Balance | Stability | Vision | Timing

Getting Loaded is the building block for hitters to create athletic movements that help hitters perform in Hitting including Increased Bat Speed, Contact, and Power Production

The drills in this phase exist to clean up the Disconnections that show up before the swing even starts — inaccurate timing, an inefficient gather, poor loading posture, and unbalanced weight distribution. If the Manual taught you what a strong Connection looks like in this phase, this is where you build it.

Each drill below is designed to put your body into the positions and patterns that the Connections demand — balanced weight, a controlled gather, a centered torso, and a loaded back side. Train these in order, get repetitions on the ones that address your specific Disconnections, and the rest of your swing has a foundation worth building on.

Breaks the load sequence into distinct checkpoints so the hitter feels each phase before chaining them together.

• “Load” | Normal stance then gather and separate
• “Hip” | Hold post stride position and then begin hip rotation while shoulder remains
• “Fire” | Complete swing

Reinforces the gather while remaining athletic through separation.

• Shorten distance between feet slightly
• Create rhythm with slight step back to Get Loaded
• Create good direction through middle of field

Builds co-contraction in the lower half so the hitter learns to load and create proper slack removal in sequence.

• Feet flat on the ground with Compression Stick held by side of your arches
• Squeeze Compression Stick between feet to create co-contraction
• Hold Compression Stick throughout swing

Master the three foundational drills above before progressing to the Slant Board series. Each drill teaches a different piece of the load — combine them to build athletic, repeatable movement.

Trains rear-leg loading angle and ankle stability under tilt.

• Place the Slant Board so the slope is going towards the Pitcher
• Start with your back Foot on the Slant Board
• Get Loaded into the Slant Board and complete swing maintaining control and direction

Progresses the rear-leg load into a deeper hip-coil position.

• Place the Slant Board so the high point of the slope is close to Home Plate towards 3B Dugout
• Start with your back Foot on the Slant Board (toes will be higher than heel)
• Get Loaded into the Slant Board and complete swing maintaining control and direction

Finishes the progression by holding the deepest loaded position under tension.

• Place the Slant Board so the high point is towards the 3B Dugout and slope is going towards Home Plate
• Start with your back Foot on the Slant Board
• Get Loaded into the Slant Board and complete swing maintaining control and direction

Trains transition from rhythm to the gather.

• High leg kick and down trigger of hands to have knob of bat touch top of knee
• Center of mass remains athletic and in the middle
• Create “flow” and separation

Forces the rear leg to stabilize on an unstable surface, exposing any leak in the load.

• Lead foot on Plyo disc focused on middle of foot through heel
• Foot position should be on the “backside” of disc for injury prevention
• Create force downward into the ground to stabilize

Holds the hitter in the post-stride loaded position so they feel the tension before unloading.

• Internally rotate pelvis
• Don’t shift weight to front leg to start swing
• Feel weight on whole back foot

Trains the transition from a loaded lunge into a balanced stride landing.

• Internally rotate pelvis
• Lift front leg while maintaining tension on back glute
• Maintain tension through stride

Reinforces rear-leg loading by exaggerating the gather away from the pitcher.

• Feet close together
• Stride backwards to gather
• Transition to lead leg

Combines unstable-surface loading with strap tension to lock in rear-side stability.

• Tension pulling forward
• Resist swaying back and remain in control of your move
• Stress the feel and quality over quantity on these