Slow Pitch Softball Swing Mechanics - Part II : Stride

Because stride is the first movement in the swing, it's critical that the stride is performed properly. Stride is an often misunderstood and misapplied mechanic, especially in slow pitch softball. The ball comes to the hitter so slowly that it prompts many players to stride early and take a giant step towards the pitch. This results in an unbalanced lower-half and robs the hitter of both power and bat control. Learning the proper stride mechanic, especially when coupled with a good stance, ensures that your lower half stays balanced, solid and strong.

Stride is a LINEAR movement towards the pitcher coupled with a weight transfer from the back foot to the front foot. Justin Stone, Chicago White Sox hitting instructor, explains and demonstrates proper baseball stride in this excellent video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G64piLqP3oA

The application of Justin's techniques are different in slow pitch softball because of the massive difference in pitch speed. In baseball, the stride is a quick weight transfer to facilitate a quick bat through the hitting zone. In slow pitch softball, the time spent in the stride is much longer, and we have to load and transfer weight more deliberately as we wait for the pitch to arc into the zone. As you begin your stride, load weight into the back foot and lift the front foot off the ground. Setting the front foot is the trigger for rotation, so you'll have to hold that front foot in the air until you are prepared to start your swing. Some players use a leg kick or some other movement as a timing mechanism, feel free to do the same. Use that extra time to load the back foot and move the hands backwards to prepare for rotation.

Here's a drill you can use to practice proper stride. To execute this drill, all you need is some space and two cones or something to mark foot placement. Now get in an athletic position, just like Justin's video teaches. Hold that position, and mark the outside of both feed with the cones. You've basically created a "border" for your feet. Now get in your stance, practicing the walk-up and game routine as I described in the blog post. Get yourself set, and practice just the Stance and Stride steps of the swing. Step all the way out of the box and repeat, starting the with the same walk-up. The goal of this drill is to memorize the process of beginning each at-bat physically and mentally. I'd suggest 5 sets of 10 repetitions.

Another great drill is Justin's Stride and Separate : http://elitebaseballtraining.blogspot.com/2008/12/stride-and-seperate-drill.html

At the completion of a good stride, you'll be balanced, strong, and in perfect hitting position to execute the rotational portion of the swing. We'll dissect rotation in the next post.

Play Hard!
Coach Brian