Everybody wants to be a great hitter. Most young players dream about hitting the ball like Mookie Betts, Mike Trout,or Bryce Harper. What they don’t realize is that All-Star players like that have such deeply ingrained muscle memory built into their swing that they can totally forget about their swing and concentrate solely on hitting the ball.

As complex as the baseball swing can be, it can also be quite simple. If you ingrain these six steps into your muscles, your task of hitting becomes much easier. Your swing becomes automatic, and you won’t have to do anything except pick out the pitch you want and then hit it.

1 The Load:

You should have a slight lifting of the front heel and a slight turn in of the front knee. This effectively and efficiently transfers enough weight to the back side and prepares the “coil”. Power comes from the ground up so be sure and keep the transferred weight on the “inside” of the rear foot, calf and thigh. You will need it there so that it can be used properly in the next sequence.

2 The Step:

You should have a steady head, directly over your lead shoulder. You want to get your stride down in time for the pitcher’s fastball. This allows you time to react to the speed and the location. If your foot is down late, you are vulnerable. The step should be “short”, “soft” and straight to the ball. You should have a slightly open front foot, which will allow for a quicker and more powerful release of the rear hip.

3 The Launch:

Do not let your hands committed to release the bat yet. Allow the ball to travel deeper into the zone before making the commitment to the contact point. But, you should have already lined up with the plane of the incoming pitch. Driving the knob of the bat to the ball with the bottom hand (pulling) is the ideal way to imbed this muscle memory in your swing. The bottom hand guides the bat barrel into the proper slot. This also sets the “tilt” in the upper body. Critical for proper bat path alignment with the incoming pitch.

You should have a firm front side and the commitment of the rear hip into the swing. The hips have launched! The hips should always lead the hands in a baseball swing. Your head is steady and your eyes are completely locked on to the baseball with a singular focus… to hit the ball!

4 Contact:

Your front foot should be angled, backside is completely rotated. The power they generated during the coil and uncoil is released into the ball. The top hand is palm up and “pushing” while the bottom hand is palm down and “pulling”! The right elbow is still bent and delivering a blow much like a body punch from a boxer at close range. Also, the balance here is incredible. This allows a complete release and rotation of the backside into the ball. The barrel of the bat is basically “pivoting” around the stationary axis (the firm front side).

5 Extend:

It’s here that the back elbow starts to straighten out because of the “pushing” from the top hand. Be short to the ball and long through the ball! This is the start of the “long through the ball”. Do not slow down the bat after contact! Let it continue through the ball!

6 Extend Again:

In the pursuit of the “long through the ball” concept, you should “extend again” until you reach the “Power V” position that is so often referred to. The head stays in line with the rear shoulder, almost like using it as a sight through which to view the ball. This is a result of the rotating with a steady head. The wrists are beginning to roll which allows the bat to release into the finish.

The finish is generally a by-product of the swing up to and through the 6th step, what area of the strike zone the pitch was thrown, as well as a player’s body type. Therefore, we didn’t really focus on this as much. You should pay attention to your balance at the finish of your swing. This helps in developing the short, powerful and accurate swing that you aim for. Keep that in mind when you are developing your swing.