Name: Playbook - Jordan Verdon - ESB: Week 5, Day 1
Uploaded: 2024-01-09T19:41:14.172Z
Duration: 75 min
Description: ESB: Week 5, Day 1

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

- Keep your core engaged and your back in a neutral position 
- Move side ways keeping knees under hips

Lateral bear crawls

- 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

- Starting with fest close together, take your back foot and step it behind the front foot 
- Create momentum towards the wall and keep your hip hinge (vertical back shin/chest over) as you move forward 
- Fire the ball into the wall and stay behind your front leg 

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

Step Behind Scoop Toss

- Get close to the wall and rapidly make small tosses and catches into the wall while balancing on one leg 
- The leg you balance on is the leg closest to the wall 
- Focusing on core and ankle stability

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

Single Leg MB Stability Toss

- This is a combination drill that adds the MB slam and the step back scoop toss 
- Slam the MB down into the ground and as you catch the med ball, step back and fire the ball into the wall all in one motion 

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

MB Slam to 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 designed to help hitters feel the upper body sequencing of the swing. 
- The front arm stays in line with the numbers or letters on your chest while the back arm starts to work down and behind the body (getting slotted) 
- While making this move, the hands stay in line with or behind the mid line of the body to avoid a push of the hands. 
- Do 2-3 reps just launching the back elbow into the slot before launching the frisbee/bucket lid forward. Keep palm up/ palm down finish and hold for 2-3 seconds.

Frisbee/Bucket Lid Sequencing

- Put a basketball or soccer ball between back shoulder and handle of bat (right above the hands) 
- Make the knob to the ball move while keeping pressure on the ball. 
- If you want to knock the ball off the high tee so you can have a visual to aim at that’s fine! If not, just doing this dry and prior to swinging works well! 
- This helps you feel a tight connected turn and moving your body as one fused unit (core/hips) rather than being disconnected and pushing with your hands/arms.

Connected Turns

- 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 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

- This drill is a step further than the Knob to the Ball drill listed in the training guide already. 
- Once you have the backside move down without pushing your hands past your midline, you can start to make that move without needing to hit a ball with the knob of the bat. 
- Do three active takes and then mix in a swing with the same feeling. 
- I also recommend doing this on flips and mix in every other swing with an active take.

Active Take with Swing

- 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 5, Day 1

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