Train With Wood

I want to discuss the advantages of using wood bats during BP sessions. We are going to assume that money is not an issue. I know the day and age we live in but for arguments sake you all have unlimited budgets here. OK, let's get back to the idea of using wooden bats. I am a big believer that players swings are affected by using aluminum bats growing up. The reason I say that is because players don't use their bodies in general as well as they could. They leave a lot of power on their lower half because they don't load and unload properly from the waist down. The biggest reason is the fact they don't have to with the aluminum bats. They can be arm swingers and still get the ball out of the infield and even into the gaps. I don't see a lot of players anymore who truly drive the ball on an consistent basis. With the space age technology we send our hitters to the plate with, you would think the ball would be jumping off their bats. I really don't see that happening as much as you would think. I am not saying that there are not hitters who hit with their lower halves but at least in my observations I don't see it enough. The reason I believe is because kids hit with aluminum bats all their life now and they can be arm swingers and get away with it. I know when you use a wooden bat it takes much more skill and technique to hit. First, if you expect to drive the ball you need to incorporate your lower half. Second, you need to hit the ball on the sweet spot. You can't cap it and have it fall in. You certainly can't get handcuffed and expect to get anything out of it swinging with half your body. In fact, I believe our hitters would do a much better job staying inside the ball and being quicker to the ball with a wood bat. If we could combine that swing with the aluminum bat then players would have the best of both worlds. An interesting note you probably have never notice is how many players look to be in the right position when they finish but are not there at contact. I have seen a lot of players on film, my own and opponents, who hit with no lower half but afterwards turn the back foot and pivot the hips. At fast motion it appears to a point that they are doing it right. When in reality they are simply finishing with style to keep the coaches off their backs. I have had fundamentally unsound hitters have good years because we can cheat the fundamentals with the aluminum bat. I have coached kids on how to take their bad swing and use the aluminum bat to their benefit. If you start messing with a players swing in the middle of the year you are asking for trouble. A kid who is comfortable and confident with a mediocre swing will have more success then a player who is working hard trying to change a flaw in his swing in the middle of the season. The cool thing about this idea is the fact I believe hitters would better self-correct. I think they would naturally begin to make changes in order to have success. If you break enough bats you begin to make changes naturally. With aluminum bats I see players continually make the same mistakes over and over without ever making an adjustment. Getting jammed with an aluminum bat compared to a wooden bat just aren't the same thing. Hitting a ball in the gap for a triple with an aluminum bat and flying out to the center fielder with a wooden bat with the exact same swing sends a clear message to the player. The message is simple: If I am going to drive the ball I need to load up correctly! I need to load with both the upper and lower body! I need to stay inside the ball and be quick taking my hands straight to the ball! I better get full extension after contact! Is this going to make everyone on your team a good hitter? No! As long as there is baseball there will be good hitters and bad hitters. That will never change but I am completely convinced that every hitter in your program will improve. That every hitter in your program will hit the ball a little harder and be a little more consistent. And that hitters on your team will begin to naturally make some changes to help their success!