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Summary:
In this episode of Ahead of the Curve, I join in on the discussion with Craig Hyatt, the Hitting Coach at East Valley High School in Yakima Washington, and Doug Latta a hitting trainer from BallYard based in Northridge California. We break down the impact of balance in leveraging the power and abilities of the human body, and how to break bad habits that are hurting hitters.
Show Notes:
Guests: Craig Hyatt, the Hitting Coach at East Valley High School in Yakima Washington, and Doug Latta a hitting trainer from Bally Yard based in Northridge California
How do they define balance and why do we need it
What is the biggest grind move
Describe what people mean by “get into the ground”
How can coaches get their players moving more effectively
Why can tennis drills improve hitting
How can hockey slap shot drills benefit baseball hitting
Backspin is built in when you hit through a spin
How does tennis showcase how players create power
Homes runs come from being smooth and productive with your body
You have got to have consistency
What is a the hitting strategy called “shut piece”
How prevalent is the analysis of high school player stats and data
You have to hit through each pitch
What does it mean to have a soft entry into the zone
Don’t hit your pitches with your front arm
Video and data can show a hitter what their body is doing
3 Key Points:
The body works better from a position of balance.
Tennis drills offer players the chance to feel proper body movement when hitting.
One hit every two weeks, at the big league level, is 20 points towards your average
Tweetable Quotes:
“I have a very strong bias for balance. I think it is elemental to the way bodies move.” - Craig Hyatt (01:35)
“I really think tennis and actually throwing are the best ways that really exemplify how our bodies should move when we hit.” - Doug Latta (13:18)
“We really hit balls in a line and in a rectangle.” - Doug Latta (17:38)
“The thing with tennis, all the bodies are different. So there is variation of how guys create power, but they also need to be consistent, they need to hit the ball in a certain direction.” - Craig Hyatt (21:08)
“‘I worked really hard to hit that home run.’ No, you hit that homerun because you were clean and efficient with your body.” - Craig Hyatt (22:37)
“Most young hitters and a lot of professional hitters have big shoulder moves. And if we don’t get those out of them, they aren’t going any farther.” - Doug Latta (24:36)
“Once we get down to balance, the one key I want and give people is, you have to hit through every pitch you see.” - Doug Latta (30:33)
“Train young hitters so that they have the same basic moves that they’re going to have up the latter, and their adjustments become internal.” - Doug Latta (31:40)
Resources Mentioned:
Ahead of the Curve Podcast
@AOTC_podcast
Craig Hyatt Twitter: @HyattCraig
Doug Latta Twitter: @LattaDoug
Ballyard.net
Website and Social Media sites for the show
www.aotcpodcast.com
Twitter
@aotc_podcast
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Ahead of the Curve Coaches Facebook group
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