Bat Speed Express Report

Transcription

1 Bat Speed Express Report By Miles Noland Back heel to sky (See the video on the webpage below for a demonstration): So many hitters are taught squash the bug. The basis of energy starts with the lower half, and then moves upward. That is why we have a huge problem if we squash the bug, because this starts our energy flow moving in a circle. Yes, hitting is a rotational movement, but in our brain, we need to think of it in a linear way. Our whole goal in hitting is to hit the ball on the barrel. To give ourselves the best chance of hitting the ball on the barrel we must keep the barrel flat through the zone for as long as possible. To keep the barrel flat through the zone as long as possible we must first drive our back knee toward the pitcher in a straight line, and this causes the back heel to go to the sky. Doing this we gain ground toward the pitcher, and our energy flow is going toward where the ball is coming from, in a straight line. If we start off squashing the bug, our energy flow starts off moving in a circle, which causes our bat to be in and out of the zone quickly, creating less margin for error.

2 Squashing the bug is hard habit to break, but as a hitter we must understand the feeling of driving our backside forward, and specifically back knee to the pitcher. This is the difference between hitting above the ground, and hitting in the ground. We want to hit in the ground, because this gives us a firm base and allows us to create more kinetic energy, which produces more bat speed. A great drill to work on this is the Back Knee Through Drill. Put a ball on a tee, take your normal stance and load, and then swing. The same time you normally would get your back heel to the sky, you drive the back leg up off the ground and land it on the front side in front of your front foot. This will feel very strange and most hitters will have trouble doing this successfully when they first try. However, to do this correctly, hitters must hold the flex in the back knee (another good habit reinforced), and aggressively drive the back knee forward (exactly what we want). This exaggeration/overcorrect will help the hitter understand the feeling of what his back leg should be doing, and this will allow him get closer to the proper back foot/leg action in his swing. In other words, this will help him the habit that we want. Refer to to access all of the training videos and downloads associated with this product. Overload-Underload Training Overload-Underload Training is a training method that utilizes identical movements that one would encounter in his/her sport (swinging, throwing), only the resistance will be increased or decreased slightly.

3 Overload-Underload training works by replicating the exact motion that is used in the sport, there is a direct carry-over to the movement in the sport, which isn t always the case with traditional weight training. Simply put, using a resistance that is slightly above what one usually encounters increases strength. Using resistance that is slightly lighter increases movement speed and teaches the body (specifically the nervous system) how to fire at a quicker rate. When combined, the body learns how to become more powerful. Is there any scientific evidence to back up Overload-Underload training? Yes! There are around studies documenting the effectiveness of Overload- Underload training in baseball alone! Overload-Underload training has been used since the 70 s by Olympic athletes to increase running speed, swim speed, as well as discus, shot put, javelin, and the hammer throw. Here are two of the numerous scientific studies on Overload-Underload training if you would like to pursue more information. Coop DeRenne, Barton P. Buxton, Ronald K. Hetzler and Kwok W. Ho. 1995: Effects of Weighted Bat Implement Training on Bat Swing Velocity. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: Vol. 9, No. 4, pp Coop DeRenne, Barton P. Buxton, Ronald K. Hetzler and Kwok W. Ho. 1994: Effects of Under- and Overweighted Implement Training on Pitching Velocity. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: Vol. 8, No. 4, pp Is Overload-Underload Training safe, especially for younger kids? Overload-Underload Training is completely safe as long as the athlete is prepared for it.

4 Being prepared means that the athlete is ready to make swings at maximal speed. Younger athletes can definitely gain benefits from Overload- Underload training. How much can I realistically gain in 4-6 weeks? It is nearly impossible to predict how much improvement players will make on an individual basis. A professional hitter with a barrel velocity of 82 mph will have a lot less room to improve than, say, a high school freshman swinging 50 mph. The bottom line is all players will gain velocity (peak) or average, and most likely both. Most players should be able to make gains of 4 8 mph easily; however, that will again depend on age and skill level. The phrase "practice makes perfect" is often used by coaches, but in reality only perfect practice makes perfect. That means someone wishing to increase his bat speed must take each practice swing with perfect technique at game speed in order to have the hope of making noticeable improvements. To become fast and explosive, you must train to be fast and explosive. Quality always wins over quantity. A quick example would be looking at a marathon runner vs. a sprinter. A marathon runner runs for miles at a time in training. A sprinter runs a few short sprints. They are both running but the differences lie in a) intensity, b) volume of training, and c) rest intervals. Changing those 3 variables makes the outcome of the training drastically different. The take-home message is: if you want to throw faster, you need to practice throwing FAST.

5 If you want to increase your bat speed, you have to practice swinging as fast as possible with perfect mechanics. Information above on underload/overload training is referenced from my good friend and bat speed expert, Jon Davis. 1. So we know underload/overload training works, now how can we implement it? a.) Grab your game bat b.) Find a bat 5oz heavier than your game bat c.) Find a bat 5oz lighter than your game bat (any old bats work) If you want one bat that does everything (-5oz-20% less and +5oz-20% more), gives you the training program, and a bat speed radar, then go to 2. Whether you go get the Fast Bat from the link above or not, I am going to give you exact reps and sets you need in the inseason and offseason for you to make maximal bat speed gains. See the separate document Excel sheet that gives you the chart. I included a 4 week program for the offseason, and 4 week program for inseason, so you have everything done for you no matter what time of year you are in. Be sure to me at info.athletebaseball@gmail.com if you have any questions. Thank you. Miles Noland, CSCS, YFS, PN, MS P.S. If you would like a complete performance training program that will help your bat speed, throwing velocity, and running speed, visit

6 Conclusion It is important going forward to have an action plan. All the great information in the world won t matter if you do not take action. In the offseason I would recommend: 1. Working on your bat speed 3 times a week. Each workout would consist of: a.) Recommended (in provided Excel sheet) overload-underload swings first b.) Pick one drill and do 3 sets of 8 reps 2. Workout out 3 times a week: a.) Use the provided workout program and do exactly what it says b.) Limit fast food and eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, lean meats, and other protein sources. Eat healthier carb sources (whole wheat pasta, bread, sweet potatoes) if you want to gain weight. You can hit and workout on the same day, but I would recommend hitting before you workout, so your workout fatigue doesn t affect your hitting. If you put this program to use, I guarantee you will increase your bat speed and improve your game. Be sure to me with your success story! Be the best, Coach Miles