The purpose of this drill is to develop a players proper hip rotation of their swing and good balance. Equipment needed would be a bat and a helmet. The setup of this drill can be carried out either as a group with no bats or as a batting practice station.
The execution of the drill involves the hitter placing their bat behind his back, holding it with both his arms between his bicep and forearm . It is necessary that the barrel of the bat should positioned to face the catcher. Then, they should have the player take his normal stance with the bat behind their back. It is the duty of the coach to then simulate a windup and then deliver an imaginary pitch. The coach is then required to yell outside or inside as he delivers the pitch.
Then, the respective hitter will take the normal coil, stride, and rotate his or her hips open. The hitter will be required to rotate his or her hips open even farther on an inside pitch as compared to an outside pitch. The coach should have each player focus on having their back hip driving the entire rotation. The key aspect of this drill is rotation, as many players wrongly misinterpret rotation for driving forward toward the pitcher. The players transfer their weight, but their back foot needs to be still and firmly contacting the ground.
Things to look for in this particular drill are that, the players need to rotate their hips farther on an inside pitch. It is vital that the hips rotate on a level plane. The player should never lean forward over the plate or back away. It is necessary for the player to pivot their back foot in order to have a good hip rotation. Lastly, they should land on stiffly on their front leg. Often, it is natural for a player to bend his front knee in order to maintain their balance.
