Generic Thoughts: Timing
Had a really insightful conversation this weekend in regards to timing so I thought I would synthesize my thoughts and a give a few observations.
It is all too common for me to hear hitting coaches refer to themselves as a coach that teaches “timing”. As many other topics in hitting, timing is a very ambiguous term. Typically, when you ask hitters “what does timing mean to you”, the answer you get it “I just gotta get my foot down on time”. This response is often created by the multitude of times their third base coach has shouted “get your foot down” or “be on time” or “wait on it”. Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple, however, timing is important. In fact, I would argue that everything you do as a hitting coach should lead back to timing.
I have a bunch of thoughts so lets start in the beginning.
As a hitter how you prepare will often dictate how successful you are in the box. The time you have leading up to your at bat is critical, you’re reviewing your plan, getting loose, but most importantly, you’re establishing your timing. Here is a good video.
The first time I went to a big league game I was fascinated with each hitter and their on deck routine. Rarely did I see a guy swing, literally they were creating what I like to call “timestamps” or “landmarks”. They are watching the pitcher, and figuring out “when do I need to start my move to be on time”.
The interesting part of “when do I need to start my move” is different for all hitters. Some hitters have what I call a “one piece move” (these are guys like Betts, Babe Ruth, Bregman etc). Hitters that just have one move forward, they preset and go. Other hitters have what I refer to as a “two piece move” (these are guys like Harper, Chipper Jones, Gleybar). Hitters that typically have a move to get “skinny” (kick, tap, hover) and then they move forward.
Again, the when do I start part is so important. Lantz Wheeler gives a nice analogy in this video.
Essentially, if you don’t crush the first move and make it in time, everything down stream is a compensation, it’s rushed. A rushed swing is a bad swing.
So above I mentioned “timestamps” or “landmarks” or “checkpoints”. These are moves that the pitcher makes that tells me when I need to move. Remember every move you make as a hitter has a time value, it takes up time. The first “checkpoint” for most “two piece move hitters” is a pitchers first move down the mound or in softball when they start their forward move in the circle. “When I move you move” (@bigrockhawk quote). The videos below are “two piece moves”
Below is a video of a “one piece move”. You’ll notice she starts her move much later due to the lack of time needed to get to the top.
Just to review, the first “timing checkpoint” is to identify when do I need to start my move to be on time for the “second checkpoint” (talk about next)
The second “checkpoint” or “landmark” for a hitter is being at the top of their move at the pitchers release in baseball and at the pitchers “3 O’ Clock” in softball (will explain).
Being ready at release means we have established a connection the rear glute (essential for controlling the stride), we have hopefully established a connection in the rear heel to the ground, and we are ready to move forward.
In both of the videos you can see the hitter at the top of her move when the pitchers arm is at “3 O’ Clock”. This is the hitter “building in time”. Both of the hitters will have plenty of time to move forward with quiet eyes, adjust posture, and begin to create their window to launch their swing. This is a mechanical advantage, starting this early requires control, constant movement under constant control.
A huge piece of this is creating a move that is accessible and stable. If your move requires a lot of time and a guy slide steps you , well.. Goodluck.
Prior to coaching exclusively softball, I used to do a drill with baseball guys that they called the “Cueto drill”. Can see that here.
Making sure you hit these “checkpoints” prior to release is a huge unlock for a hitter. Not only will it increase your velo ceiling but will also create a larger decision window.
The whole point of “loading” or “gathering” is making sure your body is in an optimal position to read the pitch, make a decision, and launch the swing with ideal direction and speed. The earlier you can start the bigger these windows are.
Being able to start this early requires a move that is stable and allows you to be able to control your forward advance. I have written about this before, can see how that works in previous blogs.
Side note as it pertains to your forward advance. I see A LOT of coaches teaching what I call “stack and read”. Essentially a hover move or a lift where the hitter is reading the incoming pitch still stuck over their rear leg. This is a SURE way to #1 get blown up #2 create poor direction #3 have a huge hole at the top of the zone. Adjustability to off-speed pitches (at the highest level) isn’t about delaying front foot strike or “riding it out”. We have to land on the firm and use our lead leg or another mechanism to adjust. Here is a AWESOME video of Trevor Story in the off-season that demonstrates this.
One is firm and one is soft, notice the lack of variance in the stride. There is adjustability present, but it doesn’t happen by lengthening the time the front foot is in the air. Here is more proof from Jerry Brewer. Snapped this from a youtube video of him talking about Nolan Arenado.
The second piece of timing is the obvious one: creating a bigger window or a larger margin for error. This is well documented.
The third component would be learning how to control your rotation or decelerate. This is another topic for another time but here is an EXCELLENT video of Bailey Hemphill hitting 2 home runs. You can see the launch, the entry, identical. The adjustability is built into her athleticism and her ability to use the ground to control her rotation. Adjustability is out front!
#Timing
