The stride in baseball occurs when the player is in the batter's box, facing the pitcher. To get his momentum going toward the pitcher, he takes a stride as the pitch is coming in. While some batters may step as much as 18 inches when striding, others may barely step two inches.
Set Up
You must be comfortable when you stand in the batter's box if you are going to have a chance to hit the ball hard on a consistent basis. In a typical stance, your feet will be slightly more than shoulder width apart. You will hold your bat over your back shoulder and your weight will be evenly distributed.
Load Process
Shift your weight to your back leg as the pitcher begins his windup. Hitting the ball hard means you must get all your weight and momentum to travel forward. The best way to do this is to get all your weight on your back leg before you swing the bat. Your weight is on your back leg as the pitcher is releasing the ball. This is the point you should step forward and begin your stride. This will help give your swing force and momentum.
Length of Stride
The length of stride will depend on your setup in the batter's box. If your feet are close together, you will take a stride of 18 to 24 inches. If you take a wider setup in the batter's box, you may only stride an inch or two. Modern players tend to take shorter strides because they think a longer stride will affect their vision as they swing the bat because the position of their head changes. However, a longer stride may give you the ability to hit the ball with more violent impact, which will allow you to hit the ball harder and further.
Expert Advice
Hall of Fame shortstop Cal Ripken built a career as a top clutch hitter and an outstanding fielder. His career after playing professionally has been built on helping youngsters play the game. He believes a shorter stride is the way to go. "As the pitcher winds up, your weight should be on your back leg," Ripken said. "As he releases the ball, you should take a short stride toward the pitcher. This will get your bat moving quickly. If you take a long stride, you will throw yourself off balance as you swing the bat."
References
- "Play Baseball the Ripken Way"; Cal Ripken, et al.; 2004
- 5min Media: The Stride Load
- Cal Ripken; Hall of Fame baseball player; Baltimore
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