Elbow Position At Load Phase Is Key
The main focus of every hitter should not be contact, or even “getting a hit”, it should be to, instead, DRIVE the ball - and the key to achieving this is staying through the baseball.
If you're a baseball player, I’m sure that you've heard it a thousand times - to “get your elbow up” - most likely, even, since your days in Little League. I know that I have heard it countless times, myself. Most recently, while attending a Little League travel team game (one of my Minutemen players was on the team), I heard it again. A lot.
I could have closed my eyes for a moment - the warmth of the humid dusk air, the smell of the moisture in the wind, blending so eloquently with the aroma of fine Bermuda Bluegrass and the sounds of the local ball field, complete with coach’s encouragement to “keep your elbow up” and it could have been my own Little League game some years ago. (I don’t know what kind of grass the City of Newton, Ma uses, but I’ll pretend that its the good stuff)
That’s when it hit me - the staunch reminder that we play a sport that is both traditional AND mechanical. Given the fact that our understanding of biomechanics is continually evolving, thanks to ever-growing technology……it’s not an ideal combination of things to be. They will not often be in agreement. It’s kind of like being conservative AND progressive. Anyway, I began to wonder to myself that if given the opportunity to ask that Little League coach (the one yelling to “keep the elbow up”) exactly WHY he was reinforcing such a thing, if he would be able to give me any answer other than “it’s what (he) was taught”.
Now, I don’t want this to come across as though this is coming from a place of arrogance, because that is not my intention. In fact, I find it quite noble for those men and women who sacrifice and volunteer their valuable time to coach a local Little League team. I would go even further to say that the ones that I know are very passionate about what they do and are always interested in learning the proper mechanics of baseball to pass along to their young players.
With that being said, my wonderment remains. What WOULD the answer be from the “elbow up” side? For that matter, what would it be from the “elbow down” group (because there are a lot of those as well)? We ARE talking about the BACK elbow here, by the way. For now.
"Where Does My Elbow Go?"
The “where does the elbow go” debate has always been a fun one for me. The reason for this is because, unlike other debated topics in life, I get to sit right smack dab on the middle of the fence on this one (those who know me know that I can be rather.....opinionated at times).
The truth of the matter when discussing the placement of the back elbow is that it really matters not where it begins, so long as it is where it needs to be at the point of contact.
At contact, the back elbow should be directly behind the top hand (in relation to the pitcher). The “back-side” arm should be in the position of an “L”, or, at a 90 degree angle and in tight with the body [Imagine the position a person’s arm would be in if he were to uppercut someone in front of him in the gut].
Minutemen alum Curtis Beatrice demonstrating Correct Elbow Position at Load Phase
How Elbow Position InFluences Staying Through The Baseball
When the back elbow is behind the top hand, the hitter will be able to extend his top hand through the baseball while maintaining a “palm up” position. This will ensure that the barrel of the bat remains in the contact area for a maximal amount of time (or, more appropriately, area).
Minutemen alum Curtis Beatrice demonstrating Correct Elbow Position of Point of Contact, as a result of proper Elbow Position at the Load Position
Ironically, in my experience, having the hitter keep his elbow “up” (above his top hand at load position) creates the same undesirable effect as having him keep his elbow “down.” They BOTH often result in the back side elbow becoming “trapped” underneath the top hand. In this position, the hitter is in a position to extend only straight up in the air and can no longer extend or “punch” through the contact area.
** See images below.
When this happens, the hitter can often get “handcuffed” and/or be able to only “jerk” the ball to the pull side of the field.
The easiest way to insure that this doesn't happen is by having the hitter NOT “get his elbow up,” NOR “get his elbow down” but rather, have him hold his elbow loosely in between his side and the height of his top hand.
If the hitter initiates his swing with his legs and hips and keeps his upper body mostly idle as he should, then his elbow will rotate effortlessly into position behind his top hand, as he turns his top hand over (to “palm up”) to contact.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. I have seen hitters who have their back elbow slightly higher than their top hand at load position (David Ortiz comes to mind) and some others, slightly lower than in between (Josh Hamilton). But the majority of professional hitters will be somewhere in that happy medium - OFF of the side of his body, but NOT higher than his top hand.
Of course, once any hitter has developed the proper muscle memory, he can essentially start wherever he wants and his body will adjust mid-swing. But for the young hitter (or ANY hitter, really) who is trying to build a proper mechanical foundation for his swing, proper back elbow placement at load position is a major key to proper hand path, time in zone and ultimately, staying through the baseball!
Image #1 (left): Minutemen alum Kevin Alexy with Incorrect Elbow Position (Elbow above top hand at Load Phase)
Image #2 (right): Minutemen alum Kevin Alexy with Incorrect Elbow Position (Elbow underneath top hand at Load Phase)
Minutemen alum Mike Barbieri in Improper Elbow Position at Point of Contact as a result of elbow being too high or too low in relation to top hand
Mike Freire
Director, Player Skill Development
The Farm BPI
Originally printed July 29, 2014
Reprinted August 14, 2022
