A Good Stance Begins with Your Feet

Throughout my career, and even since the conclusion of my playing days, people always took notice of my unique batting stance. My stance actually came about because of Nolan Ryan, the great Hall of Fame pitcher known for, among many other highlights, his seven career no-hitters. Nolan struck me out 29 times, with most of […]
The Flex Stance and Studying the Pitcher
When using the flex-stance, the key to making it work starts with knowing when to be flexible. You can use all three stances – the standard stance, which is medium open with your front foot 8-12 inches away from the inside chalk; the open stance with your front foot 12-18 inches off the inside chalk; […]
The Flex Stance and Studying the Pitcher
When using the flex-stance, the key to making it work starts with knowing when to be flexible. You can use all three stances – the standard stance, which is medium open with your front foot 8-12 inches away from the inside chalk; the open stance with your front foot 12-18 inches off the inside chalk; […]
Your Stance: The Foundation of Your Swing
John Wooden once said, “Be quick, but don’t hurry.” The late, great basketball coach’s wise words applied to the baseball diamond, as well. Quick hands, wrists and reflexes are valuable tools at the plate. Having patience and the ability to refrain from rushing things is just as valuable, particularly when setting up your stance in […]
Rod Carew: 10 Important Keys to Good Hitting
In the 43 years since I debuted in Major League Baseball, I’ve watched thousands of great and not-so-great hitters. I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t, and I’ve sought to understand the fundamentals of success and failure. I’ve spent thousands of hours experimenting, watching video tape and refining my own hitting techniques. In the end, […]
Rod Carew on “Making Contact”
Long before he was the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Don Mattingly was a phenomenal first baseman for the New York Yankees who was one of the best hitters of his time. So a compliment from him certainly goes a long way. “Rod Carew influenced me a lot,” Mattingly said during in his playing […]
Making Contact, Step 3: Flat-Hand Hitting
If any single idea dominates my overall approach to hitting it is my undying belief in the advantages of flat-hand hitting. Here’s why… It increases your flexibility to react to a variety of pitches. It gives you more leverage to drive the baseball. It provides you better arm extension. It allows you the ability to […]
Hall of Famer Rod Carew on Making Contact, Step 2: The Stride
As you continue taking steps toward becoming a successful hitter, one of the crucial steps is actually making a stride. In your quest for contact, the purposes of the stride are many. For starters, it gets your energies moving in the right direction. It also eliminates a flat-footed swing and balances the weight shift and […]
Rod Carew’s Hitting Tips: Making Contact, Step 1 – The Setup
Everything has a starting point. The starting point of making contact – the starting point of becoming a successful hitter – is the setup. On the surface, it might seem like a rather simple or even natural process; but it’s a very important aspect of your quest to becoming a good hitter. As you start […]
Hall of Famer Rod Carew on Finding Your Road to Success
Across the springs, summers and autumns – after all the seasons and over all the years – countless styles, methods and theories of how to hit a baseball and how to be a successful hitter have developed. Unfortunately, some instructors remain limited in their knowledge and, hence, can limit you in your approach to becoming […]
Rod Carew on Gripping Your Bat: Taking Hold of Success
For decades upon decades, from Ty Cobb to Mickey Mantle to Tony Gywnn to Miguel Cabrera; Major League Baseball’s finest hitters have taken hold of a bat in the fashion that suited them. And, in doing so, they all held tight to successful careers with an assortment of batting titles, All-Star selections, and even Hall […]
Rod Carew on Choosing the Right Bat
Throughout my career, I had the greatest respect for my bats. I preferred a 34 ½-inch long, 32-ounce ash bat that was wide at the top and narrow at the handle, allowing me a proper mix of power and quickness at the plate. But just as there are plenty of approaches to take at the […]
Understanding the Spin of the Ball
The very prospect of picking up the rotation of a baseball only 55 feet away from you normally traveling in excess of 90 mph is quite a daunting task. Not to mention that very few players, especially at the lower levels of the game, know what to look for – even if they are looking. […]
The Rules of Reading the Spin of the Ball
Knowing where and when to look. Those are the two simple, but important rules to reading the spin of the ball out of the pitcher’s hand. Every pitcher has his own release point, the point at which the ball leaves his hand – and the point at which a hitter should begin to read the […]
Rod Carew on Seeing the Ball
In many sports, it’s called being “in the zone.” In baseball, it’s “seeing the ball.” And when you’re “seeing the ball,” you’re putting together multi-hit games, hitting streaks, and home-run tears – everything’s going right for you at the plate. When you’re “seeing the ball,” it looks bigger, you pick it up sooner, your reactions […]
Hall of Famer Rod Carew on Setting up the Pitcher
Just as a pitcher can set up a batter, I feel a hitter can set up a pitcher. Hitting is a science. From preparing yourself with tools and studying your opponent, to analyzing your stance and how to get the best of your opponent; it’s a thinking man’s game from start to finish. With the […]
Standing in the Batter’s Box
Like many aspects in the art and science of hitting, where you take your stance in the batter’s box offers as many opinions as there are fans in the ballpark. But, wherever you choose to stand in the box, it’s an important decision. Some batters prefer standing deep in the box, while others like to […]