We teach hitters to hit the professional way. Derek Hacopian has taken his experience as a professional player and combined it with numerous studies of Major League hitters to come up with his system of teaching hitting. All Academy hitting coaches employ the MBA hitting system. We educate hitters on the truths, not myths, about hitting. Major league hitters have many different stances and styles, however, they all get to the same power positions when striding and swinging. There are certain things that have to take place in a swing for a hitter to maximize his potential. We teach hitters how to do this!

Do you teach every hitter the same batting stance?
We teach each hitter a stance that will give them the best chance to succeed without altering their natural style. Hitters generally have the most success starting from an athletic stance. In a first lesson, we will evaluate a hitter's stance and swing, and determine what adjustments may need to be made.

What is the best stance to hit from?
Most hitters will have more success hitting from an athletic stance, with a specific grip and bat position. It is important to note that there is no wrong stance, as evidenced by watching the many different batting stances of Major League players. However, there are more difficult positions to start from. For example, the back elbow up position is not incorrect- it is simply a more difficult position for most hitters to start from. Hitters that begin with their back elbow up, tend to drop the barrel of the bat as they start their swing, creating a slow looping swing.

How big of a stride should a hitter take?
Stride length should be determined by stance width. There is a specific distance that each hitter should stride based on their stance width and striding characteristics. Hitters should end up in a wide (not too wide) athletic position after taking their stride, with weight transferring to the inside of the back foot. The more narrow the stance, the longer the stride will need to be.

What stance width and stride length is best?
Typically, we like hitters to begin with a medium width stance. The narrow and very wide stances are not wrong, however, there are more variables that must take place to have success out of these stances. The medium width stance allows the hitter to take an optimum length stride- which is important in generating momentum- with less chance of the hitter getting out front.

What does "getting out front" mean?
"Getting out front" means that a hitter is striding and getting too much weight on his front foot. When this happens, the hitter is not in a position to generate a very powerful swing. Also, the hitter is in a poor position to react to tough location pitches.

How do you prevent a hitter from "getting out front"?
Teaching hitters how to stride and get to a strong hitting position is one of the first things we work on. We call it the "launch position", and all great hitters get to this position. The proper transfer of weight during the stride, while simultaneously loading the hands, will get the hitter to a good launch position. We work on this in every lesson.

What does "loading the hands" mean?
Loading the hands means allowing your hands to move back and slightly to the inside (inward turn) as you stride forward. We like to describe the loading up process as a "walking away from the hands" while maintaining an athletic position. This move creates separation, coil, and width, and places the hitter in a very strong position. How far a hitter's hands go back will be determined by where the hitter starts his hands.

Do you teach a "rotational" or "weight shift" method of hitting?
Most great hitters employ a combination of weight shift and rotation in their swing. This combination creates a powerful, on plane swing, that will produce more consistency. Hitters that are strictly rotational, tend to have an uppercut swing, which is a slower, off plane swing. Also, with a rotational swing, the hitter will pull the barrel of the bat out of the strike zone too quickly, which makes it more difficult to hit the outside strike and off-speed pitch. Hitters that have very little rotation, and are all weight shift, do not generate much power and have a difficult time with low pitches. A combination of a lateral driving action with the back knee/hip (weight shift) and rotation against a firm front leg will generate the most power and consistency.

What does "stay inside the ball" mean?
Staying inside the ball means that a hitter pulls his hands to the inside (close to the body) as he starts his swing. The inside move, will get the barrel of the bat to the hitting zone quickly and keep it in the hitting zone the longest. This gives the hitter a faster swing (bat speed) with a larger contact area. The inside move will also create lag in the swing. Lag will generate maximum power. All great hitters stay inside the ball and work in to out with their hands. We work on many different drills to teach the hitter how to feel his hands working properly.