How often does a player have a great game or two, then a bad game and all of a sudden it's time to change the player's swing? It happens all the time! Baseball is a game of failure. It happens to the best of us just about 7 out of every 10 times we step to the plate. Deal with it! Both players and coaches need to understand that just because a player has a bad game it's not necessarily the swing. The pitcher could have had his best stuff of the year, a hitter could have guessed wrong and missed a pitch or two they normally hit or any number of other things ... OTHER THAN THE SWING! If it worked two days ago there is no reason it won't work again. Find something that feels good, performs well and trust it on both the good days and the bad.

A simple tip for getting a bunt down the line(s) is to PRESET your angle. Avoid keeping the bat square and trying to manipulate the barrel direction as the pitch is coming at you. If you're going to bunt down third, adjust your angle as you get ready and visa versa for a bunt down first. If you get really good, try bunting the ball towards the end of the bat (to deaden it) along with a PRESET angle and leg out a base hit! They all count in the books, whether a single off the wall (Barry Bonds) or a bunt down the line. Remember "Perfect or Foul," meaning give yourself a chance for a hit or keep it foul to get another pitch. Either way, NOT BACK TO THE PITCHER!

I often hear coaches (youth in particular) talk about keeping "the barrel of the bat above the ball" from start to finish of the swing. In some regards I agree, but I must clarify. "Keeping the barrel above the ball" can be a good mental note, cue, thought process or what ever you may want to call it. I do agree that you must mentally think down to the ball and such words may just do the trick. HOWEVER, believe it or not the barrel does NOT and WILL NOT STAY ABOVE THE BASEBALL! Put a swing on video, watch it in slow motion and find out for yourself that a good swing ends with the barrel below the ball before and upon contact. Check out a few images below. Thoughts? Remember, I agree that you must mentally THINK of a downward direction to the ball, but in actuality the barrel NEVER remains above the ball...So why then have we created hitting aids that force the barrel to remain above or level to a stationary ball? I sure as heck don't have an answer if you're asking me. Check out our reviews for more info regarding hitting equipment. [gallery columns="2"]

This is going to be there first of a three part series (maybe more depending on how much I ramble on!).  A lot of people have different philosophies about how you should spend your time taking bp.  Listen to what people have to say and take from it what you like.  I've heard and or been a part of just about every differnt way you could possibly think of taking a round of batting practice.  Let's see if we can figure out what you should do.

I know you've heard it ... "Squish the Bug." Or how about 60/40, maybe 70/30? All of these sayings refer to a hitter's weight distribution and transfer both before and during the swing. Are there certain "extreme" situations where these metal keys may be useful, possibly. However, the biggest point I am out to make is that on contact during a Major League swing there is NO such thing as "Squish the Bug." The weight is transferred from the back foot to the front with a strong angle of the front leg and hip rotation. Therefore, your back foot should not simply rotate in the dirt, make a loud noise twisting on turf nor fatigue from trying to "stay back." With the advancements in technology (video and photo) we are now able to learn more about a baseball hitter's mechanics. For hitters with both GREAT POWER and HIGH AVERAGES, there is NO SUCH THING as "SQUISH THE BUG" in the Big Leagues. Check it out for yourself ... [gallery]