Online hitting lessons are something that is not new. For some people, however, the concept is tough to understand. There is one first question always asked.
"Why don't players just take lessons from someone local?"
Unfortunately, the number of baseball/softball instructors who are armed with good information is small. Because of this, online instruction is sought out.
If you are lucky enough to be within driving distance of these instructors, I highly encourage you to work with them! For the majority of parents and players, this isn't an option.
People who are looking for a proven plan and instructor who will tailor a personalized training progression to the individual client, Baseball Rebellion Online Hitting Lessons might be a great fit! Here are the reasons why.
I took a lot of lessons growing up. I also gave many lessons while playing, not knowing what I was doing. Because of this, I can tell you that most hitting coaches are guessing. Most regurgitate what they were taught, even if it worked or not.
The human eye is too slow to see exactly what is happening in the swing. Consequently, this leads to inefficient results. Often the player begins practicing things that are detrimental or irrelevant to their swing at best.
This doesn't sound like something most players or parents would want to pay for. As a result of this, we use technology like slow-motion video analysis of clients and professionals. We work to systematically understand optimal body movements and train the movements that produce successful results.
One thing that we carried over from our in-person lessons to our online lessons is the initial swing evaluation. Before you are taught anything by our instructors your swing is broken down step-by-step. This shows you the things you do well already, as well as the things that need to be worked on.
The evaluation allows the hitter and the instructor to see where they stand and the work they will have to put in. Furthermore, it allows the hitter and their parents to see the inefficiencies of the hitter and how they are going to be corrected.
While some instructors can identify problems in a swing accurately, it is even more important that they know how to improve the issues they see. This is something that takes a great deal of skill from the instructor.
Because of this, many players with similar mechanical problems will respond differently to various drills/cues that are designed to promote a positive change. We make a clear plan that is tailored to each individual client. It is based on their specific age, needs, and learning style.
Our online hitting instructors have a great turn around time of no more than three business days. This allows for quick and effective communication of feedback, concepts, drills, and next steps for clients. The feedback given is delivered with the appropriate "voice" for each client. Our goal is to give in-depth and thorough feedback but in a way that is simple and easy to understand.
One of our mottos is that if an Elementary school student can't understand the feedback, then the feedback needs to change! One of my favorite videos to watch is of one of our clients when he was 6-years-old breaking down the swing. His great explanation is a result of the common and easily understood language used at Baseball Rebellion.
One of the best benefits to online lessons with Baseball Rebellion is that you can watch previous feedback and drills an unlimited number of times through HUDLTechnique! While in-person lessons are great, the benefit of watching feedback and drills remotely is not generally offered with in-person lessons.
With Baseball Rebellion & HUDL Technique, you will be using an unbelievably user-friendly app that will give you easy access to submitting video.
You have the ability to share and receive up to 3, 6, or ∞ videos for analysis each month. Some of these videos may be drills that your expert instructor asks you to perform. Everything is done with the ultimate goal of you improving as a hitter! We have three lesson package to fit your needs! More information on the lesson packages below.
-The Bronze Package ($79/month) is best for youth players that are just starting out playing or players who play other sports besides baseball/softball in the off-season. The 3 videos per month allow you to pace your development but still do everything necessary to take your swing to the next level!
-The Silver Package ($119/month) is for serious baseball and softball players of all levels. The 6 videos allowed per month allow you to quickly develop the Baseball Rebellion hitting movements and start seeing improvements at the plate within the first month!
-The Gold Package ($159/month) is for the very few that eat, live, and breathe hitting. This is only recommended if you are ready to invest a large part of your free time in becoming an ELITE Baseball Rebellion hitter! Buyer Beware!
Every instructor at Baseball Rebellion has been trained and is certified in the Baseball Rebellion system of teaching. That being said, all instructors have differing strengths and voices that work better with different players.
You have access to choose your instructor and change instructors at any time. Some clients choose to periodically switch instructors so that they can hear concepts explained in different ways.
This can help clients glean the benefits of the strengths of all the Baseball Rebellion Instructors. All BR instructors are extremely accessible and can be reached through the phone and email easily. Below are example lessons from each of the instructors.
If you are looking for online pitching lessons, please reach out to Julio@baseballrebellion.com for more information.
In this week's Pro-Concept video, I want to put Christian Yelich on display. This guy has been on a tear for the last few years. There is one interesting aspect of his movements that I wanted to show and that is his height change.
Standing at 6'3, Yelich really uses his height well but I see so many that don't. What does he do differently that might work for you? HE GETS SHORTER.
In this video you will see how Yelich is able to position himself to:
1) Rotate extremely fast
2) Work the barrel up into and through the pitch plane
3) See the ball better and crush the low pitch
So if you are a taller player who likes to start tall in your stance, there's a good chance this will work for you too.
Twitter video courtesy of @HyattCraig. If you don't follow Craig on twitter, change that now. He provides some of the best hitting videos, GIF's and instructions on twitter!
Extension is a very common hitting cue. You hear it at all levels in both baseball and softball. But is that phrase even the best to use? In a previous article, I wrote about how the hitter creates top barrel speed and where the acceleration happens. In this article, I'm going to discuss what happens next, EXTENSION. Or to use an even better term, 'barrel release'.
Barrel extension in a swing has been cued the same way for a long time. Like many of you reading this, I had dozens, if not hundreds, of hitting lessons growing up, and apparently did not know the information I know now. Having said that, one cue I remember hearing a lot was "get to extension" or "get extended." Anybody who studies a high-level swing knows that the arms become extended. Below is a picture of what 'extension' or 'barrel release' looks like:
My problem with extension is that it does not happen the way it is being taught to many of our young players. What I mean is, in a high-level hitter, extension is ACTUALLY the "release" of the barrel, not the act of extending the arms.
Hitters are usually taught to "push" or "punch" through the contact of the ball. The problem is that pushing or activating the arms, will dramatically decrease the speed of the bat and encourage straight arms at contact, or 'Power V' position. Let's assume the hitter moves properly into his front side during his load, and his hands stay up and back while he's slotting the bat.
If the hitter's arms engage AT the ball and actively "extend" in the attempt to get to "extension," the connection between the batter's power (body movement and turn) and the barrel is disconnected. This 'bench pressing' of the barrel, instantly sucks all the power out of the swing.
Check out our medicine ball series that help hitters feel the release of the bat using just a med ball:
Going back to my last article on early acceleration, (which you can read here), bat speed must be created early for the barrel to release properly. Remember, problems at, or after contact, will always be created early in the swing. Your first mistake is always your worst mistake. Fixing extension must first be addressed at the very beginning of the batter's movement.
No matter how hard you try, you will never push the bat as far as you can throw it. Remember, correct body movement and footwork are the keys to a good release. Once the footwork and turn are established in your hitter, work on feeling the release. The hitter should just ALLOW the barrel to continue onward and upward, without the use of their arms. In the video below, is Josh Hamilton actually driving his hands (arms) down to this pitch, with "A to C" mechanics, like the All-Shores Academy video? If so...how does he do this?
For my last Online Lesson Showcase, I wanted to show you how diligent and deliberate movement work with the Rebel's Rack can directly translate to hitting in the cage and increase bat speed. The athlete you will see is a young player who I work with online. He takes his movement work very seriously but more importantly, he does an amazing job of taking his work to the cage when he actually hits. This can not go understated. So many players waste time hitting more when all that will do is compound the mistakes they are already making. Watch how this player moves almost identically in both of these videos. You will see:
For today's Online Lesson Showcase I wanted to highlight the connection of the hitter's back shoulder, hands, and the bat.
The relationship between the things mentioned above are important in transitioning our body's rotational energy into the bat with very little loss. As well as making sure the barrel rotates upward early and gets on plane with the pitch.
In this video you will see:
Excellent Back Elbow Loading - Very important to remember that the back elbow must be pull backward during the loading or stretching process.
The Turning Downward of the Back Shoulder - First moves are key. The hitter's first move of the back shoulder after the load is a perfect downward move so that it can begin rotating up as soon as possible.
Near Perfect Connection - Watch how the hitter keep the hands and back shoulder together util release. This ensures maximum energy transfer from body to barrel and that the barrel gets on plane early and quickly.
Thanks for watching!
In this week's Online Lesson Showcase, I wanted to show you a beautifully executed adjustment to an off-speed pitch in a two-strike count. Through the Baseball Rebellion training system, he has learned to use his body to adjust the timing of his swing with minimal power loss. The highlights in this video will be:
Athletic/Adjustable Loading - Our player has the same aggressive yet adjustable loading process with two strikes as if he were preparing for the fastball. This is a key element in his ability to still be ready for a fastball but adjust to off speed.
Perfect Front Leg Use - Notice the increased time of the front leg bending as he "sits" on this breaking ball. You will be hard pressed to find a better example of this. This move will allow the ball the necessary time to travel into his swing zone.
Trading Little Power for Time - If done properly a player only has to lose around 10% of their power to adjust to the time needed for the ball to travel. This is a necessary trade-off in this two-strike count because he knows he has to swing.
Zero Loss of Positioning - Even though the pitcher has him "beat" here by getting him down early, he never loses his stretch/coil and keeps his upper body in the perfect position to still rotate the barrel back uphill into the ball. This gives him a great chance to drive the ball to right, which he does perfectly.
