*He sets up in the box with a balanced base, hands up in a strong position, and both eyes on the pitcher.
*Looks stiff in the box. Will benefit from creating flow and tempo in the box by swaying his body, wiggling his fingers, or tapping his front foot, etc to keep him loose and to consistently stay in rhythm with the pitcher.
*Rhythm with the pitcher is inconsistent and timing is late. The pitch has been released and his front foot is still in the ground. Focus on loading/coiling early into the back leg/hip as the pitcher breaks his hands to create rhythm with the pitcher. Slowly stride forward, maintaining the weight on the inside of the back leg, as the pitcher’s arm comes forward to release the pitch, creating consistent timing.
*He is standing too tall/upright as he turns, disconnecting from his lower half and the ground. Focus on creating and maintaining posture by hinging at his hips and keeping his chest tilted over his legs as his front lands.
*Not creating and maintaining athletic posture also affects his swing path causing the barrel to come up and off the ball instead of staying behind and through it. Focus on presetting the hinge in his stance by tilting his chest slightly forward over his legs/ground. His rear end should slightly poke out. Knees will slightly bend. He can also start tall and then hinge at the hips, and coil/load in one smooth motion to create the same athletic posture. As he turns, maintain athletic posture by keeping his chest tilted over his rear leg and turning his back shoulder to the height of the incoming pitch.
*Gets stuck in his back leg/hip due to not releasing and peeling his back heel off the ground to start his swing. Focus on turning on the inside of the rear big toe to peel the heel off the ground to begin the swing by rotating the back leg. Through contact and the finish, the top of his back shoe should face the pitcher, the sole of his back shoe should face the catcher, while his rear end faces the catcher. This will allow him to free up his hips to more powerfully rotate, stay balanced, producing more speed and rotational power.
*His swing is out of sequence. He is starting his swing as his front foot lands, instead of creating stretch/separation by keeping the rear elbow and hands back as the front foot lands. Back elbow is down before the back leg turns. His rear elbow should be slightly pulled back behind his spine, so his hands are hiding behind his helmet. Focus on leading the swing with the back leg as the elbow/hands stay pulled back. The rear elbow should slot against his rib cage as his swing begins, allowing the barrel to turn behind the rear shoulder, hiding behind the body as the lower half and trunk lead the swing. This will promote proper sequencing up the kinetic chain, as his hands and bat stay back, the lower half/back leg starts the swing, and will powerfully whip the barrel through the zone. Proper sequencing also creates more depth for the barrel to turn behind the ball, get on plane with the pitch earlier, creating more accuracy and speed, resulting in a whippy turn of the barrel allowing him to consistently barrel baseballs to all fields with more power.
*Head tends to come up at contact. Focus on consistently keeping his head down through contact, eyes behind the barrel, and eyes down on home plate through the follow-through. This will help maintain posture, maintain balance, and maintain vision to consistently produce consistent, quality contact.
*Back foot tends to collapse onto the heel as he finishes his swing, causing him to lose his balance and reduce his rotational quickness. Focus on keeping his back heel off the ground through contact and the finish. The top of his back shoe should face the pitcher, sole of his back shoe should face the catcher, while his rear end faces the catcher. This will allow him to free up his hips to more powerfully rotate, producing more speed, improved rotational power, and consistent balance through the swing and follow through.
*Tends to finish his swing more upright instead of staying back. At the point of contact, focus on staying back and balanced by keeping his chest behind his belt buckle, back leg bent at a 90-degree angle, while maintaining a firm front leg through contact and the follow-through. This will help him stay back, creating more space to turn behind the ball, producing more leverage and power.