Baseball Swing Mechanics: Keep Your Head Down

How to Keep Your Head Down - Baseball Hitting Mechanics

In this article, I show you the baseball swing mechanics needed to keep your head down. Learn the proper head position and the importance of the head in a baseball swing.

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Keep Your Head Down

Imagine if you could take just 1 part of your baseball swing mechanics and improve it.
This one thing allows you to adjust to different pitchers and allows you to fine tune other aspects of your swing.
Obviously, this one thing is how to keep your head down.
My baseball students range from youth up to major league baseball players.
And, I preach the same thing to all of them:  “Keep Your Head Down!”

In fact, this is #4 on my video of the 10 things hitters do wrong.

The Head is the Anchor

Scott Hemond How to Keep Head Down
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The head is the anchor for everything.

If your head position breaks down, the rest of your body follows. You have to be able to keep your head still and stay in an area to give yourself a chance to hit the baseball.

If you correct your head position, you will: 

  • be in good position for your shoulders and hips
  • allow correction of other aspects of your swing
  • keep head behind the ball

If your head is bad, it’s a huge indicator that something is way off with your body. 
So follow the number one baseball hitting rule:  Keep Your Head Down!

Things Preventing You From Keeping Your Head Down

Keep Head Down Baseball Hitting Tip
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As a baseball player, you tend to drift and try to focus on a big area of the strike zone.
This makes you leak towards that area.
Your shoulders and hips leak because you don’t want to get beat with a pitch.
Or, you don’t want to be late, so you open up early.
All of these things work against you, slow you down, and keep your head out of position. 

Trying To Do Too Much

Hitters get up to the plate and try to do too much.
Outside factors influence you as a hitter such as nerves, batting stance, the motion of the pitcher, the crowd, and your energy.
In turn, this makes hitters want to do too much such as:

For example, If your head is left, it’s impossible for your shoulders to be in the right place, or your hips to be closed. 
Essentially, the head position is the indicator.
It informs you where and why you are out of position.

Signs You Are Keeping Your Head Down

When you’re hot, you can do anything and everything while at the plate. 
Your confidence is overflowing and you don’t worry about anything.
You are on autopilot, right? 
When this happens, I guarantee you are keeping your head down and in a good position.

Scott Hemond Baseball Demonstration
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Head Down Baseball Hitting Drill

I use the “Spot Across the Way” as one of my many baseball hitting drills to fix the head position.
As a player, the 1st time I saw the “Spot Across the Way” drill was when Jim Thome, MLB Hall-of-Famer, during his rookie season. 
Jim, a left-handed hitter, made an “X” on the ground past the front corner of the right-handed batters box in foul territory.
I thought that was really interesting, but didn’t look into much further.
The following year when I was with the Chicago White Sox, Frank Thomas did the same thing. 
Then, Robin Ventura, Tim Raines and many other players were doing the same thing.
So, I started asking questions and included this baseball hitting drill to help me keep my head down and in the correct position.

Correct Head Position during Baseball Swing

The correct head position is easy to understand with the picture below.

Correct Head Position Baseball Swing
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So, the correct head position is at a 45 degree angle between the path of the baseball and the opposite batter’s box at contact.

Correct Head Position Baseball Hitting Drill
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Hitting Drill to Improve Head Position

This is one of the best hitting drills to improve baseball swing mechanics and head position.

  1. Put a Head Light on your head.
  2. Imagine a batter’s box.
  3. Make an “X” or place an object across the batter’s box. (A dark room works best, but be sure no objects or people are in the way of your swing path.)
  4. Leave your light off and take a few practice swings, stopping where  contact would be.
  5. When you feel your head is in the best position for contact, turn your head light on.
  6. If your head position is good, your eyes, nose, and chin will be in line with the “X”.
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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I keep my head down during baseball swing?

The “Spot Across the Way” drill works best to control the head during a baseball swing.

What is the proper baseball swing?

The proper baseball swing contains rhythm, balance, timing, and consistency.

How do you make contact with a baseball every time?

To make consistent contact with a baseball, it is important to control the head position and keep your head down.

Why do I keep striking out in baseball?

The primary cause of striking out in baseball is the incorrect mindset and improper head position.

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