Making the Connection to the Baseball with Coach Jeff Duncan
Posted by Todd Shaffer on
In the Fundamentals of Hitting, Coach Jeff Duncan breaks down every single aspect necessary to make sure baseball players are set up to increase their overall batting efficiency and average.
As a collegiate player with Iowa State and Arizona State, he honed the skills that led to him being drafted in 2000 to the New York Mets. After several years with the Mets organization, he would find himself with the Padres, the Blue Jays and others.
Getting to the pros and staying in the pros requires a solid background in the fundamental aspects of the game that many players with "talent" ignore. By ignoring these principles, these talented players simply shorten their careers or stop them before they start.
In a previous blog, we talked about Coach Jeff Duncan's breakdown of the Power Position and how it sets up the success of the hitter based on stance, grip and home base coverage.
In the video below, also excerpted from Coach Jeff Duncan's FUNDAMENTALS OF HITTING, he explains the notion of Connection and how best to create the perfect environment to be ready for the pitch and to make contact with the baseball successfully. Check it out below!
Reviewing Coach Jeff Duncan's Power Position
Remember from our previous blog about Jeff Duncan's thoughts on the Power Position, it's important to square up and keep the outside hip pointed towards the pitcher and the shoulder aiming at that short stop. The feet are squared up to provide plenty of coverage over the plate, providing the flexibility to adjust should the pitcher throw outside the 80% far corner area of the plate.
The Angles for Perfect Baseball Connection
For Coach Jeff Duncan, most pitchers are throwing the baseball downward at a 6-10 degree angle. As he talks about the proper placement of the inside and outside elbow, make special note of the 5-6% angle that he recommends to connect the barrel of the bat to the ball.
Not only will Coach Duncan fill you in on the proper angles for bringing that barrel to meet the ball, but he's going to keep the alignment of your elbows and back heels in proper sync to smash the ball out of the park.
For more from THE FUNDAMENTALS OF HITTING from Kent State University's renowned Head Baseball Coach Jeff Duncan, head over to CoachSpot.com and get your copy!
You can get it here or at the BUY NOW link!
