Lesson 1: The 5-Swing Video Test

Today's Lesson

“Your swing probably breaks down at a checkpoint you’ve never looked at. Five swings on video will find it.”

A sound swing doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s, but the structure underneath has to hold. This course teaches it in ten checkpoints, in order: 1) stance and ready position, 2) gather, 3) directionally sound load, 4) launch position, 5) the bump, 6) the launch, 7) barrel approach, above and inside, 8) contact and hand placement, 9) extension, 10) finish. You grade all ten on your own video, and before you watch, you predict each result. Most hitters find out the swing they feel is not the swing they have. A hitter told to “stay back” feels back while drifting. That gap is why tips stop working.

Then find the first thing that breaks, not the last thing you notice. A rollover at contact often started with a drift in the load. Fix the earliest breakdown with one drill, starting from a relaxed hammer grip, and film again. One checkpoint, one drill, one session.

Why It Matters

Hitters collect tips for problems they don’t have. Grading the ten checkpoints in order shows the one that actually breaks first, and fixing the earliest one usually cleans up the rest. A visible fix in the first session proves the process works for you.

Today's Work

The test (10 min): film 5 game-speed swings from the side and 5 from the front off a tee or front toss. Before watching, predict pass or fail on each of the 10 checkpoints. Then watch at ¼ speed and grade all ten, in order, on each swing.
• Grip reset (2 min): before each swing, squeeze the bat hard for one second, then relax to a hammer grip. Fingers and pads, not buried in the palm.
• Quick fix (8 min): circle the earliest checkpoint that failed on 3 or more swings and pick its drill. 3 sets of 8, slow then full speed:
– Stance, gather or load (drift) → stride-and-freeze reps, belt buckle checked on video. “Stride, don’t slide.”
– Launch position, bump or launch (rushing the hands) → bump-and-pause reps. “Hips go, hands wait.”
– Barrel approach (casting) → fence drill. “Knob to the ball.”
– Contact (pulling off, rolling over) → opposite-field tee. “Show the pitcher your back pocket.”
– Extension or finish → freeze-finish swings. “Through, then long. Hold it.”
• Retest (3 min): re-film 5 swings from the same angles and re-grade only your circled checkpoint.

Track It

Write three numbers: your score out of 50, your feel accuracy (predictions that matched the video, out of 10), and your circled checkpoint before and after the fix (out of 5). A gain of 2 or more is a real change. If feel accuracy was 0–5, film every new change from here on. Keep this sheet; you retest it in Lesson 16.

Next: Lesson 2, Stance and Ready Position: the athletic base every other checkpoint is built on.