For those of you who work with and coach younger players like I have the past 5 years, you will encounter players of all skill levels and experience. It can be challenging to teach hitting properly when many of your players have never received any real instruction on proper mechanics. One key lesson I have learned is to keep it simple! Beginners and younger players especially have a hard time retaining multiple tips or lessons you share. If there is one hitting drill that players of all ages can do and benefit from doing, it is the Knob Thrust.
The reason I love this drill is that one of the common miscues we see is a long backswing where the hands disengage from the body and therefore lag behind (and typically drop) during the swing. Most young players these days swing 2 ¾ inch barrels with a weight distribution that makes it way too easy to drop the backside and get long to the ball. The Knob Thrust forces a player to stay inside the baseball and helps keep the hands, upper body, and lower body in sync during a swing.
The way we teach this drill also helps a player visualize where the hands should be relative to the body and actually ‘feel’ when approaching the baseball. As you can see in the side by side below, the hands are thrusting directly to, not around, the baseball. At the same moment, the hips are thrusting, resulting in a full-body swing loaded with power.
Have your player perform the thrust and pull back like you see below. Then after pulling back, have them take a full cut through the baseball. Do this ten times for a few sets during batting practice each week and you will see a noticeable difference in your player’s swing.
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