Hey guys,

So I wanted to touch on another hitting topic today.  I've been watching a lot about the recent off-season action and hitting has been on my mind.  What I wanted to talk about in this post is the stance.  In talking to many hitting coaches, you will find many who tell you that the stance doesn't matter.  It's just a matter of where you feel comfortable.  Here's my problem with that: What about the kid who feels comfortable with his back leg crossed over his front leg, his hand opposite of what they are supposed to be, and his arms behind his back. (Try that in your seat:) Sure that's an extreme case, but you get the point.  The stance MUST be athletic.  Then the question becomes feet and hand placement in the stance.  So here we go:

First let's talk about the feet.  Basically there are two types of stances, open and squared.  The people who try to argue closed stances with me crack me up, because it allows me to see the coaches who will teach their players to be lazy.  If you teach a closed stance, you may want to consider that you are just teaching kids to compensate for the bad habit of stepping out.  If  you have a problem stepping out, quit being lazy and engrave the right movements into your muscle memory.

Open Stance: An open stance is used so that you can more effectively put two eyes on the pitcher to better track the flight and spin of the baseball.  When using an open stance, stand how you're comfortable, but make sure you are in an athletic position. (If someone pushes you, you are sturdy enough to stay balanced)  A very important thing when using an open stance is to make sure that your load gets you back to squared.  Otherwise, you are letting all of your power from your legs escape.

*Notice Marc Texiera's open batting stance.  He is very athletic, but also one of the most open stances in the major leagues.

Squared Stance: Nothing wrong with the good old squared stance.  Feet even, nice and powerful in the legs, and let it fly:)
*Albert Pujols, arguably the best hitter in baseball in a squared (maybe VERY slightly open) stance.

The bottom line is that both of these hitters are very successful, but look very different.  The key is that they both in an athletic and comfortable position to hit.

Now that we've touched on the placement of the hands, let's touch on the also important aspect of placement of the hands.  You see many different hand placements all throughout baseball.  Craig Counsil always comes to mind, with the hands up over his head.  My theory on the is simple really.  Stand in an open area and throw a punch as hard as you possibly can.  Where did your hands start?  That's where they should start in your swing.  In a punch, you are using the rest of your body to deliver your hands to the target as quickly, and as powerful as possible.  It should be no different in a swing.  Your hands are simply along for the ride.  So put them in a place where they can easily get to the baseball with as much power as possible.

Tip of the Day: When finding a stance that works for you, use the one where you feel your body being the most free and easy.  "Slow is fast.  Fast is slow."  A nice and relaxed stance, while still remaining athletic will yield your best bat speed results.