What Barry Bonds Did To Be A Great Hitter

CHECK OUT OUR ELITE HITTING AND FIELDING COURSES!
Click the link below to check out our new course explaining our step-by-step system to BUILDING THE ELITE SWING and over 30 drills!
antonellibaseb...
Click the link below to check out our new infield course explaining our step-by-step system to BUILDING AN ELITE INFIELDER and over 50 fielding drills!
antonellibaseb...
Support our page by clicking the link below:
/ antonellibaseball
Antonelli Baseball is the #1 online resource for baseball instruction. If you would like to work with Matt Antonelli, or an Antonelli Baseball staff member, email him at [e-mail]
Follow Us Online!
Instagram: / antonellibaseball
Like Me on Facebook: / antonellibaseball
Check out our website: www.antonelliba...

[@AntonelliBaseball]

Get our FREE hitting drill by clicking the link below! antonellibaseball.mykajabi.com/hittingdrill

[@Klocks420]

The best hitter I've ever seen and there have been some great ones! Bonds was so feared he was intentionally walked 120 times in a single season. To put that into perspective, Mike Trout has been intentionally walked 117 times in his entire career.

[@weesnaww]

Insanity.

[@dreamingbaseball5511]

This is the best breakdown I have seen on Barry Bonds!! Thank you

[@AntonelliBaseball]

Thanks!

[@patrickisawesomer]

Great video and analysis Matt!

[@mattnemec5226]

His base is very solid which allows him to do the things with his upper body to create so much torque.

[@JDilla2285]

To be honest, if there was a clip to watch on hitt8ng mechanics, it's this one. He does everything perfectly, which is why the ball almost cleared Yankee Stadium

[@TheRealBatBoyAlive]

You should another video like this. I would recommend you to do like Akil Baddoo or like Riley Greene.

[@PatrickHenry-pz1pd]

😳 random haha

[@Garrett1240]

Those guys should be taking instruction from Matt 😁

[@jasoncooper7605]

He wasn't physically superior to every player in the league, everyone in the league was jacked like him and on steroids, they just weren't as good as he was simple as that , it was his swing that made him superior hence is the reason for the breakdown. Also Bonds was never caught on steroids.

[@patrickgoodman4576]

Ted Williams lol

[@DAatDA]

Giancarlo Stanton's average exit velo is about 10mph higher than Bonds. If it was just about strength, Stanton would hit 80 HR per year.

[@blankname6629]

Stanton’s swing is also not short

[@trollerskater]

Also lots of other guys who did steroids and couldn’t do what Barry did

[@patrickgoodman4576]

Bonds played before statcast

[@HT-sm9dm]

The levels of BS you hear from zoomers and younger millennials is GOD level. Literally. You guys rock!

[@Klocks420]

No, it wasn't lol

[@Mandolatron]

Fool! Revealing these secrets means I'm going to dominate the major leagues.

[@Joshua.McNabb]

Poetry in motion, and he didn’t get that from a needle

[@brady7730]

Matt if you could break down gary Sheffield that would be awesome!

[@Alysonmarie-2399]

Silly little guy!! Who cares Gary shefield when is been talking about the GOAT Barry bonds

[@TREEHUGGAH1]

i hope you will do a video on the bo bichette springer crash. people need to learn from that.

[@IAm-qf2xb]

DELIGHTED to see you picking up on waggle, angular momentum, increased bat speed, increased barrel accuracy!

[@mattnemec5226]

So while Bonds' head moves back his eye plain never changes.

[@Fugettaboutit]

If you gave the same PED's that Bonds was on to Chuck Knoblauch or Todd Walker, or even Derek Jeter they would not have the numbers that Bonds had. Did the PED's help a 38-yr-old put on and maintain muscle mass, bat speed and endurance? Yeah, but it didn't turn an okay or even a good hitter into an all-time great hitter. Not to point out the validity or invalidity of his record, but either way it had to start out with perhaps the greatest hitter the game has ever seen.

[@atlbraves1983]

🧢

[@commiehunter733]

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong

[@Fugettaboutit]

@@commiehunter733 So a contact hitter who normally hits less than 10 home runs per season would suddenly turn into a 50+ HR hitter with he help of PED's? I'm not saying that the PED's DIDN'T contribute to the number of HR's Bonds hit, they certainly would because he was already an all-time slugger. Doesn't make him any less of a cheater, but that's the point of this video that he is inherently an amazing hitter with great technique that wasn't created by PED's even if the quantity of results were ultimately helped by it.

[@PatrickHenry-pz1pd]

Yes, BUT IT MADE THE BALL GO FURTHER. Lmao

[@Fugettaboutit]

@@PatrickHenry-pz1pd Well, it's not like his home runs were simple pop flies that turned into deep drives. Again that comes down more to technique than some drug turning someone's simple flick into something superhuman...i.e. if it added any distance, we're not talking 100 ft or even 40 ft. But the PED's certainly helped him maintain higher muscle mass and speed and recovery over the normal wear and tear, especially in someone's late 30's and up.

[@OfficialEricElemen]

Barry could see the ball so well. Unreal!

[@mattnemec5226]

Couple that with immense upper body strength later in his career he could wait so long to decide whether he could do something with the pitch or not.

[@mitchelvalentino1569]

He worked very hard on his mechanics. Compare his swing from when he was with the Pirates to his swing in the late ‘90s to his swing near the end of his career. Over time, his mechanics improved subtly yet undeniably. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to see him live. 🐐

[@Garrett1240]

How did his swing change?

[@mitchelvalentino1569]

@@Garrett1240 He didn’t change his swing dramatically like Cal Ripken or George Brett. Nor did he adjust his swing situationally. Bonds simply made his swing more energy efficient, compact, and loose. It’s a subtle change, but watch his lower body-his stride, the _timing_ of his hips and the way they pivot. And watch the timing and movement of his hands as he takes his stride. Subtle, yet very clear once you see it. His stance and followthrough are different than Ted Williams, but Bonds’ swing became closer to Williams’ swing as his career progressed.

[@keithwashington5149]

Greatest hitter of all time!!! over 2000 walks...10 gold gloves....silver sluggers....500 steals....2,000 RBI's ...7 MVP's...756 home runs....career slug% over 1000

[@mattnemec5226]

So 8 GGs...and if we are trying to fool ourselves into thinking he was elite fielder, ask Sid Breem and the 3b coach waiving him around from 3b. His arm was worse than league average and despite being in left, it matters.

[@mattrleaf]

The undisputed GOAT.

[@GoBucks21]

Not sure you understand what the word undisputed means 😂 look I personally think he should be in the Hall, but nobody who is a known cheater can be considered the GOAT

[@commiehunter733]

Mark mcgwire

[@mauichiang]

Can you do a swing breakdown of manny machado

[@mattreinhart5161]

Have you analyzed the method taught by Teacherman? You guys seem to teach very similar styles.

[@Trey_Alexander]

Umm no they don’t. Not even close.

[@danreed7622]

There ARE a lot of similarities. Sometimes it's just the verbiage, or point of view that differs. Take what works for you.

[@Trey_Alexander]

One teaches the mechanics of the swing. The other teaches one move.

[@redhoward11]

The "pumping action" you pointed out is known as a hitch. You've likely heard of someone having a hitch in their swing.

[@brianmolloy8817]

Barry talked a lot about hitting down on the ball, which in reality is a shorter bat path through the zone. Is this a feel versus real thing? How do you explain how a great hitter explains his own swing versus what is really happening on film?

[@IAm-qf2xb]

Ted said swing up slightly. The fact is that they both used a CIRCULAR hand path in order to create angular momentum, the source of their extraordinary power.

[@ajonihopkins5386]

Definitely think this is a feel vs real thing. My thinking is that the "down" feeling comes from what a direct/efficient rotation from the upper body feels like for some peoe

[@IAm-qf2xb]

@@ajonihopkins5386 Your analysis is brilliant and perfect

[@PatrickHenry-pz1pd]

@@IAm-qf2xb more like box or rectangular like

[@IAm-qf2xb]

@@PatrickHenry-pz1pd The only thing consistently boxy about their swings is their square elbows That but not “full extension”.

[@markwolfson2023]

What is interesting, is that his head is not downward, looking at the ball at point of contact.

[@pumpbustersv1]

Without watching I'm gonna guess he hit the ball really freaking hard.

[@AntonelliBaseball]

That’s a good guess!

[@mattnemec5226]

I'm not interested in whether he cheated or not. I'd like to figure out how he completely cracked the code on hitting for a couple seasons in his late 30s.

[@islu2464]

Do Manny Ramirez

[@ericwitham9576]

Best hitter ever

[@markwieczorek4401]

Ken Griffey Jr.

[@martinburke11]

Awesome breakdown. You pointed out key elements that are too often completely missed.

[@AntonelliBaseball]

Thanks!!!

[@VicInNocal]

I think one thing you failed to mention is the sort of, diagonal, spiral like torsion of his upper body. He rotates his upper body not horizontally but somewhat on an angle, his spine is diagonally up in rotation. I dont know how to describe it accurately in words.

[@samuelkawer]

I love sammy Sosas mechanics

[@samuelkawer]

I love ken Griffey Jr swing

[@drizzle452]

Dumb question. Why can’t you keep you’re weight disproportionately on your back leg to start with if that’s where it eventually goes as the front foot drifts forward?

[@PatrickHenry-pz1pd]

One of the Best pure hitters but the roids definitely made him video game like

[@heihei3453]

Yet he still won't be in the HoF

[@briancrawford69]

It's laughable he's not in the HOF. Assume whatever u want be he never failed a test or otherwise was proven to have taken anything and he had always been a great hitter even early on

[@mclowes1546]

I think both the fact that he is not in the HOF being a stain on the HOF & his HR record not standing can both be true at the same time. Everyone was juicing at that point & he was still well above his peers & the PEDs might have helped him hit the ball harder/further but he still had to hit the ball. On top of that been before he juiced he probably had a HOF career

[@briancrawford69]

@@mclowes1546 still the fact he never failed a test one time

[@mclowes1546]

​@@briancrawford69 officially Lance Armstrong never failed a test but everyone & their dog knew he was doping way before he admitted it

[@Wo1fLarsen]

@Matt, can you break down Frank Thomas' swing? It seemed pretty unique.

[@AntonelliBaseball]

Sure thing!

[@HT-sm9dm]

Why? Frank Thomas played in the Stone Age against primitive pitchers. He wouldn’t even make the minors today wi who cares?

[@brandonfarr6740]

​@@HT-sm9dm frank thomas was one of the greatest hitters ever, not just in his era. his 94 season is one of the best ever. everyone has their opinion but u just sound ignorant.

[@HT-sm9dm]

@@brandonfarr6740 lol I was just being sarcastic man. See how stupid it sounds when millennials and zoomers spew this type of 💩? 😂😂😂. Believe me I grew up on 90s baseball and Frank Thomas was a beast!

[@michaelfitting1164]

@@HT-sm9dm Are you referring to the one from the 50s and 60s??

[@chet174able]

He did everything. He was just better than the pitching.

[@thomasindler1576]

Excellent. He is the man! short compact swing. Just aussum. You have covered a great # of 🌟

[@michaelstettnisch4853]

This was a great breakdown. I’d love to see Tony Gwynn and Vlad Sr in the same video or side by side.

[@tombonen2152]

Great instruction and analysis!

[@scottriiska2062]

He’s got no weight shift, which may explain why he needed a little extra help to become a power hitter.

[@allstarr9tc]

yeah he just had home run records through college by not being a power hitter

[@Klocks420]

What an incredible idiotic statement lmfaoooo

[@scottriiska2062]

Probably had nothing to do with those jacked-up metal bats.

[@swisscheese6456]

@@scottriiska2062 Dude he hit 46 homers in 1993 before he was even remotely close to have been taking steroids, to say he wasn’t a power hitter before steroids would simply be wrong.

[@allstarr9tc]

@@scottriiska2062 the same bats everyone else was using? Lol

[@jacksonlord8297]

Answer: Steroids

[@allstarr9tc]

damn thats pretty crazy he got some chemicals to swing the bat for him.

[@commiehunter733]

Nope... the man was a genetic freak that could smash... no ped could make you or any other player come close to Barry. You haters are pretty sad

[@blankname6629]

Pump action is also known as a hitch. Most guys who do that are not good hitters. Just shows how rare bonds was that he did that and was so productive

[@IAm-qf2xb]

Haha really? How much coaching have you done? Jack Mankin has shown for years that the waggle is the source of 12-14 mph increase in bat speed and a distinct increase in barrel accuracy. You are wrong.

[@blankname6629]

@@IAm-qf2xb who is jack mankin? Lol I can provide a longer list of bad hitters that have that action in there swing than you can good hitters. I guarantee it. It does create increased bat speed but not a chance in hell it improves barrel control. If anything I would bet it increases a loss of barrel control. But thanks for playing

[@Garrett1240]

@@blankname6629 what kind of argument is that? There’s exponentially more bad hitters than good ones so of course there’s more bad ones with the waggle than without, lol. Also, look up what the other guy is talking about. He’s proved it adds barrel control so long as other criteria are met

[@HT-sm9dm]

Barry wouldn’t make it to the minor leagues today let alone majors. Athletes are so much more evolved nowadays than when he played.

[@brandonfarr6740]

no... just no. another ignorant comment. bonds had eyes like a hawk. he would thrive just as fine today as he did back then. u seem to think bonds and thomas were overrated ball players when they were easily two of the greats to play this game.

[@HT-sm9dm]

@@brandonfarr6740 loll that was sarcasm but you see how stupid it sounds when people these days talk like this? 😂

[@bjamescrane1078]

Tony Gwynn was the best hitter. Do one on his swing.

[@booboolips6053]

A sweet swing with the juice behind it. His real abilities were when he was on the Pirates.

[@vision-gc4hy]

It was on the Giants. His last 4 years. All players were tested regularly in 2003. He played to 2007. He was older but still racked up an additional 149 home runs. Plus he was hurt in 2005 and played only 14 games with 42 at bats and 5 home runs. Most importantly, he was old. At age 43, he batted .276, 28 homers and 66 RBI's. He was total stud.

[@PatrickHenry-pz1pd]

@@vision-gc4hy have you read the book “game of shadows? He was using. Lol

[@vision-gc4hy]

@@PatrickHenry-pz1pd Yes I did. The were also reporters for the San Francisco Chronicle, our daily paper.

[@somebodyandthem]

Barry bonds is the real home run king, not hank Aaron or Aaron judge

[@commiehunter733]

Mark mcgwire is In that discussion