Hitting Program for an Explosive Swing

with Jay Johnson,
University of San Diego Hitting Coach

How can you take an aggressive / explosive swing every time at the plate? Jay Johnson shares the San Diego hitting drill progression designed to maximize consistency, strength and power in the swing.  

The first concept is the impact of seeing the baseball, as timing, pitch selection and the path of hands during the swing are all dictated by seeing the baseball.

The zone drill, including three zones, is taught to hitters at the plate. Drills include the colored ball tracking drill and the slider drill. Explosive hitting is developed with three drills; backhand catch, torque drill with tee and the uphill tee drill. Balance and timing are added to the most important areas of hitting.

Johnson demonstrates the bounce drill where the baseball is bounced off the ground before hitting. The hands are also important in hitting, and the short bat drill places emphasis on taking the batter's hands directly to the pitch. Angle hitting and angle screen are two hitting drills that help create a compact swing, and the "Smoke the Cones" drill helps develop hits to center.

40 minutes. 2007.