How To Load Properly (99% Of Hitters Do This Incorrectly) 

Learn the high level swing at www.teachermanhitting.com/

This is important for all the 5'8 guys that feel they need "power" to make it to the next level, but simple hand eye coordination is all you need to hit at the big league level. Just making good contact with a 90+ mph fast ball is going to give you all the power you need. You don't want to end up looking like Jackson Holliday who couldn't keep his head down. All that coaching meant nothing. Focus on hitting the ball, not your hips ffs. Watch the ball hit the bat. Your swing means nothing if you can't make contact.

As a former MLBer you would be an easy out and easy to get off balance holding one foot in the air like that…you would be a guess hitter and automatic out…your front foot must get on the ground to hit..

I have found that switching my 9u son to Ohtani's style of swing has greatly improved his timing. It allows him to shift his weight when he wants to, as opposed to trying to time it with the pitch. It is less complicated and is working. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Great content by the way, we really enjoy watching!

Hey, you switched out your white old man New Balance for white old man Nikes. This is a good upgrade!!!

Great video! The only thing that people seem to have differing opinions on is when you put your front foot down. Tony Gwynn teaches that you should lightly bring your front foot down right when the pitcher is at his release point. If you stay back too long without setting your front foot, especially against higher velocity pitching, it may be tough to get the bat head through before the ball is too deep into the zone. I will say, your method generates significantly more power, while Gwynn killed pitchers by his ability to consistently get the bat on the ball. I was somewhere in the middle of the two methods. Again, there are several ways and I think it is base on comfort. What works for one, may not work for all.

I start playing late in life then I could just hit without much thought, until I watched your videos. I started thinking about each motion and when I can generate power to the swing. It actually messed me up the first time I tried it in the game and reverted back to my old ways prior to your videos. I kept at it and realized finally during a game that I have more power and control when I switched to a right batting stance with your technique. So in the end, I bat as I normally would when batting left, and bat like teacherman when I'm batting right.

Outstanding video 👍👍

Previously I was getting ready to hit with a lot of barrel movement from my hands pre-load and was swinging without getting deep into a position to snap the bat. Had no hits against bad pitching. So my games this past weekend I tried to get that early and deep load on my back side and hit a triple that one hopped the fence at 330ft. Also a double and a few singles off of much better pitching. And I haven’t even tried consistently doing your drills yet.

This guy is on point !! There is not a better technique than what he’s teaching

Years of being taught by ill informed coaches on how to fix my swing to swing the "correct way" with my "hands to the ball!" or "don't drop your back elbow!" Never was able to figure out what was wrong with my swing when I was younger. But now in the form of me a decade later at 23 years old, watching any of Richard Schenck's minute long RU-vid shorts or tik toks on hitting, I've now been able to go out on weekends to hit for fun, and hit the ball better that I ever have been able to in my entire life...

I studied a very technical martial art with a two world class instructors for eight years and it's incredible to me how much crossover there is between the two sciences. There's only so much you can do with two legs and two arms and one body, and there are wrong ways, ok ways, good ways, and great optimized technically comprehensive efficient ways. ❤⚾

Great stuff have been working with my 12 yr old great improvement had her best hitting week. When the front door lands where should u be in the swing. Trying to emphasize no need to go forward anymore and need the front leg. Thank u for all the videos. !! Great job let the haters hate

I’m really grateful for all the haters and know-it-all critics that pop up in your comment section. They are steadily convincing me to try your method. The more I read their critiques, the less sense they are making to me. It’s becoming clearer to me that most of them are only listening to part of what you are saying and then dropping their rebuttals because it contradicts a part of how they’ve thought. I’m still intrigued and not quite ready to make the plunge with my son, but I’m getting closer. We worked hard the last couple years because he’s 11 and started baseball later than most. He’s incredible at contact, almost never fails to make contact. Only one strike out last season and only one the season before that. But he’s small like I always was and really struggles with power. I can see how this load could make a difference.

MUST WATCH!!

1:08 - thank you, it was bothering me that your x-axis was not parallel to the batters box edge. This is how I know you are my kind of engineer.

Lots of RU-vid videos about scalp loading, how would you decide that or is it something not to focus on?

I greatly appreciate all your videos. The insight is beyond helpful. I coach 11u and truly wish I had these in my back pocket when i started with them at 8U! I can't thank you enough.

Awesome teacher thanks

I like it all - like to install loading into ground with your weight to build mass- ground forces. The more you load your weight into the ground the more that comes back to take forward . Works with timing!

Do you rotate the front leg in as you move forward? I feel a better stretch like that.

Thank you this helped a lot with my hitting and can you do a breakdown of manny machados seing

love it

When you coil, do you continue to keep your head straight? I can get the feeling of having a perfect coil, but my head also wants to turn in.

When you coil don’t you lose site of the ball?

Always good stuff. Thank you sir

If i were to buy a swing it would be this guy...quick bat for sure.....wish i knew someone who teaches this bc trying to relay a video is impossible

I Really like the THREE... But sheeeesh!! Gotta talk about getting your lead foot down man! And where is the BALANCE!??😳 Every time i see Teacherman... He is off Balance! Im not buying it!! And my daughter is gonna play in the Olympics!!💪🏽😊🙏🏽💞

what is the difference between the coil and stretch? is the coil supposed to generate that stretch or are you supposed to consciously “stretch” your back ?

I am trying to teach my son how to hit better, I like your video here, but my favorite baseball player was Ken Griffey, Junior, and he did none of the things you mentioned in this video, yet his swing is often regarded as the best ever. Can you speak to what it is about his swing that makes it so good even when he barely lifts his leg and there is almost no back coil prior to the swing?

No. The entire swing including loading is performed from a balanced position with the belly button exactly between the legs throughout the entire swing. Just watch the numerous slow motion videos out there. Not one video will show a player with their weight and belly button on top of the back leg at the start of the swing. Player's goal is to stay balanced and find the "hinge" as they are loading in stride. The hinge is what translates the lower rotational energy to abdominals then to the shoulders.

Does this also work with slow pitch softball?

In a lot mlb hitters, including Pujols, they're not moving forward. Their heads move back slightly on the load then snap through the ball. Their heads never move past the starting point. Isn't this true?

What in tarnation?

Good advice , minus the resting the bat on your shoulder .

Is this applicable to softball hitting too?

Interesting

Gerry Glasco been teaching this way a long time ..

Hi Richard. Do you ever come to Texas? Son just turned 14 and would love for him to learn this swing. No one here teaches this and even though I have tried working with him on this off your videos he always reverts back to what he has been taught for years. Thanks

All good except for one CRITICAL point ... the load up should NOT be on the outside of the back leg, (where a five year old could push you backwards!), but on the INSIDE of the back leg where the five year old would find a solid, (but still weight back!), strong base. Inside back leg to inside front leg ... strong to strong ... load it up and let it go ... INSIDE TO INSIDE!!!

What a big load

The advice is KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL, MAKE CONTACT , ADD POWER LAST PHASE OF SWING. REMEMBER NO CONTACT ON THE BALL NO PLAY!!! DONT SWING AT THE BALL MAKE CONTACT FIRST THENM POWER IT OUT END SWING AND WRIST!!!

I hit a home run doing this

Watching these hitting videos makes me think of Ichiro. Maybe the best hitter to ever play the game… had the absolute worst technique (according to all consensus hitting instruction) in history lol. Always falling away from the plate on the swing… sweeping swing that was long to the baseball. Idk know how that guy did it. Special special player.

Thank you so much sir!

Like that

I am not directing this at anyone specifically, but if any of you, as individuals, are coaches (in sports) be careful what you teach , because if you f*** up, and teach something wrong, or something that develops a wrong habit (say with hitting or throwing mechanics for example) sometimes it can be very hard to break it.

What in the world. Loading up by moving forward? Also, the best time to swing is when you feel like you can’t hold your foot up anymore? The best time to swing depends on the speed and location of the ball. You have to have a balanced, controlled motion that starts forward when you judge it should start based on that speed and location of the ball. Before that, you load up by shifting your weight back, not forward.

Well. Footwear checks out

What kind of name is teacherman hitting

What?

I keep trying to get something this dedicated man. However everytime he does a loading of the swing with the bat touching/resting on his neck I after turn the channel as ther is not one MLB player that does that.

You actually know what you’re talking about

Is that 99% of all mlb players also? Sounds like a very high number.

While I don't unequivocally agree with Teacherman, this is far and away the best explanation that I've seen provided on his philosophy. Kudos to you, Richard

Can you give the Houston Astros some hitting lessons, they suck😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

You guys need to realize that he taught multiple MLB stars like Aaron Judge get “rookie of the year”

This looks like tin man from wizard of Oz hitting instruction.

His sweats offend me a lot more than his hitting theory

To say that 99% of hitters do this wrong... is as false as saying...his way is the ONLY one way to load correctly! If this was the only way, you wouldn't see toe-tap, slides, high leg kicks, conventional loads. You would only see "one legged-tilt turn" loads???

Have you ever had any surgery on your shoulder? Seems baseball players are always getting procedures done.

Batting averages are going down….

Lmao

Tucked a polo into some track pants. That’s what I got out of this.

W

Not correct. You demonstrate and your swing starts before your front foot lands.

It would be NICE TO SEE a RIGHT HANDED BATTER & SEE HIM DO IT LIVE OFF OF A PITCH! Toooo much talk

I don’t know about this….seems a little unorthodox to me.

Lmao the more I watch you the more I laugh. Stopp stealing people's money.

Griffey Jr, not Bonds, is the man to copy.

I don't buy this guys bullshit. He was coming around the ball before his foot was down.

I hate to be one of those people, but here goes......I realize you are probably exaggerating your motions for emphasis, and there might be some truth to what you are saying, but your form and mechanics are all wrong. Also, they disagree with everything my son's batting coach teaches about loading. His batting coach is a former pro, he is a former College Head Coach, his son is a former pro, and he constantly stays up with what the batting coaches in the MLB are teaching. He is probably the best batting coach in all of Ventura County in Southern California. And everyone that knows Baseball, knows that most of the best talent in America, comes out of Southern California. In just a few lessons, my son's coach took him from being an average hitter, to being the best batter on his High School team. After 3 lessons, my son went on a 4 game stretch where he went 4 for 4 twice, 3 for 4, and 2 for 4. He ended up batting almost .500 for the season, and according to my record keeping he was actually over .600. Point being, I know what his coach teaches works, and is correct. He backs it up with slo-mo video of some of the best MLB batters out there. What he taught, worked incredibly well for my son, and I tried it out myself, and was amazed at how much it made hitting easier. And let's be honest, there is a lot more to a proper swing than loading, that is just one component and it isn't even the first or most important. So even if what you are saying is 100% correct, your claims that following your method of loading should make you hit every ball, every speed, every movement, and barell up everything, is just absolutely absurd. If that was true, you would be the best, most highly paid and most sought after batting coach in the world, and I would have already known who you are. So please, let's take it down a few notches, and back up your claims about your methods with some proof and examples, or don't put it out there at all. There is too much misinformation that ends up doing more harm than good for today's young players.

You’re right and I Agee with your hitting philosophy. But man when you demonstrate it yourself it looks bad lol

Too much talk and too little show me.

X - axis (left to right), Y - axis (vertical) Z - axis (front to back). Don’t mess these kids up for math!!! 😅

I hear blah blah x blah blah z blah blah axis blah blah stretch

You're an engineer aren't you. All those things will happen automatically if the hitter just points his front should at the ball. Simple.

I’d recommend not showing your swing. Horrible finish, you’re all over the place. Viewers: watch his eyes during thing.

🗑

Its funny how many people watch you and take your advice on hitting. So the experts watching take what you say and relay it to your kids or players. Under the assumption that we want the very best for our kids. So ill take your advice and critique your swing on the way out the door. It looks funny because you cant hit and dont get it. 99.9 percent do it wrong and you are proof. Barry frickin bonds dude barry bonds swing was funny? This guy coached best hitter of all time. Stay teachable

I've watched your hitting drills... I'd put a disclaimer out that if you ruin a kids swing it's your own fault. You mention your pros use this ... who are they? This is unorthodox!

Guy never played the game. He’s awful. Don’t

does this man really know what he is talking about