Load
Also known as: coil, gather, pre-swing load
The load is the backward weight shift and hand coil that sets the hitter in a ready, wound-up position before initiating the swing. In slow pitch, the load must happen early and hold while the long-arcing ball descends.
Because the slow pitch has a long flight time — often 1.5 to 2 seconds. The hitter must load early and hold the energy until the ball reaches the power zone. The challenge is loading without drifting forward or swinging early. A strong load stores energy in the hips and core, positions the hands at the launch point, and keeps the weight back until the arc descent triggers the swing. Hitters who fail to load properly swing early, shift weight forward (lunge), and lose power.
Use a simple trigger: as the pitcher's arm reaches the top of the delivery arc, move your hands back 2 to 3 inches — this creates a consistent, repeatable load timing for every pitch.
Practice varying your load depth for different arc heights. A lower-arc pitch arrives faster and requires a smaller, quicker load. At the same time, a high-arc pitch gives you more time and allows a deeper load for additional stored energy.
Example
As the ball peaks at its highest point, the hitter has already loaded — weight back, hands cocked — and waits patiently for the ball to descend into the zone.
Why it matters
Load timing is the hidden variable in slow-pitch power. Motion Lab estimates your weight shift from your centre-of-mass movement and flags drifting forward before contact.
How it shows up on video
The load is visible on video as a small backward weight shift or hip coil just before the swing starts. A proper load shows the hands drifting 2 to 4 inches back from the starting position while the front shoulder closes slightly toward the catcher. An over-load shows an exaggerated weight shift that takes too long to reverse, causing late contact. No load shows the hitter standing completely still until the swing starts, with no stored energy to release.
Common mistakes
- Loading too early so the load is already complete before the ball reaches its arc peak. This leaves the hitter in an unloaded position when the swing needs to start
- Over-loading with a large backward weight shift that creates a long path back to the ball and reliably produces late contact on faster pitches
- Not loading at all and relying entirely on arm strength to generate bat speed, limiting power to whatever the arms alone can produce
- Loading in the wrong direction — some hitters drift forward toward the pitcher rather than loading back, eliminating the stored energy that makes the load valuable
In SwingVantage Motion Lab
Motion Lab reads this phase and your stride from pose: when it starts, and how far your hands and hips move back before the swing.
Related terms
- Weight ShiftWeight shift is the deliberate transfer of body weight from the back foot during the load to the front foot during the swing, generating forward momentum that adds power at contact.
- Stride TimingStride timing is when the front foot lands during the pitch's arc. In slow pitch, it should land early, near the peak, with the hands back for power.
- Hand SpeedHand speed is how quickly the hands accelerate the bat head through the hitting zone. Faster hands produce more bat speed, higher exit velocity, and more time to read the pitch before committing.
- LoadThe load is the small backward gathering of the hands and weight just before the swing starts. It coils the body to store energy that fires into the ball.
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