Stance vs Swing

There are a lot of opinions and misinformation about a batter’s stance. At the professional level, there are many extreme stances that are often criticized. Julio Franco, for example, begins with his hands and bat over his head. Mickey Tettleton, on the other hand, keeps his hands low with the bat held flat behind him. Eric Davis holds his bat forward in the middle of his body.

What many people don’t understand is that their swings are very similar. Once their stride foot touches down, each of these players has his hands over his rear foot at a height around the arm pit. This is the launch position.

Younger players need to develop a stance that’s comfortable and that allows them to reach the proper launch position as they land on their stride foot. As a general rule, the younger the player, the closer he should hold his hands to the launch position when taking his stance.