Loading Properly: The Key to an Efficient Swing

Hitting is one of the most debated topics in all of baseball. If you search any aspect of hitting you will get thousands upon thousands of resources talking about that topic. Today I will add to that collection of articles by going over one aspect of the swing that is very important, loading. Recently I watched the American Baseball Coaches Association Convention hitting presentation from one of the best coaches in the game of baseball currently, Monte Lee (Clemson University Head Coach). Within the presentaiton Coach Lee provided fantastic information on hitting, but there was one part of his presentation that was eye opening to me. It was his discussion of the load that forever changed how I will teach the load. 

What I once thought the load was is a lot different from how Coach Lee teaches the load. I thought the load was a slight shift of weight backward and then forward. When I go over what Coach Lee teaches, you will notice that it makes a lot more sense and promotes better timing, athleticism, and adjustability. Before I go over how to properly load, I will first go over what a hitter will need to do in order to have consistent success when loading. 

What the Hitter Needs to Do First

Before going into the load, a hitter will need to do a few things in order to be prepared to have success. The hitter will need to have a proper setup. The setup is an athletic position that is balanced throughout the load and forward move. The posture of the setup is as follows: the eyes are over the toes, weight is evenly distrubuted for balance, the hips are hinged, the shoulders and knees are squared off, and the eyes are level. Each of these aspects will allow for a smooth load and forward move so that the hitter can make a proper swing decision that goes into a smooth swing. 

The Load

The load starts in the hips. The hitter will hinge and load down into the back hip and then step forward with the front foot. When the front foot is going forward the knob of the bat should go back and be pointed at the catcher. At front foot strike the hitter should be at 50-50 balance and the front side is closed. After this, the hips will rotate and the back hand on the bat needs to get on path of the pitch to promote a north-south delivery of the bat. The north-south delivery of the bat promotes the opportunity for the hitter to get more baseballs on the barrel. An example of the load in action is the Javier Baez gif in the top of the post. A way to check for a proper load is to watch the belt line of the hitter. If the belt line goes straight forward to the pitcher then the load of the hitter is proper. 

When To Load

The load is important, but it is also important to understand when to start the load. When the pitcher's hand breaks that is when the hitter will start his load. The forward move of the hitter will start when the pitcher comes forward to deliver the pitch. If a hitter has a bigger load or forward move then the hitter will need to start sooner to be on time. If a hitter has a shorter load or forward move then he has the opportunity to start later to be on time. With all of this being said, the hitter will need to find the proper timing to consistently square up different pitches in different locations. 

In summation, this load will work for any stance or setup. All the player has to do is find the proper timing to execute the load and swing. This will take time to do, but it is worthwile to find the proper delivery of the momentum built up in the body into the swing of the bat.