Bobby Atkinson

⚾️ Making hitters better
📍 Orland Park, IL + Remote
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[Bobby Atkinson @atkinsonhitting]

Elite hitters hold their posture over the plate regardless of pitch location.

This goes for both power and contact hitters.

They don’t cheat and try to stand up and rush to the inside pitch. They trust that their path and adjustability will get them there.

Here are two very different types of hitters and as you can see they both hold their line through contact and two very different pitches.

[Bobby Atkinson @atkinsonhitting]

@RealCJ10

[Bobby Atkinson @atkinsonhitting]

Chipper Jones has a swing of beauty and one of my favorite things about is how well he holds his posture.

As you can see, Chipper’s posture does not change during the swing. He stays on his line and this is what keeps his path and direction clean.

I see so many hitters come out of their posture as they rotate. Elite hitters have an elite path and elite direction. Posture plays a major role in both of those.

Losing posture affects our ability to hold direction and often leads to a path that cuts across the ball leading to a lot of side spin and flares.

True backspin comes from elite posture and spacing.

[Bobby Atkinson @atkinsonhitting]

WHAT ARE YOU TELLING YOURSELF IN THE BOX?

Too many hitters step in thinking:
“I hope I don’t strike out.”
“I hope I get a hit.”

STEP IN READY TO COMPETE.

“He can’t beat me.”
“I’m the f***ing best.”
“Do damage.”
“Win this pitch.”
“Make him pay.”

Pick one. Repeat it. Compete.

[Bobby Atkinson @atkinsonhitting]

If you feel long or pushy, give this a try.

Swinging from the back shoulder helps us feel a more connected turn behind the baseball.

Obviously, this a just a drill. We don’t want to actually swing like this, but this is a great feel for guys who disconnect early.

I use this drill with many of my hitters and it helps them feel it only after a few swings!

[Bobby Atkinson @atkinsonhitting]

You can work on your swing without using a bat!

[Bobby Atkinson @atkinsonhitting]

Being on the barrel without getting you best swing off is vital for success at higher levels.

Pitchers have nasty stuff and you aren’t able to get your best swing off on every single pitch.

It’s important to be adjustable and find the barrel in these moments. You can’t do it if you never practice it.

Make training uncomfortable.

[Bobby Atkinson @atkinsonhitting]

Let the body swing the bat

[Eric Acevedo @ericacevedo22]

Thank you @PrepBaseballIL!!

[Bobby Atkinson @atkinsonhitting]

Quick and Connected

[Bobby Atkinson @atkinsonhitting]

Stay Connected.

[Bobby Atkinson @atkinsonhitting]

Two great cues for hitters who spin off the ball.

“Chest Square” helps the hitter feel connection and the bat working in sync with the bout.

“Stop at Contact” keeps the hitter from over-rotating and allows them to brace at contact

[Bobby Atkinson @atkinsonhitting]

Hitting the outside pitch is a lot easier than it seems.

Put your eyes closer to it, so it doesn’t seem so far away.

Hitters who struggle with this often land in a more upright position. This put their eyes further from the ball and the only thing they can really do is throw their arms out there and hope they hit it.

Leaning more over the plate can help your plate coverage and power to all fields. Try this out and send it to someone who needs it.

Drop a follow for more content like this!

[Bobby Atkinson @atkinsonhitting]

The concept of “ready at release” is often a good baseline for hitters, but….

many hitters don’t know when they have to start to be ready at release.

Hitters with smaller moves have the luxury of starting later, while hitters with bigger moves have to start sooner.

I’m not saying that one is better than the other, but it is vital for hitters to know when they have to start in order to be ready to swing on time.

“Ready at release” is a baseline. It does not work against every single pitcher, especially in high school where pitchers throw between 70 and 95 mph.

It often works as a cue for hitters who start late consistently, but many hitters don’t know when they have to start to be ready at a certain point.

Save this and send it to someone who needs it.

[Bobby Atkinson @atkinsonhitting]

@NarronProHit73 Thanks for the comment!🫡

[Bobby Atkinson @atkinsonhitting]

Holding Posture is our ability to hold our hinge during rotation.

As you see in the clip, Miguel Cabera’s spine angle does not change during rotation.

Holding posture allows the bat to enter the zone cleanly and stay on plane.

If a hitter loses posture, it will directly affect bat pat and ball flight.

Save this and send it to someone who needs it!

[Bobby Atkinson @atkinsonhitting]

I see this in hitters who try to force themselves to pull the ball, instead of letting it happen naturally. They try to get to that “extra gear” for more power, but end up coming out of the ground.

Many hitters want to “cheat” to the inside pitch cut across everything.

The simple cue of keeping the head still once you land can clean up your finish and ball flight.

This will allow you to hit through contact, instead of getting to contact and cutting across.

I see this a lot in high school hitters who struggle to backspin the ball. They don’t have enough space to let the barrel work through contact since they are standing up as they rotate. This will lead to a lot of topspin and flares.

In order to be an elite hitter, we need to be able to backspin the ball to all fields. Backspin to the pull-side will create home runs and extra base hits. Backspin to the middle and opposite field will lead to cleaner ball flight (line drives over the outfielders heads) instead of side-spun flares.

Save this and send it to someone who needs it.