Stride, Toe Touch, Heel Plant

[SCflashes]

When should you do these in relation to the pitcher's wind-up/pitching motion? I would like to give my hitters cues to help them. Thanks for your help.

 

[PEPPERS]

You began by dancing with the pitcher, she moves the batter moves. You want to be in the load position somewhere around the top of the arm swing of the pitcher and at toe touch about the release point. As hitter would say slow to load soft to step on a bent front knee.

Each pitcher is different and adjustment is needed and a good pitcher will do what she can to disrupt that timing.

 

[softballphreak]

The most important part is to be at toe touch when the ball arrives. Timing. Stride is how you get to toe touch. The timing will be based on the pitcher's speed; timed from watching her from the dugout and then the on-deck circle. If the batter can learn to "hover" the lead foot, she can come to toe touch in a more timely manner. The back leg would actually be in control of that.

Heel plant will be the result of the move toward hitting the ball. Heel plant doesn't initiate the action, in other words.