As the 10-week hitting sessions are finishing up I can't help but feel amazed at how much these athletes improved. I didn't know how they would react because of the diversity in age (13 -18), but they all helped one another in the process. All athletes were given a player profile and video analysis as well as "Zepp" baseball analysis. For more info on zepp visit zepp.com. Sessions 1 to 5 focussed on the "mechanics of the swing" with the purpose of sequencing, bat speed, bat angle and bat plane. Sessions 6 to 10 focussed on timing, pitch recognition, approach and off-speed pitches.
During the evaluation process I found that most of the athletes had very little forward momentum, striding on a closed angle which reduced rotation, and very "choppy" downward swing path. Most of the athletes had previous training with other professionals, while some never had any. They really took to the techniques and the science behind it. It didn't take long to see the improvements, as the players improved mechanically and mentally, with an average bat speed increase of 15 mph.
Tommy Nguyen had the top bat speed of 101mph. Zak Duncan had the biggest increase (26 mph), going from an average of 60 mph to an 86 mph. Julian Ricci had an increase (17 mph), going from 43 mph to 60 mph.
Here are some of the entry swings and improvements:
