Last night, I was doing video prep for today’s post when I started getting a flurry of texts, emails and Facebook messages. I decided very quickly that my blog topic needed to change. Bryce Harper has that kind of affect on people.

“Are you watching this? People talking about his swing are so clueless.”

“They’re breaking down his swing in slo-mo. Interesting listening to what they are talking about… not one thing about tipping the barrel or what happens before the swing starts.”

This post is going to about Harper, but it is also going to be about the culture surrounding baseball and softball… a culture of creating safe, quiet swings. A culture that says Bryce Harper shouldn’t swing like he does, despite the fact that he is a 20 year old playing at the highest level of the game and doing great things.

Think about that for a second…

Harper does something “different.”

Harper has extreme success.

People say Harper shouldn’t hit like that.

People say YOU shouldn’t hit like Harper.

Most kids aren’t allowed to swing like Harper. They aren’t allowed to experiment and “go big” with any movements. Unfortunately, most coaches view movement as being bad. Because when hitters are younger and don’t have great body control or strength or accuracy or timing, people think they should make the swing more simple and in doing so they prevent young hitters from being athletic.

I think you should certainly try to hit like Harper and try to feel what he feels. Does that mean you will stick with his style? Not necessarily.

More importantly, I think coaches NEED to allow kids to try to hit like Harper.

Coaches need to allow kids to try to hit like Babe Ruth.

And Jimmie Fox.

And Lou Gehrig.



And Rogers Hornsbey.

And Ted Williams.

And Miguel Cabrera.

And Barry Bonds.

And Ryan Braun.

And David Ortiz.

And Jose Bautista.

And Stan Musial.

The list really does go on and on. And when you compare Harper’s swing to some of the other MOST ELITE HITTERS EVER, his actions aren’t so bad.

And maybe your style will settle on something more quiet like Pujols, but even he has some movement that isn’t “conventional” at all.

But you can’t hit like that…

I love when people make this excuse. You can never hit like those guys if you don’t try. If you never attempt it, you sure won’t ever do it. Just make sure you aren’t using this excuse because you don’t understand what they are doing because all of these hitters are creating an extreme mechanical advantage for themselves… an advantage that you are likely missing out on if you say something like, “You can’t hit like that.”

Bryce Harper’s Swing Process

Rant over. Let’s dig into Harper’s swing with special attention being paid to timing. It comes down to what you do, why you do it and WHEN you do it. Because no matter how you swing, you need to be on time.

Swing Video

Normal Speed



Slowed Down



Focus and Setup

On of my favorite parts of watching Harper hit is his focus. He gets mentally prepared for every pitch. It is part of his routine. It is his normal. It is his #process.

Harper’s stance/setup has rhythm. He will pick up the bat with it angled toward his head, then he will bring the bat up vertical and kind of lightly bounce it with his arms away from his body. For me, this just creates some feel of the barrel. It isn’t big, it is simple and it gives his arms space to work. Some kids will get their hands all tied up in their body and they can’t move and be athletic.

Step One

This first movement actually reminds me some of Ryan Braun. The leg lifts up, the hands settle down and the barrel tips up and away from the body. This isn’t the stride. This is barrel movement balancing leg lift. (Leg lifting and leg stride are two different movements.)

Step Two

He brings the hands and barrel back in to his body as his pelvis turns back and the front leg becomes turned in. This is a gather move, not a loading move. He is balanced on his back leg and ready to BEGIN his load. Notice the pitcher’s arm is coming forward during this part of his process. This is pre-pitch release, pre-load. Very important. This is where most hitters struggle. You have to use the time BEFORE the ball is thrown to get ready to load. (As opposed to loading before the ball is thrown.)

Step Three

This is where things get going. I get a lot of questions about how hitters are supposed to hit off-speed pitches with this “style.” The load is happening DURING pitch recognition. The entire load and swing are on time to the actual pitch being thrown – whether that pitch is a fast ball or off-speed. Too often young hitters will swing at the arm action, not the ball. This is why in some drills I emphasize movement after the ball is released. Hitters have to get comfortable timing the ball, not the arm.

The actual movement Harper shows is big. His style is big. But think about what is happening when the barrel tips behind his head WHILE the ball is getting closer to him. This is how he creates depth and direction. He is getting forward. I’m not a fan of the lifting of the arms because I feel it is unnecessary as it adds some vertical length, but his is a very dynamic load. (Not static/stationary.)

Also, imagine what he take would be like if this is what he must do every pitch to load…

Step Four

For me, this is a very fun visual. It is important to realize that he has gone forward with his body to get to this point. So his balance is “center” relative to his body WHILE his body is moving forward. (I keep trying to find the best words to describe this.) The body has to turn to hit, but the barrel turns back while the body turns forward. This creates depth, direction, gets him on plane with the pitch. Notice that as his front foot lands the front leg is still bent. It is like his lower body turns underneath him. Shoulders do not rotate here WHILE the barrel movement occurs.

Wanted to share two images to show his forward. This is a screen shot from a home run earlier this year.

This is his forward on a two strike pitch.

More on his two strike approach later.

Step Five

Commitment. The swing from this point is very short. Everything up to this was loading. Despite the big forward move, the swing through contact is very balanced. He stays behind his front side. Just a tremendous transfer of huge movements into a precise contact point.

Using Time BEFORE Pitch Release

I wanted to emphasize his movement BEFORE pitch release. For those out there trying this and experimenting, pay close attention to how you move before the ball is out of the pitchers hand. Feel when you are early, feel when you are late and make adjustments accordingly. Keep developing your timing!

Two Strike Approach

The last clip I wanted to share was Harper hitting a home run on a two-strike pitch. Notice how the leg kick isn’t there, instead replaced with more of a toe touch stride. It gives a little more control and Miguel Cabrera is another hitter who you will using stride variations like this. I want to stress that his mechanics are not changing. He is simply using a different style stride!

Summary

I’m very excited to see Harper play for a long time. He is a guy you make a point to go see when he is in town. With the start he has had this year, who knows what kind of numbers he might put up over the next 10 years and more!

Make sure you at least mess around with this stuff. In my eBook, I talk a lot about the different swing patterns and swing characteristics that go into the mechanics of a swing. Bryce doesn’t swing within the “conventional wisdom” and my eBook doesn’t fall within “conventional wisdom” either. There is a reason why the best hitters are so good!

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