Fundamental Hitting: How Wide Should The Feet Be In The Stance?

By Charles "Popcorn" Thompson

Fundamental hitting in baseball starts with a good, solid stance. Hitters should always feel strong and comfortable in the batter's box. Hearing coaches tell hitters in baseball that their feet are too wide in the batter's box makes me cringe. Some coaches think that hitters can't get their hips through if their feet are wide. Would you tell Albert Pujols that his feet are too wide. I don't think so. Pujols has no problem getting his hips through. The width of a hitter's feet in the batter's box should be determined by where the hitter's stride-foot lands naturally.

How Wide Should The Feet Be In The Stance?
Before you get the urge to tell a hitter in baseball that his feet are too wide or too narrow, watch the hitter take a few swings from a good fundamental baseball hitting stance. Pay close attention to where his stride-foot lands. If the stride-foot is landing in the same place, take a measurement or just have the hitter bring his stride-foot back about 3 - 6 inches from where it landed. That is how wide a hitter's feet should be in a good fundamental baseball hitting stance. It truly is that simple!

Why should the feet come back about 3 - 6 inches?
From a good fundamental hitting stance in baseball, the hitters stride should not be more than six inches. Striding less than three inches is okay. No stride at all is fine too. In order to start the swing, the stride-foot must be down. In fact, it is impossible to start the hands to the baseball before the stride-foot hits the ground. Just try it yourself. When I give baseball hitting lessons I make the hitters aware of this fact. When they face a fast pitcher, they understand that the adjustment to make is to get the stride-foot down a little earlier and they won't be late on the pitch. Most young baseball hitters are late in the baseball swing because they don't get the stride-foot down soon enough, not because their hands aren't quick enough. And if the stride is too long, it will certainly cause the hitter to be late.