Rotational Hitting 101

11/13/2007

As a kid, I loved the game of baseball but was never a great player. While some of my problems were admittedly due to a lack of talent -- and my not wanting to wear my glasses -- many were due to poor instruction.
     I was never taught to do what great hitters do.
     Now that I have kids of my own, I have resolved to teach them better than I was taught. That means teaching them the Major League Swing.

Linear Hitting vs. Rotational Hitting

In studying hitting, I have come to find that there are two fairly distinct schools of thought or philosophies: Linear Hitting and Rotational Hitting. In my experience, Linear Hitting is what most people are taught -- it's what I was taught -- and Rotational Hitting is what most major league hitters actually do. In other words, Rotational Hitting best describes the Major League Swing.
     I explain the differences between the two schools of thought in detail in an essay entitled Rotational Hitting vs. Linear Hitting: What's The Key Difference? However, let me touch upon those difference briefly here.

Linear Hitting

While many people disagree about exactly what Linear Hitting is, when I think of Linear Hitting I think of an approach to hitting that is focused on generating power with the arms, wrists, and hands. The idea is to swing with the arms and hands to maximize the time the head of the bat spends in the contact zone.
     One defining cue of the philosophy of Linear Hitting is that you should make the "Power V" at the point of contact. That's what I was taught, and that is the cue that ruined my swing. Other defining characteristics of Linear Hitting are cues like...

     - Throw the hands at the ball
     - Bring the knob of the bat to the ball
     - Extend through the point of contact
     - Swing down on the ball

The hips of Linear hitters also tend to keep moving (aka sliding) forward toward the pitcher after the front heel drops.
    The clip below is an example of what proponents of Linear Hitting want their students to do. Notice how the batter is taking his hands to the ball in a linear fashion.

Hands To The Ball

The general idea behind Linear Hitting is to just make contact with the ball and hope it gets through the infield. The problem that I have with Linear Hitting is that, in my experience while it sometimes works, it doesn't scale. In general, it only works until maybe 4th grade or so when infielders can make most routine plays. Yes, it worked to a degree in the big leagues in the 70s and 80s when infields were covered with slick Astroturf surfaces, but it does not work on grass or dirt infields.
     I do not believe in teaching kids a swing that they will have to abandon at some point as they get older, which is why I am not a fan of Linear Hitting.

Rotational Hitting

In contrast, Rotational Hitting is about learning to power the swing with the entire body rather than just the arms and hands. The idea is to use the large muscles of the legs and lower torso to drive the head of the bat and thus the ball. While a Rotational swing will sometimes result in Home Runs, the idea is to just hit the ball solidly and hard, since a hard-hit ball -- even if it is hit on the ground -- is harder to make a play on. The leading advocates of the Rotational Hitting approach, and the Major League Swing, are Steve Englishbey, Jack Mankin, and Mike Epstein. Rotational Hitting describes the swings of most major league hitters, including Albert Pujols.

Albert Pujols' Swing

A few major league hitters do not always swing in accordance with the principles of rotational hitting. For example, Ichiro Suzuki tends to try to slap the ball into the ground and tries to beat out the throw. Vladimir Guerrero will swing at anything, regardless of its location. However his home run swings tend to be fairly rotational. The vast majority of major league hitters (e.g. 95+ percent) swing in a way that could be described as Rotational Hitting.

First Principles Of Rotational Hitting

In order to understand Rotational Hitting, you have to understand the first principles that serve as its foundation. These first principles are...

     - Posture
     - Connection
     - Rotation

The way to remember these principles is with the abbreviation PCR.

Posture

The idea behind the principle of Posture is that a hitter must assume an athletic stance before swinging because this enables them to swing with their entire body and not just their arms. In general, an athletic stance means...

     - Feet apart
     - Knees bent
     - Tilting forward at the waist (e.g. butt out slightly)
     - Hands back by the back shoulder

The photo below of Albert Pujols is a good example of proper Posture.

Albert Pujols at Setup

It is almost impossible to swing with your entire body, and not just your arms, if you are standing erect with your feet close together and your knees pretty much locked.

Connection

The principle of Connection is probably the one that most clearly differentiates Rotational Hitting from Linear Hitting. The idea behind the principle of Connection is that the ideal swing is compact, rather than arm-y, at the point of contact because this maximizes the rate at which the shoulders can rotate. In a well-connected swing, at the point of contact the hands are turning with the shoulders rather than flying away from the body toward the ball and the pitcher or dragging behind the shoulders as happens in a swing afflicted with bat drag.
     You can see the principle of connection at work in the swings of power hitters like Ryan Howard.

Ryan Howard Demonstrating Connection

Notice how Ryan Howard's hands are are connected to, and turning with, his back shoulder. Also, his back elbow is relatively close to his side.
     You can also see the principle of connection at work in the better swings of contact hitters like David Eckstein.

David Eckstein Demonstrating Connection

Again, notice how David Eckstein's hands are turning with his back shoulder at the point of contact and his back elbow is relatively close to his side.

Rotation

The idea behind the principle of Rotation is that the swing is powered by the rotation of the body -- and in particular the hips and torso -- not by the movement of the arms, wrists, or hands. While the arms, wrists, and hands are important, their job is to help funnel, direct, and manage the force that is generated by the body rather than to create much force.

Albert Pujols Demonstrating Rotation

The photo above of Albert Pujols is a great example of what good Rotation looks like. Notice that his hips have stopped moving forward and have rotated 90 degrees, due in part to the stiffening of his front leg. Notice how the rapid rotation of Albert Pujols' torso has pulled him up onto the toe of his back foot. In some cases Albert Pujols' back toe is completely off the ground at the Point Of Contact. Also, notice how Albert Pujols' back knee is bent 90 degrees at the Point Of Contact, which is an indication of the the rapid Rotation of his hips.

Related Principles Of Rotational Hitting

The PCR principles are the first and primary principles of Rotational Hitting, but they are backed up by a number of other, related principles that help to explain the philosophy.

Tilt

The principle of Tilt is related to the principles of Posture and Connection. The principle of Tilt states that in order to hit pitches in different locations, but still stay connected, a good hitter will vary the tilt of their upper body in order to cover the entire plate.

Fernando Seguignol Demonstrating Tilt

The photo above of Fernando Seguignol, which is of a home run swing, shows how he stays relatively upright due to the up-and-in location of the pitch. As a result, he is tilted over the plate only slightly and his back elbow is still at his side at the Point Of Contact.

Carlos Delgado Demonstrating Tilt

In contrast, in the photo above of Carlos Delgado hitting a home run, the pitch is low and away. As a result, he has to tilt out over the plate in order to reach the pitch. Delgado has also let his back elbow come away from his side (so that his back upper arm is vertical). However, the fact that his back elbow is still bent 90 degrees means that he is still connected.

Circular Hand Path

If the hands are connected to, and rotating with the back shoulder, then when viewed from above a hitter will exhibit a circular hand path, not a linear hand path.

Pete Rose's Circular Hand Path

As you can see in the photo above of Pete Rose, his hands maintain the same position relative to his back shoulder as his shoulders turn. This helps him stay compact, maximizes the rate at which his shoulders rotate, and keeps his swing from getting too long and becoming afflicted with bat drag.

Separation

The thing that powers the rotation of a major league swing is the separation of the hips and shoulders. A power hitter's hips rotate (slightly) ahead of his shoulders. As with pitchers, this stretches the muscles of the torso and enables them to powerfully pull the shoulders around. Greater degrees of Separation is one of things that distinguishes contact hitters from power hitters.

Matt Holliday Demonstrating Separation

The photo above of Matt Holliday hitting a home run is a good example of separation in action. Notice how his hips are rotating ahead of his shoulders. This will help pull his shoulders around and increase his bat speed.

Middle Out

A rotational swing is neither Top-Down (from the shoulders) nor Bottom-Up (from the feet). Instead, a rotational swing is best described as Middle-Out. The rotation of the hips, facilitated by the stiffening of the front knee, drives the rotation of the shoulders, hands, and bat. The rotation of the hips also pulls a rotational hitter up onto their back toe.

The Role Of The Stride

One thing that people often misunderstand is the purpose of the stride. Advocates of Linear Hitting tend to believe that the stride serves as a source of power in and of itself. As a result, they want their hitters to keep moving their Center Of Mass (e.g. their hips) forward through the point of contact. while this approach obviously worked for guys like Roberto Clemente in the past, and works for Ichiro Suzuki today, very few people have the strength or coordination required to make it work for them.
     A strategy that works better for most people, and that is used by most major leaguers, is to stride -- or in the case of Albert Pujols to shift one's weight -- forward to a degree and to use the momentum generated by the stride and/or weight shift to help power the rotation of the hips. When looking at a guy like Albert Pujols, notice how he strides forward into his bent front leg and then stiffens his front knee as he starts to swing. This pushes his hips around, which then pulls around his torso, shoulder, hands, and bat. However, one thing to notice is how short his stride is. In most cases, the stride of a major league hitter is in the order or 6 inches.

The Role Of The Hands

The role of the hands is probably the most hotly debated subject when it comes to Rotational Hitting, and to be honest I haven't yet made up my mind in terms of where I stand. Some people will tell you that the hands play no role in the swing; that they are just along for the ride. Others will tell you that the hands play a critical role in the swing.
     At the moment, I am of the opinion that the hands (and arms) are more important in terms of making adjustments to the position of the head of the bat than they are to the generation of significant power.
     However, my mind is still open.

What A Major League Swing
(Actually) Looks Like

Now that you understand the basic principles behind Rotational Hitting, let me explain these principles in more detail using a number of frames from a single swing by Albert Pujols.

Setup

In the photo below, notice how Albert Pujols has taken an athletic stance. His feet are spread apart for balance, his knees are bent, his butt is sticking out, his torso is tilting over the plate slightly, and his hands are back.

Albert Pujols - Frame 1

Load

As the pitcher begins his delivery, Albert Pujols reverse-rotates his shoulders slightly and takes the wait off of his front foot by lifting his front heel off the ground. As with a golfer's backswing, this helps to stretch the muscles of his torso and will help him to powerfully swing the bat (if he decides to do so).

Albert Pujols - Frame 13

Shift

In order to help maximize the rate at which his hips -- and thus his entire torso -- will rotate, before starting his swing Albert Pujols shifts his weight forward 6 or so inches.

Albert Pujols - Frame 18

Swing

Once he has decided to swing at the pitch, Albert Pujols does a number of things to get the head of the bat into the path of the ball.
     First, he stiffens his front knee, which causes his hips to stop moving forward and to start rotating. This then causes his torso and shoulders to start rotating. At the same time, he drops his back knee, which helps his hips to rotate. Notice that, rather than squishing the bug, at the Point Of Contact Albert Pujols' back knee is bent roughly 90 degrees and his back toe is actually up in the air. Rather than being on his back foot, at the Point Of Contact all of Albert Pujols' weight is actually on his front foot (but behind it). Also, Albert Pujols does not push off of his back foot to get to this position. Instead, he is pulled onto his back toe by the rotation of his hips.
     Second, Albert Pujols tilts over the plate in order to be able to reach pitches that are low and/or over the outside part of the plate.
     Third, and most importantly, at the Point Of Contact Albert Pujols' hands are still connected to, and rotating with, his body rather than being driven toward the pitcher or dragging behind his elbows as happens in a swing afflicted with bat drag. Albert Pujols' back elbow is still by his side, and his back upper arm is close to vertical, as a result. Only after the Point Of Contact do Albert Pujols' hands start to move directly toward the pitcher.

Albert Pujols - Frame 23

Finish

After making contact with the ball, Albert Pujols finishes his swing by letting go of the bat with his bottom hand and letting the bat come around behind him. I like that he does this because it guarantees that the head of the bat is accelerating through the point of contact. Hitters who do not finish with the bat all the way behind them often run the risk of cutting their swing short, which means that the head of the bat is decelerating, rather than accelerating, through the point of contact. This can hurt their bat speed and limit their power.

Albert Pujols - Frame 35

Problematic Cues And Advice

Now let's look at some common, but problematic, hitting cues in the context of the swing I discussed above.

Squish The Bug

Many instructors teach squishing the bug during the swing (and at the Point Of Contact). They want them to put their weight on their back foot and rotate around on their back toe. While this is a cue that can be of some value, because it helps a hitter to learn to swing with their hips, it's not what Albert Pujols does.

Albert Pujols - Frame 23

As the photo above shows, at the Point Of Contact Albert Pujols' back toe is actually up in the air.

Alex Rodriguez - Home Run

You often see the same thing in the swings of other major leaguers. For example, above is a photo of Alex Rodriguez hitting a home run. Notice how his back toe is entirely off the ground at the Point Of Contact, rather than squishing the bug.

Albert Pujols - Frame 30

Well after the point of contact, Albert Pujols does assume a position that resembles what some describe as "squishing the bug", with most of his weight on his back foot. However, this is due to his momentum transfer and his Center Of Mass "bouncing" off of his stiff front leg. Albert Pujols is clearly not in this position as he rotates through the Point Of Contact.

Make The Power V At The Point Of Contact

As with squishing the bug, making the Power V is something that Albert Pujols does do, but not until well after the point of contact.

Albert Pujols - Frame 23

Although it's a little hard to see in the frame above, rather than having his arms fully extended at the Point Of Contact, Albert Pujols' back elbow is usually bent around 90 degrees.

Albert Pujols - Home Run

That is easier to see in the photo above of a home run swing by Albert Pujols.

Albert Pujols - Frame 26

When working with hitters, I do not teach them to make the Power V because I think the Power V is the effect of a powerful swing, not the cause of a powerful swing. The mass of the bat pulls the hitter's hands out away from his body and into the Power V, but after the point of contact.

Push Off The Back Foot

Recently, I was working with another coach teaching our 7 year-olds how to hit. At one point, he told a boy who was lunging forward, "Keep your back foot on the ground so you can push off of it". The problem with this (fairly common) piece of advice is that it's wrong; it's not what great hitters like Albert Pujols do.

Albert Pujols - Frame 21

If Albert Pujols pushed off of his back foot, then you would see that in photos of his swing; you would see his shoe crease near the toe as he pushed off with his back foot. However, what you see in photos of Albert Pujols is that the sole of his shoe stays straight through the Point Of Contact, which means that he is pulled up onto his back toe (by the straightening of his front knee and the rotation of his hips) rather than pushing off of it.

Where To Go From Here

First, I have started a hitting blog that discusses my approach to teaching hitting. As with my pitching mechanics blog, I try to illustrate all of my points with lots of photos of major leaguers. Second, I have written an essay in which I break down Albert Pujols' swing. Third, I have put together a number of analyses of major league swings, including analyses of...

     - Albert Pujols' Home Run Swing
     - Albert Pujols' Single Swing
     - Tony Gwynn's swing

I have also put together a page full of photos of Albert Pujols' swing and a separate page that contains my favorite examples of swings.

Acknowledgements

While I have developed some of this material on my own, I have learned most of it as a result of being a participant in the excellent Baseball 101 forum on Baseball-Fever.com.