Front Leg Blocking Drill Card: The 3-Drill Fix That Added 6 MPH in 101 Swings
Why "keep your front leg straight" is half right — and the front leg blocking drill sequence that adds bat speed at the nervous system level, not the cue level.
- Get-to-Landing Drill — builds the bent-knee feel kinesthetically, no cue required
- Breaking-Apart Swing with Landing Pause — teaches the push-off-into-block sequence
- High-Tee Blocking Confirmation — instant feedback: if the ball goes up, the block didn't happen
- Rep counts + 3-week progression plan (feel → integrate → maintain)
- Softball adaptations for every drill, including rise ball high-tee setup
- The 101-swing Zepp data that proves why the bent landing wins
"Landing bent then blocking adds an average of 6 mph bat speed. That's 24–48 feet of distance. No swing overhaul needed — just teach the sequence the right way."
— Joey Myers, HittingPerformanceLab.com
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Why "Stay Straight" Costs Your Hitter 6 MPH
Four biomechanical reasons the bent-knee landing produces more power than the stiff-leg approach coaches usually teach.
The fascial lines in the legs (Anatomy Trains) can only store and release elastic energy when the knees are bent at landing. Land straight and the rebound is gone.
Newton's Third Law: push into the ground and it pushes back. A straight front leg at landing is already at end range — there's no room to push from. The bent landing creates the push angle.
Landing bent lowers eye level by 2–3 inches. That brings the hitter's eyes closer to low pitches and creates a "getting shorter" illusion for umpires. Barry Bonds and Mike Trout use this deliberately.
A stiff front leg commits the hitter fully at landing. A bent knee gives 1–2 extra frames to recognize off-speed or breaking balls before the swing fires — Cevallos's "double cushion."
The 3 Drills in the Card
Each drill targets a specific part of the land-bent-then-block sequence. Run them in order. The card has rep counts, cues, and softball adaptations for all three.
Stride, land, hold — no swing. The hitter stops at the landing position (front knee ~145–150°) and holds for two seconds. Builds the bent-knee feel kinesthetically before adding the swing. 10 reps per session.
Foundation PhaseStride to landing (pause 1–2 seconds), then push off and swing. The pause re-teaches the push-from-bent-knee motor pattern before muscle memory can rush through it. 5 reps with pause + 5 continuous per set.
Integration PhaseTee set at chest height (or 2–3" above for softball rise ball). If the hitter consistently goes under or pops up, the block isn't happening. Correct contact — driving the high pitch on a line — confirms the block is timed right. 10 reps diagnostic.
Confirmation PhaseWhat Coaches and Parents Are Saying
"Jayden had his best batting practice ever last night. Hit at least 9 balls around 300-feet or farther. I'm so happy with his progress."
"My son is 12. He hit the ball over 280 feet several times already in the game. I am 100% sold on your methods."
"I am a Physical Therapist — your stuff in body movements is awesome. Gray Cook spoke highly of you. Your approach is validated."
Get the Free Front Leg Blocking Drill Card
One printable page. Three drills. Baseball and softball cues. Download it free and use it in the cage today.
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