can Softbank Hawks' outfielder Yanagita hit a home run when his balance is so off?" Yanagita can hit the ball far because he resists opening his body, even when his timing is disrupted.
Reduced sweet spot area
Batters whose bodies open too early often lead with their right shoulder if they are right-handed, and their left shoulder if they are left-handed.
Swinging in this manner inadvertently leads to a downward swing. As a result, the sweet spot area is reduced, forcing the batter to hit the ball at a single point rather than along a line.
As pitchers' skill levels increase, their fastball speed, breaking ball variety, and sharpness improve, making it difficult to achieve consistent results with a point-hitting swing.
By mastering a lower-body-driven swing and preventing early body opening, you can achieve a swing trajectory that hits the ball along a line. To compete with high-level pitchers, aim to acquire a linear swing path.
3 practice methods to prevent early body opening
Many people wonder how to correct early body opening.
Here, we introduce three practice methods to correct early body opening. The practice methods described below are effective for preventing early body opening. However, correcting early body opening is not something that can be achieved overnight.
Consistency is key to correction, so persevere with your efforts.
Using an "empty can"
A recommended practice method to prevent early body opening is to use an "empty can." This practice is simple: just swing while stepping on an empty can with the heel of your pitcher-side foot. This physiologically prevents your knee from opening.
A common characteristic of players who open their body too early is that they fail to create a "wall" with their pitcher-side foot. By using an empty can, you can create a wall in front of your foot without consciously trying.
Incorporate this method into your dry swings and tee batting to teach your body a swing that keeps your lower body from opening. Repetitive practice is, of course, important, so make it a routine before batting practice to develop a feel for creating this "wall."
Using a "stick"
Practice methods utilizing two sticks can also be very effective. This practice method is introduced in the video below.
Set up two parallel sticks in front of and behind you in your batting stance. Imagine these two sticks as a "bridge" or a "narrow path."
In this cramped hitting situation, practice swinging the bat while keeping your chest facing home plate as much as possible. First, check your form with dry swings, and once you're comfortable, try hitting actual balls with tee batting.
If you watch the video above, you'll see that even with a cramped hitting motion, the bat head is accelerating.
For both inside and outside pitches, the swing trajectory is the same; only the point of contact with the ball differs. When swinging, also focus on the point of contact with the ball.
Refine toss batting
An effective practice method for preventing early body opening is to hit balls tossed from behind your back.
For right-handed batters, it's common to have the ball tossed from the first base side, but to prevent early body opening, the ball is tossed from behind the back.
Take a strong stride and hit the ball coming from behind you to the opposite field. If you open your body too early, the ball will hit the person tossing it, creating a sense of tension during practice.
This practice not only corrects early body opening but also helps you develop the feel for hitting outside breaking balls by staying inside them and hitting strong balls to the opposite field.
What to focus on to prevent early body opening
To prevent early body opening, it's also important to stand at the plate relaxed. Everyone in baseball wants to hit the ball far and deliver results in scoring opportunities.
However, approaching the plate with this mindset can lead to tensing up, which causes early body opening.
Establish a routine that helps you relax and set up without tension when you step into the batter's box.
If you're tense from the start of your stance, you won't be able to swing smoothly, leading to early body opening. At the plate, strategic interaction with the pitcher is crucial. Focus on competing with the pitcher by entering the batter's box with a simple mindset and relaxed.
Summary
The problem of early body opening in batting is a common challenge faced by many players. Implement the methods described in this article to prevent early body opening and practice repeatedly to achieve your ideal swing.
If you're thinking, "I want to practice more effectively," then "TSUMADACHI" is highly recommended. This item can correct "heel-dominant posture," the biggest cause of "early body opening," in just 10 seconds before you step into the batter's box.
It's an item that will be widely useful from daily practice to games, so if you're struggling with early body opening, be sure to give it a try.
