The Importance of 200 Feet
“Take a walk with me,” I said as the hitter and I left the batter’s box and walked out towards the infield.
As we approached the area where the second baseman would normally play, we turned around and looked in towards home plate.
“This is where your home runs take off,” I told him and then gave him the opportunity to let that sink in as he set his sights on home plate.
With all of the talk about launch angles and hitting the top of the batting cage in practice, what’s getting lost is the art of understanding how to be a “power hitter” or one who understands how to hit with power. In other words, having an understanding at what point your ball begins to take off and turn into an extra base hit or sail over the fence.
The purpose of walking hitters out into the field and turning them around to face home plate, is to give them a different perspective. To view hitting from a different lens.
So many hitters only have one view – from home plate – and that view has shaped our experiences to date. But what would happen if you took the time to look at your craft from a different angle?
Some of the best power hitters in our game’s history have understood the importance of 200 feet. For example, Barry Bonds tried to hit the baseball through the head of the shortstop. Albert Pujols tries to hit the ball through the second baseman. Others have tried to hit the pitcher’s feet or drive the ball through the second base bag.
In today’s society where most everyone takes things so literal, this trick of the trade has been lost on the young people coming up in the game. Why? Because some say that if we hit the ball on a line to either the shortstop or the second basemen, that would be considered an out. Popular opinion today would argue that we aren’t training for outs.
But of course we’re not training for outs. Just because those guys like Barry and Albert are trying to hit the ball to the shortstop or second baseman doesn’t mean the ball is going to go there every time.
For example, if we take a look at the numbers Barry and Albert put up over the course of their careers, there are more than enough extra base hits, RBI’s and home runs that would back up what we are talking about.
So why would power hitters focus on a target closer to them, rather than trying to hit home runs over a fence that’s at least 300 feet away?
One – It’s attainable.
If I brought a MLB hitter to a Little League field for home run derby, would it be a question of “can they hit a home run?” or a question of “how many will they hit?” 200 feet around a Little League field is very attainable for any hitter of high school age and older.
Two – It’s manageable.
When playing home run derby on a Little League field, it’s simply being on time for the pitch and keep yourself and your barrel under control, and the rest will take care of itself.
By standing out by second base or shortstop and looking back at home plate, you get an appreciation of just how far away home plate is and how far your ball has to travel to be able to have a chance at getting over an outfielder’s head. If you make contact with a pitch out front and create backspin, the flight of the ball is going to start taking off at or around the shortstop/second baseman area.
Have you ever hit a ball with so much backspin that you thought the outfielder was going to catch it but it just kept rising and rising?
This is what I’m talking about.
Your ball didn’t start to take off, forcing the outfielder to go into a full sprint, until it was roughly 200 feet away from home plate.
Most hitters think that home runs start at home plate. This leads them to believe that they have to “lift and separate,” causing them to try and manipulate the flight of the ball upon contact. Or “get the ball in the air.” While it may work for some in front toss and BP, when they get into a real game with pitchers who know how to pitch, they quickly find out that the velocity and/or location (up in the zone) of the ball overpowers them, and they end up popping the ball straight up into the air.
Big league hitters understand that if they are on time to hit through the heads of the shortstop or second baseman, they will naturally create the leverage needed to drive a baseball to the deepest parts of the ballpark.
Watch future Hall of Famer and power hitter Jim Thome talk about how he created leverage.
Your PURPOSE Will Create Your Result
As we walked back into the home plate area, the hitter was now equipped with a better understanding of his ball flight because he had been introduced to a new perspective. Before that day, he had never thought about walking his ball flight out towards the big part of the field.
I suggested that he try and hit every ball through the head of the middle infielders.
By the end of the round all he could do was laugh and smile.
His swing suddenly became tension free because he wasn’t trying to hit home runs. He was much more under control and on time because he was confident that he could hit the ball 200 feet. And although he wasn’t trying to hit home runs, his body was now in position to do just that.
And out of ten swings, he had hit four home runs, another three balls off the fence on a line and three more line drives to the big part of the field.
It was another example of less is more.
So for all the hitters who are busy working on big swings and trying to create home runs that start at home plate, do yourself a favor and take a walk out to the middle infield, turn around and see for yourself how far away you are when your ball starts to turn into an extra base hit or a home run.
The ball will do all the work. Learn what your ball can do for you!
Love,
KW
For more than a decade, Kevin Wilson has been one of the most respected hitting coaches in the game. He works behind the scenes as a private hitting consultant to some of the best hitters in Major League Baseball. In 2013, Kevin was the hitting coach for the USA Baseball 18U National Team. Team USA beat Japan for the Gold medal at the IBAF World Cup in Taichung, Taiwan.
He is the author of the Amazon #1 Best Seller The #GoodBatting Book and Finding Clarity: A Mindful Look Into the Art of Hitting and co-hosts a popular podcast, KWB Radio, that showcases unique conversations with the pros. If you want Kevin to speak at your next event or if you want take advantage of his popular 2-day KWB Experience for players and coaches, contact Kevin today!
Follow Kevin on twitter @KWBaseball and visit his website KWBaseball.com