What Will Improve Your 11 Year Old Son’s Baseball Swing? Launch Quickness

In a recent Q&A, hitting coach Teacherman shared his insights on what young players should focus on to improve their swing and become better hitters. Drawing from his years of experience working with both professional athletes and aspiring young players, Teacherman emphasized the importance of LAUNCH QUICKNESS. Below, we explore some of the key takeaways from his session that can help players of all ages elevate their game.

The Key to Launch Quickness

One of the most fundamental concepts Teacherman teaches is launch quickness. For young players, the most crucial skill to develop is the ability to launch the bat instantly upon deciding to swing. This may sound simple, but it’s often overlooked.

Most players, especially beginners, waste time doing unnecessary movements before they can even start their swing. The best hitters, however, have the ability to make the decision to swing and execute it almost instantly.

Teacherman recommends training to “launch” the bat as soon as the decision is made—eliminating unnecessary steps and refining that immediate response.

The Importance of the Back Leg

Teacherman also stresses the importance of staying back on the back leg during the swing. This is vital for generating power and balance. He pointed to specific drills, like the corner drill, to help players develop a strong and controlled weight shift.

In these exercises, players practice loading and coiling their bodies on their rear leg, winding up like a spring before snapping through the ball.

This creates a more explosive and powerful swing, as the rear leg’s unwinding generates the necessary torque and force.

Flexibility in Stride Techniques

When asked whether a player should use a specific stride type (toetap, no stride, or leg kick), Teacherman explained that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. While some players might prefer to use a no-stride or hover technique, others may choose a higher leg kick or a simpler step.

What matters most, Teacherman says, is that players develop the ability to perform each of these movements effectively and understand their timing. This flexibility allows players to adapt to different pitchers, adjusting their approach based on timing and comfort.

Seamless Load to Swing

A smooth, seamless transition from the load into the swing is another critical concept Teacherman emphasizes. Too often, players will stop their load and then start their swing, creating a break in the motion that disrupts timing. Instead, Teacherman advocates for a continuous motion—where the load flows directly into the swing, creating a fluid, controlled movement.

The key is to develop a tempo that allows you to load and swing without rushing. By mastering this, players can expand their “timing window,” giving them more time to read pitches and make solid contact. The recipe to the HLP load is 1 to 1 to 1.

The Power of Consistent Practice

Teacherman is a firm believer that consistent practice is the most important factor in improving launch quickness. The more a player practices, the better they will get at timing their swing, feeling the correct positions, and ultimately controlling their body’s movements.

He advises players to keep practicing daily and to push themselves to explore new sensations and feelings in their swing.

Over time, this will lead to improvements in muscle memory, timing, and overall swing mechanics.

Blast Motion and Its Limitations

In the discussion, Teacherman also addressed the shortcomings of popular swing analysis tools like Blast Motion.

While devices like Blast Motion can measure things like exit velocity and swing angles, Teacherman argues that these metrics don’t necessarily correlate with hitting success.

What truly sets great hitters apart is their ability to launch quickly and read pitches in real-time. Tools like Blast Motion don’t measure launch quickness, which is the real difference between an average hitter and a great one.

Coaches Must Understand the Mechanics

Teacherman advises coaches who want to teach these principles to take a hands-on approach by personally learning the mechanics themselves. He believes that to effectively teach hitting, a coach must be able to swing the bat and understand the nuances of the swing.

Coaches who try to teach advanced concepts without firsthand experience are less likely to be effective at diagnosing issues in a player’s swing. To truly help players, coaches need to understand every step of the swing mechanics and be able to apply those lessons to their players’ techniques.

Coiling and Tilting: Unlocking Power

A core concept in Teacherman’s philosophy is the importance of coiling and tilting. Coiling happens in the rear hip socket, not the spine. By coiling the rear hip and tilting the body over the back leg, players unlock a powerful swing.

This movement allows the lower body to generate force, and as the body tilts, the barrel of the bat is propelled through the zone.

This movement is NOT rotation—it’s a tilt—and it’s essential for creating the type of whip-like action that leads to faster bat speeds and more explosive contact.

Developing Hand Snap and Forearm Strength

Teacherman discussed the importance of developing hand snap and forearm strength for a powerful swing. He compared this movement to a propeller, where the forearms work in conjunction with the rest of the body to propel the bat forward.

Many players make the mistake of not engaging their forearms enough during the swing. Instead, they rely on their hands too early, which slows down the bat’s movement. By focusing on developing snap with the forearms, players can significantly increase their bat speed, making them quicker and more dangerous at the plate.