By Coach Billy Kehoe, Athletic Hitting Development
Complete Hitters Are Built… It’s Earned!
The swing starts before the barrel moves. It starts when the hitter sees the pitch, recognizes it, times it and decides whether it deserves an attack.
Bat speed is not just a gym number
- Strength gives hitters more available force.
- Movement gives them a usable way to deliver it.
- The Hitting Processor helps them bring that swing to the right pitch.
“Fast” is a result, not a cue
MLB’s Brewers story on their 2026 fast-swing gains includes the right coaching idea: speed is a result of the process, not the target. MLB’s tracking definition calls 75 mph-plus a fast swing, but no young hitter gets better by yelling “75” while he takes bad pitches and rushes his move.
The more important question is: was he ready for the pitch he swung at? A hitter who sees it early, identifies a hittable ball and gets his decision made can launch an aggressive swing from a stable position. A hitter who panics late often looks slow even if he owns plenty of strength.
Better decisions free up better swings.
The AHD Hitting Processor
We teach the order on purpose: See it → Recognize it → Time it → Decide → Attack it. Skip any piece and the hitter pays for it with a rushed move, a chase, or a late barrel. That is why “just swing harder” is one of the least helpful things an adult can say to a kid who is struggling.
- See it. Pick up the ball cleanly out of the hand. The eyes are the first tool.
- Recognize it. Fastball? Spin? Location? Start identifying before the ball is halfway home.
- Time it. Get the body prepared early enough to attack without rushing.
- Decide, then attack. Be selective before you swing and violent through the right decision.
Three ways to train “speed” without just taking more hacks
- Build the engine. Train age-appropriate rotational strength, jumps, throws and movement quality.
- Train the timing. Use velocity and mixed-speed work, not a steady diet of perfect front toss.
- Grade the decision. A hard swing at a bad pitch is not a win. Keep score of takes, takes that should have been swings, and attacks on hittable pitches.
What to tell a hitter today
Do not send him to the cage with “swing harder.” Send him with a job: Be ready for the fastball. Say yes early. If it is not in your attack window, let it go. If it is, take your best swing.
Then prove it. Use SwingChecker™ to compare an on-time attack with a rushed one. The video will show whether the issue is the engine, the timing, the path or the decision. The AHD Masterclass gives that hitter the full roadmap.
Quick answers
Does swinging harder create bat speed?
Trying to swing harder can make a hitter tense, early or disconnected. Bat speed is built through athletic movement, strength, timing and selecting pitches that allow an on-time attack.
What does pitch selection have to do with bat speed?
A hitter who identifies a pitch early and decides on a hittable one can use a prepared, committed swing. Bad decisions often force rushed, defensive or late contact.
Source: MLB.com: Brewers swinging faster bats (October 2026). The coaching read is AHD’s; the MLB example is not a universal mechanical prescription.
Don’t collect drills. Build a complete hitter.
