Name: Playbook - Jordan Verdon - ESB: Week 6, Day 1
Uploaded: 2024-01-09T19:41:14.186Z
Duration: 75 min
Description: ESB: Week 6, 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

- Isolating each arm with the launcher is a great precursor to full one handed swings with an actual bat. 
- Throw the ball up the middle and freeze with your palm up towards the sky at the end. 
- I use this to work on bat path and extension through the zone as it teaches guys when and how to release or snap the barrel through the zone (staying middle of the field with good direction) 
- I also use it for guys who have trouble connecting their backside in a swing as the launcher is very light and we can easily make changes with instant feedback of then all going up the middle or not.

Tennis Ball Launcher (top hand)

- Isolating each arm with the launcher is a great precursor to full one handed swings with an actual bat. 
- Throw the ball up the middle and freeze your swing at the end. 
- Drive the elbow towards the pitcher while keeping the lead hand inside the elbow to stay connected and hold swing direction. 
- I use this to work on bat path and extension through the zone as it teaches guys when and how to release or snap the barrel through the zone (staying middle of the field with good direction)

Tennis Ball Launcher (bottom hand)

- Place the basketball between chest and forearm (will feel slightly uncomfortable at first)
- Focus on keeping the ball tight on the chest so the body now moves as one fused unit rather than separate pieces (pushing hands forward/cutting across zone) 
- Freeze the finish with palm up towards the sky if possible
- Can be done on tee and flips (once comfortably hitting line drives off tee)

Connected One Hand Swings

- Isolating the arms is a great way to clean up bat path and early connection 
- Focus on keeping your palm up and freeze the finish to over exaggerated extension through the ball and posture over the plate
- “Throwing a pizza to the pitcher” 
- Can be done off tee and flips

One Hand Swings (top hand)

- Isolating the arms is a great way to clean up bat path and early connection 
- Focus on keeping your hand inside your front elbow 
- Drive front elbow up the middle to ensure proper direction 
- Imagine you’re cutting the ball in half with a sword and freezing the finish like you’re playing fruit ninja (old game) 
- Can be done off tee and flips

One Hand Swings (bottom hand)

- Start by splitting your grip and moving your top hand up the handle for more barrel control and exaggerated feels of controlling the barrel. 
- 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.

Split grip 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

- Everyone needs a short bat!!
- Can be used on tee or flips. 
- I recommend this tool to every single hitter. 
- Cleans up bat path, extension through the ball (because you have less length of the bat to get away with improper swing path), posture (for the same reason as above), impact position… lost goes on and on.
- Get yourself a short bat (Birdman short bat is my favorite and what I use) or just choke up on your bat until it’s about 3-5 inches shorter than normal. 
- Put tee down and away for a crazy hard challenge!!

Short Bat

- 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 6, Day 1

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