Advanced Batting Technique: Stance

Anyone coaching or spending time batting knows that even slight changes to stance, hands spacing, and positioning of weight can make the difference between a fowl and over second base home run. One of the basics that players should be paying keen attention to is stance.

For the most part, there are three general types of stances in the batter's box. While you will see the professionals do all kinds of crazy things, this is only after nearly twenty years of doing the basics. Also, if you are in the majors and doing well, you can keep on doing it. If you aren't yet on the Yankee's starting lineup, keep reading.

The most commonly taught stance to beginners is the neutral stance where both feet are square to the plate, less than shoulder width pre-pitch and shoulder width post-pitch. This stance allows the most comfortable look at the pitcher without straining yourself. If you can see a video of Ken Griffey, Jr. hitting, he is a perfect example of a neutral stance.

The second stance is the closed stance where the foot closest to the pitcher's mound is placed slightly closer to home plate. A general guide is that the heel of the front foot is in line with the toes of the back foot. Tony Gwynn is a good example of this stance. Also, many neutral standers, when wanting to hit deep left or right will vary their stance to this position. This will work until the player reaches a more advanced level where other players will recognize this and move to exactly where he is broadcasting he is going to hit.

The open stance is rare if you can find a video of Jay Buhner, he is one of the few examples in the MLB of this. Here the foot closest to the mound is pulled away from the plate. The back foot is close to the catcher and the front foot's toes are about six inches to the left or right of the back foot (reverse of the closed stance).

One of the best ways to find what stance works best for you is the use of pitching machines. Using a live pitcher will vary the types of throws and you can't be sure if you can just hit a fast ball or slow ball or curve better, or if it is your stance. Baseball pitching machines allow for a consistent throw at a consistent speed, so you can eliminate all factors aside from the one you are studying. Many times, new players will find a closed or open stance will force them to hit the ball to the left or right more severely than a neutral stance. Since there are always flukes, its best to have them stand in one stance and try 10 to 20 pitches and take the average. In other words, if there were a few strikes, a few fouls but a majority flew over second base, you should assume that stance is most effective for a second base hit. If another stance results in 3 homeruns but 7 strikes, that is probably not the stance the player should make permanent.

Cick here to shop for pitching machines!