Name: Playbook - Jordan Verdon - ESB: Week 1, Day 1
Uploaded: 2024-01-09T19:41:14.093Z
Duration: 75 min
Description: ESB: Week 1, Day 1

Harrison

Day 1 of each week will be focused on improving mostly the physical swing/swing phase (bat path, getting on plane, posture). Watch videos attached for cues/feels to be recreating during workout. 

Each workout will be focused on more than just hitting. A complete warmup and med ball/lower body stability routine are REQUIRED before starting the swing routine. The initial warm up and med ball/stability routine helps your swing more than you know. If you have the tools PLEASE take advantage of that part of the program. If not, I understand and do as much as you can with what you have available.

- Keep back flat on the ground
- Extend arms straight over head and bring knees up to 90 degrees 
- Take right arm and left leg and extend them over head and straight out in front (respectively) while keeping other two limbs locked into place 
- Alternate arms and legs until reps are compete 

- 8 REPS EACH SIDE (R/L- L/R)

Dead Bugs

- Lying flat on your back, bring your feet close to your butt 
- Keeping your shoulder blades flat on the ground, raise you hips into the air while keeping your feet planted in the ground 
- Drive from your hips and glutes

Glute Bridge

- Rotate towards the leg that is up, following that hand with you eyes as far as you can go 
- Keep your knee straight ahead and foot anchored into the ground 

8 REPS EACH SIDE

Half kneeling Rotations

- Start with hands on PVC pipe. 
- thinking about keeping your chest still while only moving from your pelvis. 
- Gain control over this movement to increase hip/shoulder separation
- Elite throwers and hitters have amazing hip/shoulder separation

PVC Hip Rotations

- The ability to hinge your hips (sitting butt back but keeping tight core and vertical shins) is the number 1 thing that most hitters lack the ability to do. 
- The hinge of the hips allows space for our arms to move during the swing. 
- Start with vertical shins and sit your hips back while keeping the PVC on three points of contact (head, upper back, glutes)

PVC Hip Hinge

- Lunge to each side keeping foot that isn’t lunging on the ground 
- After you get to your end range of the lunge, reach the MB straight out in front of you
- Press into the ground and repeat the process 

5 EACH LEG

Lateral lunge with MB Reach

- Execute a reverse lunge and as you are in the bottom of the lunge reach the medball overhead before coming back to the top 

5 REPS EACH LEG

Reverse Lunge w/ MB overhead reach

- Skip forward, lifting your lead knee to waist height
- Keeping your back leg straight as you come off your toe
- Continue moving forward alternating legs

A skips

- Shuffle to the side while swinging your hands over head like you’re doing a moving jumping jack

Lateral shuffle with arm swing

- Keeping legs stiff, rapidly hop up and down without resting in between each jump 
- This is designed to wake up the Central Nervous System and tell the body to start moving fast

Pogos

- Hold hands on the bottom of the ball so when you throw it it’s a scooping pattern rather than a push to throw 
- Start with feet together, step back under control, feeling the energy load into the back hip 
- Fire the back hip and throw the ball into a wall without your chest going over your front leg 
- 5 REPS EACH LEG… YES EVEN THE SIDE YOU DON’T HIT FROM

Step Back Scoop Toss

- This is an ankle stability drill 
- Lift one foot off the ground, balancing on the other 
- Pass the KB or whatever weight you have at home through (getting progressively bigger pass throughs the better stability you gain) 
- Works most effectively bare foot or in flat training shoes as we want our toes and whole foot gripping the ground 

- 10 REPS EACH LEG (Each pass is one rep)

Kettle Bell Pass Throughs

- Start in a staggered stance keeping most of your weight in your front leg 
- Keep the front foot planted in the ground 
- Rotate backwards from your torso rather than just your arms going back
- Fire the ball forward, while keeping your balance and holding your posture (chest over the plate) and palm up towards the pitcher feeling

- 5 REPS EACH LEG… YES EVEN THE SIDE YOU DON’T HIT FROM

Anti Rotation Scoop Toss

- This is a feel to get the barrel to work rearward and getting on plane deep behind you, rather than pushing your hands forward. 
- Start by holding the PVC in the middle, supinate (turn to the sky) your top hand so that the top of the PVC would hit the catcher right on the head. 
- This is a great cue that helps guys simplify their swing thoughts in the box. 
- The next step would be to add the same feeling/cue to a demo swing (as shown in the video) and try and create the same moves in making.

Hit Catcher on the Head

- This drill is crucial for understanding the initial move of the swing. You’re firing your back arm/back leg to the ball without pushing your hands past the midline of your body. 
- THIS IS JUST WORKING ON THE FIRST MOVE/FEEL. 
- Start with the tee DIRECTLY in line with your chest in the middle of your body (no cheating and it will feel super close to you)
- Fire back arm towards the ball creating a deep barrel move behind you. 
- Knob of the bat with hit the ball off the tee. Do not push your hands past the tee once contact is made. 
- The goal of the drill isn’t to see how far the ball goes when you hit it with the knob of the bat. Just tap the ball with the knob focusing on the backside move as the most crucial thing in in the drill.

Backside Move with Knob to Ball

- This drill is great for hitters who have been told they “push their hands” at the ball. 
- The goal of this drill is to hold the angles of the arms while swinging and to stop the barrel of the ball from hitting the net in front of you. 
- Work on making a fast, tight turn with the barrel launching rearward initially rather than pushing forward.

Half swings with front constraint

- This drill is for guys needing to clean up their impact position. 
- You’re only allowed half a swing but need to still hit a line drive to the back of the cage. 
- Hold the angles in your arms and at contact your arms need to remain bent on pitches down the middle (changes slightly with pitch height/type). 
- Highly recommend doing this drill on tee and flips!!!

Half Swings

- Thus drill is very similar to the split grip 3/4 swings but now we are taking away the help of the split grip. Be able to control the barrel of the bat from a normal grip without rolling over/slicing the ball. 
- Swing the bat and keep your palm up facing the pitcher after your swing. 
- This 3/4 swing with allow you to see if your swing path is working up the middle or you are cutting your swing across the zone or up and through the zone. 
- Focus on backspinning balls to the middle of the field while keeping your chest over the plate with good balance.

3/4 Swings

- High tee is great for mixing up your tee routine and challenge yourself to not just hitting pitches that are right down the middle. 
- This is great for guys that drop their hands and can’t make their swing right across their chest. 
- When loading, your hands should already be at the top of the zone (or top of the tee) 
- When you swing feel like your hands stay right under your chin when working on the high tee. 
- I don’t love saying this but think “swing down or swing flat” a little for this drill to over emphasize making the move across the chest and flat. 
- Great for guys that collapse their back side early and don’t load at a high pitch posture.

High Tee

- Low tee is great for mixing up the typical tee session with balls right down the middle. 
- Always move the tee around and challenge yourself to hit pitches that aren’t right down the middle. 
- Load as if you’re getting a high pitch and then last second adjust to the low and away tee (just like a game)

Low Tee

- Enough messing around. 
- Blend the feels and drills you’ve been working on and backspin line drives up the middle and in the air. 
- When loading don’t stare at the tee. Envision the pitcher throwing you the ball and look up at where he’d be standing and slowly move your eyes to the ball on the tee as you load, then swing! Helps keep your posture set up the middle rather than turned towards the tee.

Game like Swings

- Controlled underhand flips are a great tool to add movement to the pitch in a controlled environment while working on new swing changes and feels. 
- At this point of the workout, I want you to try a couple (or all if you’re feeling up for it) of the tee drills you were working on on the first few round or two of flips. 
- After the feels and mechanics round, go to closer to your game swing and set up/load while keeping in mind the feels you just created in previous drills. 
- REMEMBER- the goal is to get better at game like swings. Don’t get too caught up on the drills and try and use them to blend into your game swing! 💪🏼

Underhand Flips

- Time to compete!! 
- Game like mentality
- Game like loading and approach
- GOAL- Hit doubles and low line drives while blending in the new swing mechanics or feels you’re working on.

ESB: Week 1, Day 1

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