Key Elements of the Loading Phase:
- The hitter's movement should go down and back into the back leg (not ONLY back).
- The hitter's weight should end up on the inside part of the back foot. If the weight drifts too far back (onto the outside of the back foot) it will not allow for as efficient of weight transfer into the next phase of the swing.
- During the phase, notice on the video that the hands are not doing anything. It is only the lower body that is moving at this point in the hitters swing.
While the loading phase may vary slightly from one instructor to the next, this is a part of hitting that seems to be widely accepted in the game today.
While I do recommend players to learn how to load properly, the truth is that some excellent hitters may not do it exactly this way…which is why hitting is such a highly debated topic is softball and baseball.
Tim Covey
Author