Hitting low pitches can be challenging. As coaches we sometimes instruct our pitchers to pitch low. How can we get our hitters to make solid contact on low pitches? The inside out swing may help.. Here is a reprint of an article by Jim Morris..Head Baseball Coach of
the University of Miami. This article on hitting low pitches can help us as coaches in youth baseball.
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Most hitters see a lot of low pitches in their career. We, as coaches stress to our pitchers to pitch to the hitters low. Yet low-inside and low-middle-of-the-plate pitches are feasted upon by hitters. A low and away pitch can get almost any hitter out.
Every swing should be an "inside-out swing" , keeping the hands inside the ball. Let us describe the inside out stroke. From a position where the hands start(even with the back shoulder), they reach a point that is halfway through the swing, what we call the point of adjustment. The back elbow is close to the back hip. The bat is parallel to the ground pointed back at the catcher.
To get to this point the hands have started from the "trigger" position. They do this on each swing regardless of the location of the pitch. When the pitswing reaches this halfway position, the hands are even between the waist and the armpit. The shoulders get the bat to the halfway positionand the top hand takes over to take the bat to the ball.
On the low inside pitch, the bat is almost in an inverted vertical position. Contact is made approximately a foot in front of the front leg. Too many hitters get their bat somewhat horizontal on this low and inside pitch, which results in swinging over the ball,pulling it foul, or fouling off the shin or ankle. On the low middle zone, the bat is about a 65 degree angle to the ground. Contact is made slightly in front of the front leg. The low and away pitch is contacted with the barrel of the bat at approximately 45 degrees to the ground. Contact is made opposite the back knee. The contact of the low and away pitch is the deepest of all the zones. The lower the pitch, the deeper into the zone the hitter lets it get.
There are two parts of the swing on the low pitch. There is the downstroke, and the upstroke. On the low pitch, the barrel travels downward then upward with the hitter following through high. The follow through position is much like a golf swing. You finish higher on your follow-through than on other zones. The point of contact on the low pitch is slightly on the up-stroke. If the hitter contacts the ball on the downswing, he beats the ball into the dirt. He may get a high bouncer that he beats out for a base hit, but that is about it. If the hitter contacts it too far out front on the upswing, a weak pop-up or fly ball results. Contacting the ball just after the apex of the downswing results in a well hit line drive.
It is very important on all pitches to look at the ball, but particularly at the low pitch, because this ball is further from the eyes vertically. The lower the pitch, the more the head goes down, and the more the chin is tucked in close to the chest. The chin starts close to the front shoulder in the initial stance, and finishes the swing on the back shoulder. At the point of contact the hitter should be looking down the back arm. The low-and-away pitch is the toughest to hit well for many hitters because it is farther from the eyes both vertically and horizontally.
As the hitter contacts the ball just past the apex of the downswing he should have good extension in the front arm. This extension gives the hitter excellent leverage to hit the ball a long way. If the front arm is not extended totally, the contact point is too deep. The hitter likely beats the ball into the ground.
Many coaches teach their hitters to break or bend down in the legs to get down to this low pitch. This is not a good technique. You can roll under or pop up low pitches as well as the high pitch. The hitter gets no powerout of his legs when he breaks down to hit the low pitch, swinging with the hands and arms only. Strong, firm legs equal power!
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