One of the most important skills any baseball player can have while they’re up to bat is a compact swing. That type of swing can help you hit the ball harder, and you’ll hit the ball longer, too. You’ll need to create not only bat speed, but bat quickness as well, because your bat quickness will determine how long you can wait to swing at a pitch.

All major league hitters were able to get to the level they are at because of a compact swing. Even though they may strike out quite a bit, it is not due to the compact swing, it is due to bat quickness and the ability of the pitcher. Having a compact swing does not necessarily mean that you will have a quick bat.

The development of a compact swing is something that all young baseball players should aim for. If they plan on playing at a higher level, this will be one of the most important things they will learn.

A compact swing is made within a fairly small area. The bat should be brought from the batter’s shoulder, which is the starting position, into impact with the ball inside the strike zone. The bat should always be near the batter’s head while it’s on its way to the ball. The batter should not try to extend the bat out too far or let it take an indirect path toward the ball. The more compact a batter’s swing is, the faster he will be able to get to the ball. That means he’ll be able to wait longer for the ball to arrive before needs to decide whether to swing.

Developing a compact swing requires practice. There are several drills you can use to help. If you can’t use a batting tee, coaches can stand in front of the hitter and off to the side. The coaches then drop a baseball into the strike zone. Until the hitter is able to shorten his swing and speed it up, he’ll always be late with his swing and miss the ball the dropped ball.

Baseball coaches can also have their hitters stand in front of a barrier such as a wall or fence with the end of the bat against the wall or fence, and the bat handle against their chest. Have them swing after taking their regular batting stance. If their swing is nicely compact, they won’t hit the wall or fence. This particular drill teaches batters to use their hands more than their arms when they’re going after the ball.

Another drill is very effective and can be done by a player even if no one else is present. Place a pillow under the hitter’s lead arm and have him take his normal, full swings but keep the pillow from falling out until he completes the swing and follows through. This particular drill will develop a hitter’s hands and forearms, as well as eliminate long arm swings.

If you are looking to develop a good strong compact swing, these are a few tips that will help you. Remember that all major league baseball players have compact swing and this is one of the reasons that they are major league players. If you plan on playing on a higher level, a compact swing is very important.

About the author:
Bob Patterson has been the baseball coach for many high schools. He spends his time teaching hitting to young players and has authored many articles on the topic. Bob works for a batting cage store called Slugger’s Dugout.

I grew up in the heart of Texas, and how enjoyable it was. I loved Abilene and had a great childhood there as far as the settings go. In the household though, things were very different.

As a youngster, for the first few years of my life, I had a great life. My mother and father raised me in a wonderful Christian household. I was brought to church with them every week, never missing a day. My parents were both raised in the church so naturally they were going to do the same with me. Even at the age of three I remember playing in the nursery with other children. I remember going to Vacation Bible School and learning about stories in the Bible (mainly David and Goliath) even as a young child.

It wasn’t until five that my life was turned upside down. My mother got a new job that required her to work on Sunday’s and my father decided to do work around the house on Sunday’s. My days in the church were over at that time. A year later my mother and father began to grow distant. My father began to work late and not come home until almost the next morning. My mother stopped trying to figure things out and they ended up divorcing when I was 8. In the meanwhile, I was around constant fighting for two years.

My mother assured me that they would be okay as a couple, but she was obviously telling me this to put my mind at ease. It took them another two years before they could really tell me what was going on, and my father would even stop by on occasion to make it look like they were still a happy couple. I knew this wasn’t the case.

If there’s anything good that I can share about this experience, it’s the fact that I listened to a lot of radio between the ages of eight and ten. The music would be nice and loud so that I didn’t hear my parents yelling at one another, and there was one point in time where I came across a baseball game on AM radio. I was unfamiliar with the sport at the time.

I would try to listen to a game every day as I learned more about the sport and the different terms. It took me a while to catch on, but I figured it out as time went by. My father would always speak of the Rangers and Nolan Ryan, and I loved hearing the team play each and every day.

Every time my dad came by, I would always close my door, blast the radio, and hope to hear the Rangers on it. My mother came to realize my obsession with the team and she bought me a hat that I would wear every single day. This was during the 1983 season and the team wasn’t great, but it was so much fun to hear them win.

The Rangers are still just as special to me today as they were in 1983. It’s my favorite thing to see the Rangers play, and it all stems back to my childhood. They helped me through some rough years, and I’ll never forget that.

Few times in my life have I witnessed a media story that’s been as dragged out as this whole baseball steroids scandal. The latest in the saga involves David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, who both allegedly tested positive for steroids a few years back while playing for the Red Sox.

Don’t get me wrong I love David Ortiz. He has been not only the biggest clutch hitter in Red Sox history (Game 4 and 5 of the 2004 ALCS filed in every Sox fan’s memory), but a pretty stand up guy. Now him too!? You know what I really don’t care if he used it! Almost every power hitter since the late 80’s has.

Bonds (damn his head is 5 times bigger than in his Pirate days). Palmeiro (Lied in front of Congress. Nixon would have been proud). Sosa (Yeah he also used corked bats). McGwire (I remember his record breaking home run, watching it at an Atlanta Hooters. Great synthetic memory!). Manny (He probably doesn’t even know he took them). A-ROD (Millions of dollars of pressure on him plus he had to keep up with the Toronto exotic dancer tabs). Canseco (He has been dead on with this scandal and lone truthful source).

When the rest of these guys were filling up stat sheets in the late 90s due to their steroid use, David Ortiz was struggling in Minnesota and his career was on the ropes.

It seems like many people would naturally gravitate toward something that so many others were already doing if they wanted to save their multimillion dollar careers.

Then there’s this whole list that they’re holding back on us as if we’re dogs looking for a treat. The players already “busted” for their steroid use have to hang their heads in shame while the rest of the baseball cheating world is protected by this list.

This story is old news already. How long does the media plan to drag it out for before the finally decide to release this list?!

I’ve had enough of all of the negativity in the baseball world, and I’m really happy to know that football season is just around the corner. I can’t wait to stop hearing everyone fret about steroids, and begin the talk about some good old-fashioned football!