How To Fix an Upper Cut Swing

An uppercut swing is a very common problem for hitters because there are so many different things that can cause an upper cut swing. The good news is, because there are so many different things that can cause an uppercut swing, many ways to fix the problem of an uppercut swing have been created.

In this article we will talk about some of the causes of an upper cut swing and also some of the ways to fix an uppercut swing.

First let’s talk a little about a level swing. Is there really even such a thing as the level swing? If we are not teaching our players to have an upper cut swing, then we must be teaching them to have a level swing right? I think that is untrue. A good swing will have a bit of an uppercut in it. It’s the exaggerated upper cut swings that cause the problems with hitting. You see, a good swing should start downward, be level through the zone, and follow through with a slight uppercut. With that being said, instead of fixing the upper cut with a level swing, let’s try to fix it with a good swing!

Things that may cause the uppercut swing: One of the first causes of an uppercut swing in baseball is having the back elbow up. You’ll here coaches all the time saying “get that back elbow up” and this may be the most common piece of bad advice in baseball history. Not only will it make hitters late to the baseball, it is one of the main causes of the upper cut swing.

What happens when a batter has the back elbow up, there are only two things that can happen. The first is that the hitter brings his elbow down and then swings. This is what will make him late for the pitch because he has to take an extra step to bring his back elbow down before he starts his swing.

The second thing that can happen is, when the batter starts his swing and tries to keep his elbow up. This is when the uppercut swing happens. To compensate for the elbow not going down, the back shoulder will. Once the back shoulder drops, the only thing left for a hitter to do is swing upper cut.

Another cause of the uppercut swing is the batter dropping his hands. The hitter should keep his hands in a comfortable position, around chest level, at the top of the strike zone. If a batter drops or dips his hands, the result is going to be an upper cut swing especially if the ball is thrown high in the zone. The hitter has no choice but to swing with an uppercut because his hands will be below where the baseball is pitched (and if it’s pitched low in the zone, good luck getting to it anyway.

The shoulders get jammed up when you drop your hands, so an uppercut swing is the only way to free them up). Usually in this case the batter is dropping his hands (and bringing them back a little too) to maximize power. It’s just an over exaggerated load and all it does is cause an uppercut swing, more pop ups, and more swing and misses.

One other thing that may cause an upper cut swing is a big stride. When a batter is over striding he is taking too big of a step toward the pitcher. To take a big step forward that way, a hitter has to transfer his weight to his back leg and then collapse it to get out that far. What that does is drops everything in the back, the leg, the hands, and the shoulder. Once that happens, you know an uppercut swing is coming. These are the guys that you see finish their swing with their back knee almost on the ground. Not very sound mechanics at all.

How to fix the upper cut swing:

For the back elbow up problem, get the hitter to start with his elbow down, making an upside down “V” with his forearms.

For the dropping the hands problem, get the hitter to keep his hands up comfortably at chest level.

For the big stride problem, shorten up the hitter’s stride.

You should be aware of the overall cause of the uppercut, but there are many different things you can do in general to fix an upper cut swing. The “two tee drill” is a good way to practice eliminating any kind of drop in the back side. Place two tees one in front of the other about a foot apart. The front tee (or one closest to the pitcher) is the one you are hitting off of so it should be in the hitting zone. The back tee should be slightly higher than the front tee. This forces the hitter to swing “around” the first tee and promote a better swing path. It will be impossible to uppercut swing without hitting the back tee in this drill.

Another drill to practice to help fix an upper cut swing is the “bull’s eye drill”. Place a net in front of the hitter with some kind of target on it at waist level. Have the hitter try to hit the ball either off the tee or from soft toss into the target. This helps the hitter focus on line drives and staying away from the uppercut swing.

Teaching a hitter to hit the baseball to the opposite field is another great way to help fix the upper cut swing. When a hitter focuses on hitting the ball the other way, it almost forces him to swing to the baseball. There are tremendous benefits to practicing hitting the ball to the opposite side of the field and fixing an uppercut swing is just one of them.

One last tip that can help a hitter fix their upper cut swing is to video tape them and compare their swing to professional hitters. Some hitters learn better visually when they can actually see the differences in the swings. Once a hitter recognizes the problem, he may be able to fix it quicker than if someone else was just telling him he had a problem.