Hitting habits usually begin at a very young age. For this 

reason, here are the "7 Deadly Misconceptions in Hitting".

Stay away from these!!!!!!!!!

Misconception #1 - Swing Level - The fact is that one of the

worst mistakes a hitter can make is trying to keep the bat level

as he goes to the pitch.  The pitcher is throwing the ball from the mound

which is higher than that of the batter.  The ball will travel slightly downward

across the plate, therefore the bat should have an slight upward motion on

the same plain as the ball.

#2 - Get The Back Elbow Up - If we had to throw a punch, 

would we have the elbow up? If so, it would NOT be an

effective punch. The elbow needs to support the hands.  Your arms and

hands should be kept in toward the body and not extend until after the

bat has contact with the ball.

#3 - Stay Back - The proper term here is not to stay back,

but to START BACK. We collect our weight on the backside. When

doing so, your front foot strides forward (not more than 6") before

batters hips rotate and weight is transfered to front foot.

#4 - Squish The Bug - The back foot should NOT "spin" on the ball

of the foot, the back foot should roll up on the back toe as the 

hips rotate (snap) toward the pitch.

#5 - Roll The Wrist - The correct way is when a hitter is in contact

with the ball, his top hand is in adduction (like a hammer) under the

bat, and it stays under the bat through extension. Does wrist roll occur?

Yes, when the bat is coming out of extension and is coming around to

the opposite shoulder at the completion of the stroke.

#6 - Get The Hands Away From The Body - This is incorrect! The

fact is that the hands require body support during the hitting stroke.

The farther the hands get away from the body, the weaker the stroke.

Keep your hands in for a shorter stroke which will cause the batter to

swing quicker.

#7 - Stride In The Direction Of The Pitch - Stride in the same place

every time, directly ahead, with a 6 inch glide step. It is the

ROTATION of the hips, not the stride, that determines hitting the

inside and outside pitches and giving the batter a more powerful stroke.

The objective in hitting is to be quick with a compact stroke, making

full use of the body action (stride and hip rotation) to support the stroke.

GO TO THE LINK BELOW TO SEE THE HANDOUT OF THE STEPS IN THE POWER STROKE SWING!!!!!

//s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00078464/Joe-Brockhoffs-hitting-handout-1.pdf

 the second page of this form

 //s3.amazonaws.com/my.llfiles.com/00078464/Joe-Brockhoffs-hitting-handout-2.pdf

THIS WILL BE OUR FOCUS AT ALL LEVELS OF ABBY HEAT THIS YEAR.

LAST SEASON, OUR MAJOR TEAM AND 16U TEAM HAD PRACTICED THESE AND

WERE VERY SUCCESSFUL.

I HAVE VIDEOS AND INSTRUCTIONS ON THIS IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN VIEWING THEM.

YOU WILL NEED TO CHECK THEM OUT SUCH AS YOU WOULD AT A LIBRARY.