Stride or Not to Stride When Hitting?

When teaching hitting one method that seems to be effective is teaching no stride. The rationale for teaching no stride is that the stride is simply a timing device. With so many young hitters having issues with their stride being late or poorly why not introduce a stride in the later stages of their development? I had this article in my coaching notes so I thought that I would share this with you. The author was not indicated but, who ever did write it made some great points.The following is even further rationale for those who teach a no stride method:

• No one hits the ball with their front foot in the air.
• The front foot must be down before the hitter swings.
• The stride is one movement that creates the most havoc with the swing. A hitter can be tardy which causes indecision, foul ball or miss; too early causing weight to go forward before the swing or on time. Two or three are bad!
• The three musts in hitting that every hitter must be able to do are 1) Balance 2)The ability to rotate body inward and outward 3)Limited head movement. The stride simply negates the musts. It often causes off-balance, no rotation and head movement. A stride is a tradition but not a must.
• By spreading your feet twice shoulder width and maintaining balance, the no stride ensures that the three musts in hitting are much more consistent in each swing.
• No other sport takes a step when striking an object ex. golf. Hitting is still the most difficult athletic skill to do in sports therefore, consistency is key to being successful.