How to position yourself at the plate
Written by Daniel Stevens
A lot of people don’t think about where they’re going to stand once they approach the plate. Maybe you over think it. Here are some tips to help you figure out where you stand at the plate.
- Watch the pitcher
You see the greats do this. They watch the pitcher before they step up to the plate. Between innings a pitcher gets 3-5 warm up pitches with 2 extras (1 for the catcher to throw down to second). Take that opportunity to see what they have. Are they throwing a lot of junk or stinging the catchers hand? This all determins where you are going to put your feet when you get inside that chalk line.
- Choke up
Okay so the pitchers got heat. They’re throwing pretty fast and you need all the time you can get. The batters box should be exactly 6’ by 4’ with the plate lining up in the middle with 3’ north and south of the pitcher. Don’t be afraid to let the catcher know where you are going to stand. Dig in. Put your right foot just inside the line at the south end of the box. This gives you the most time to watch that fastball, but it also leaves you open to a nasty changeup. That thing will die on its way to the plate so be wary of that. If they do have a nasty change it probably means his junk is lacking (or they wouldn’t be playing in this league right?). So choke that bat up and look for a first pitch fastball.
- Get up there!
The batters infront of you have told you they only saw junk. Hook after hook and nothing is going to blow by you. So get up in the box. Line up with that front foot at the front of the box. This cuts down on the time that the hook can cross the strike zone. Umpires know this and they will give you the benefit of the doubt. When the catcher frames a late hooking breaking ball in the strikezone it doesn’t matter much when it was at your neck when the ball crossed you. This forces the pitcher to pitch to you and kills the deadly action of their breaking pitches.
- Go with the ball
Something that should be taught more at the little league level is going with the pitch. You shouldn’t have to have your front foot in the other batters box to catch an outside pitch. Don’t sacrifice your stance for an opposite field hit. Wait longer in your swing and hit an outside pitch farther back on the plate. You don’t have to look like Tony Batista up there to hit it to right field. Take an outside pitch the other way by hitting it farther back in your swing. Conversely, hit an inside pitch out in front of your swing to pull it down the line. Many people mistake this for where your feet are positioned but it shouldn’t. Don’t let the pitch dictate your swing, just adjust to it.
- Step out
Take your time. This is your opportunity to do like the pros do. After every pitch walk up the line. Get your signal from third base, adjust your batting gloves, put your hand up and ask for time as you step in again. Now that you know the cadence of the pitcher you know how much time you have to get ready. Stick to your game plan and look in. Yogi Berra said 90% of the game is mental, the other 50% is physical. He wasn’t the best at math but it’s always good to get out of your own head and stop over thinking. My coach told me to think about food, so I would think about toppings on pizza, or whatever I was in the mood for. Think about something else. Get up there, and swing. Hope this helps!
Hope these hints helped! We know it can be intimidating to step up to the plate and our team at URstore just wants to help out our community with helpful tips. Best of luck from our team at URstore to yours!