Eliminate PreLaunch Slop. The Command Drill

[Teacherman]

This drill might be the best you ever do.

The time between the decision to swing and the actual launch of the swing is a HUGE problem for amateur hitters and many pros. The need to reset or move to a different position, other than the one they were in when they made the go decision, before they can actually launch, is a career ender. Pitchers exploit that. Below are two clips of two different kids executing the Command Drill....





What do you see? Well you see JUST the launch of the swing. There is no reset necessary before launch. There is no movement to a different position after the decision to go and before launch. How do I know that?

I know that because there is another person involved. There is a coach that is giving them the Command to swing. Each of these kids get into their best loaded launch position....max.....they preset it.....and hold it....and then wait for a go Command from their coach. Upon hearing the Command, they launch. And if they have slop in their swing it will instantly show up. 100 out of 100 will fail in their first attempt. Slop has shown it's ugly head for every first timer I've worked with.

NOTE: I said they had to 'hold' their load. To execute a high level swing, you have to learn to continually pull back with your back, against your leg, creating a torsion spring-like load, and continue to wind it even though the range of motion has already been reached. You must have continual loading that includes no movement. And it is this continual loading without movement that leads to the seamless overlap. It leads to the ability to turn the load into the swing. This is the best stretch, the final stretch, which most never achieve. Most reach range of motion limit and stop stretching. There's much more available if you learn how to do it.

Most load back to push forward. You must learn to load AROUND so the swing just continues on around. There is no back that requires a forth. There is just AROUND. The load is 'around' and the unload is just continuing on around.

[Teacherman]

And then you graduate to the 3Tee Command Drill where the coach commands which ball. Oh My. Talk about a great exercise. This will identify the last micro seconds of prelaunch slop. The hitter should be able to launch to all 3 locations without prelaunch movement.

[Teacherman]

This drill defines, crystalizes, THE POSITION that hitters launch from. Most hitters really don't know what or where that loaded launch position is. So, in the box, as they use rhythm and flow for timing, they don't have the proper goal. And as a result, they do not get to their launch position consistently. When the goal is to get to your Command Drill position then you know what to do. You know where you're headed. And you then carve out the necessary time out of the pitchers delivery to ALWAYS get to your Command Drill position on time.

[Teacherman]

Since the loaded launch position is the twisted torsion spring, this creates a supernatural timing window. The torsion spring is a constant load. You keep pulling back even when range of motion limit is reached. No stop. No pause. No redirect. Just keep loading around and you create a window of time over which you release the barrel. Early in the window for the fast ball. A bit later for the offspeed. No pause. No stop. And the launch is seamless because it is launched in the same direction as the load. Rearward. Just continue on around.