Open Practice: Hitting - Building a Data Driven Swing

with Dillon Lawson,
New York Yankees Minor League Hitting Coordinator;
former University of Missouri Hitting Coach;
2016 Quad Cities River Bandits Hitting Coach (Houston Astros' Class A affiliate);
former Southeast Missouri State Hitting Coach

Hitting a baseball is often called the hardest thing to do in all of sports. In this video, Dillon Lawson gives you everything you need to develop hitters from the ground up without delay.

Coach Lawson offers 16 drills focused on building the swing and executing a plan for hitting success. He covers everything a hitter will need to be successful, from the basics of the mechanics to how to shrink the strike zone depending on your count. Additionally, you'll learn how to incorporate a basic understanding of biomechanics, blend it together with proper drill sequencing, and end up with on-field results that matter.

Hitting Plan

Having a good swing is only half the battle in hitting. A great hitter has to understand his strengths and weaknesses and understand which pitches to swing at to capitalize on his strengths. Coach Lawson explains when to use a 7-ball, 5-ball and 3-ball zone to help the hitter shrink the strike zone into a manageable area. He also explains how they practice using these zones, and offers six drills to improve strike zone awareness.

Coach Lawson also assists with "count hitting," a technique that helps hitters to focus on their most effective sections of the strike zone and vary the size of their coverage area based on the current ball-strike count. This approach proves advantageous for hitters' success level at the plate.

Hitting Mechanics

Learn the scientifically-proven best way to swing. Coach Lawson builds the swing based on scientific principles borrowed from the field of biomechanics. Learn the proper way to get loaded, the strongest body position at contact point, and how to get good extension.

Hitting Drills

Coach Lawson believes in building the swing through drills that give the hitter instant feedback about his success. Coach Lawson demonstrates 10 drills he uses with his hitters to build a solid and consistent swing. In one particular target hitting drill, targets are strung from the top of the batting cage. The batter's goal is to hit the ball through the targets, which helps to train the true line drive hit.

With this video, you can learn a hitting system that has led to success at the collegiate and professional levels!

50 minutes. 2017.