Title
Hitter loads the back hip by rotating the back pocket toward the pitcher, creating torsion between lower and upper body without moving the front side.
Compilation
If this video stacks several distinct drills back-to-back, split it into individual, draggable drills — each with its own clip, steps, and tags.
Coach's take
Great for building: Kinetic chain activation through back hip internal rotation and pre-tensioning.
Builds toward Generating rotational power from the ground up, allowing for harder-hit balls and driving the ball to all fields.
What it is
The hitter stands in a batting stance and rotates the back hip by turning the back pocket toward the pitcher until the back leg feels tense. The front side remains still while the hips and torso load in a twisted position around the ground. The coach demonstrates the minimal external movement required to achieve proper hip load and torsion.
What it practices
Trains hip load mechanics and lower-body torsion during setup. Builds awareness of the separation between lower and upper body, preventing front-side collapse and maintaining barrel drag.
Focuses on improving
Targets hitters who collapse their front side or create sloppy barrel drag by skipping the hip-load step. Corrects mechanical breakdown by establishing a tight lower-body load and upper-body stability.
How to run it
3 sets of 10-12 swings, focusing on the load feeling for each rep.Setup
- 1Set up a batting tee at optimal ball height and position for the hitter.
- 2Assume a regular batting stance, with the bat in your hands, ready to hit the ball off the tee.
Run the drill
- 1"Fuse" into your stance, feeling connected to the ground.
- 2Internally rotate your back hip, feeling like you are turning your "back pocket" towards the pitcher.
- 3Feel the tension build in your back glute and hamstring.
- 4Maintain this coiled position, keeping your front side quiet.
- 5Initiate the swing by rotating through the back hip and driving the bat to the ball.
- 6Follow through with a complete swing.
Coaching cues
- Fuse to the ground.
- Turn your back pocket.
- Feel the coil.
- Load that back leg.
- Front side stays quiet.
- Twist and tilt.
Common mistakes
- Shifting weight forward too early instead of rotating.
- Over-rotating the hips, causing the barrel to drag.
- Not creating enough tension in the back leg.
- Using the front side prematurely.
Progressions
- Perform the drill without a ball, focusing only on the body movement.
- Add soft toss or front toss after mastering the tee work.
- Incorporate a stride or small leg kick before the back hip load.
Coach notes
transcript
[00:02] is we'll skip this step over and over and over and when they skip this step [00:05] and over and when they skip this step they get real sloppy in the barrel drags [00:07] they get real sloppy in the barrel drags we have to fuse ourselves into a unit [00:10] we have to fuse ourselves into a unit okay [00:11] okay I'm confused now I'm just going to turn [00:13] I'm confused now I'm just going to turn this back pocket around that way to the [00:16] this back pocket around that way to the pitcher until I feel my leg tense up [00:19] pitcher until I feel my leg tense up notice it's not a very big move at all [00:23] notice it's not a very big move at all all I have to do is this and I've got [00:25] all I have to do is this and I've got this leg loaded I've got it torsion [00:28] this leg loaded I've got it torsion start here's the bottom lever there's [00:31] start here's the bottom lever there's the top lever I am twisted around the [00:33] the top lever I am twisted around the ground all the way up through here my [00:34] ground all the way up through here my front side is dead I'm not doing [00:36] front side is dead I'm not doing anything with my front side it's all a [00:38] anything with my front side it's all a Twist up the back side and I'm going to [00:40] Twist up the back side and I'm going to snap my back there and I'm going to tilt [00:41] snap my back there and I'm going to tilt like this [00:43] like this oh [00:44] oh and the body just first