RUDY JARAMILLO'S "5 SIMPLE STEPS...A PROFESSIONAL APPROACH TO HITTING" I. RHYTHM: 1. THE RHYTHM TIMES THE PITCHER'S ARM TO THE RELEASE POINT. 2. RHYTHM ALLOWS THE BODY TO BE AT THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME TO STRIKE THE BALL. II. SEEING THEBALL: 1. SEE THE BALL OUT OF THE PITCHER'S HAND WITH TIMING OF THE ARM. 2. WHEN YOU GET YOUR FRONT FOOT DOWN, IT ALLOWS YOU TO SEE WHAT THE PITCH IS AND WHERE IT IS, ALSO KNOWN AS PITCH RECOGNITION. III. SEPARATION: 1. SEPARATION REQUIRES THE HANDS AND FRONT FOOT TO GO IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS AT THE SAME TIME. 2. YOU WANT TO END IN A BALANCED, ATHLETIC POSITION. 3. YOUR WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION SHOULD BE 50/50 IN YOUR LOWER HALF AFTER SEPARATION AND AS YOU TRANSFER INTO THE BALL. IV. STAYING SQUARE: 1. THIS MEANS STAYING CLOSED OR SQUARE AT THE PLATE. 2. THIS POSITION ALLOWS YOU TO BACK THE BALL UP OR LET IT GET DEEP. 3. IT ALLOWS HANDS TO STAY INSIDE THE BALL FOR BACK SPIN AND POWER. V. WEIGHT SHIFT AND TRANSFER: 1. AFTER YOU SEPARATE AND STAY SQUARE WITH TIMING, THE SHIFT TAKES PLACE. 2. LEARN HOW TO CONTROL YOUR WEIGHT SHIFT OR BACKSIDE THROUGH THE SYSTEM. 3. WEIGHT SHIFT ALLOWS YOU TO TRANSFER YOUR WEIGHT INTO THE BALL AS YOU MAKE CONTACT.