Using and Applying Biomechanical Data to Create Individualized Hitting Plans

with Justin Stone,
Chicago Cubs (MLB) Director of Hitting;
Founder of Elite Baseball Training;
spent 2018 as a biokinetic hitting consultant for the Cubs;
as a player, was a two-sport athlete at Eastern Illinois University (baseball and football)

Coaching hitters at every level of baseball has changed with the advancements in technology. Pictures, grainy video, and 'feel' have been replaced by sensors and biomechanics - a field that investigates how the human body moves most efficiently and effectively. In this video, Chicago Cubs director of hitting, Justin Stone, explain how this biomechanical data can help hitting coaches get their players moving correctly, which will in turn help them become better hitters.

Every human body moves a little bit differently, which can be somewhat problematic for a baseball or softball coach that works with many different hitters. Coach Stone details the intricacies of coaching a team sport where every athlete is built and moves differently.

Force Plate

You'll see some of the kinds of technology that are used at the highest levels of baseball in order to build better hitters. A force plate measures the way a hitter interacts with the ground. Coach Stone explains how this information can be used to help identify how the hitter is creating and storing force and power. You'll learn how to help your hitters create power more efficiently. He also explains how hitters can be more adjustable in their swing, allowing them to hit off-speed pitches more effectively.

K-Vest

Next, Coach Stone explains what he looks for in K-Vest readings to learn about the sequence of a hitter's swing. You'll see how to use the K-Vest to identify which problems are movement issues and which are swing flaws. Stone also touches on the importance of deceleration and how improving this skill will help give your hitters more time by making their swings faster to impact.

Stone offers a PVC movement progression series that he has all of his hitters complete before they ever step in the batting cage for any actual hitting work. This progression only requires about 10 minutes and a 5-foot piece of PVC pipe, so it is ideal for any coach to implement with their hitters.

Bat Sensors

Coach Stone also shows how bat sensors can be helpful tools, yet can flood coaches with information. You will learn which metrics matter to Stone while he utilizes bat sensors, as well as what those numbers mean in relation to the swing. Coach Stone explains that he uses these tools to reveal issues with the bat path.

In one particular drill, the hitter hits whiffle balls off a tee using a PVC pipe the hitter is holding against his body. This forces the hitter to tilt with the torso to hit low pitches, reinforcing the desired movement.

Coaching hitters is becoming more of a science than an art. This video from Coach Stone will explain how he uses various pieces of biomechanical information to coach his hitters, and offers many movement exercises and drills to help hitters get their body into the correct positions to hit.

95 minutes. 2020.