The method that was used to improve the ‘terrible’ swing of Yankees star Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge, a hitter for the New York Yankees, and his agent made a crucial offseason move in November 2016, when they contacted hitting coach Richard Schenck. This decision sparked a change in Judge’s approach at the plate. In spite of the fact that Judge has undeniable skill, his swing was deemed ineffective for success in the major leagues. The purpose of this project was to improve his mechanics in order to gain the most out of his performance, and it is evident that this choice has been successful.

It was Richard Schenck who introduced the Yankees prospect to intense training sessions that would alter his hitting method. Judge was introduced to these sessions at a D-BAT facility in Peoria, Arizona, where Schenck had first met Judge.

“I didn’t know who the heck he was when I was asked to work with him,” Schenck says in an article written by Chris Kirschner for The Athletic. Schenck is recalling his initial opinion after reading the piece.

The command drill was one of the most important workouts that Schenck used. In this drill, Judge was obliged to swing at a prompt, which tested his reaction time and mimicked the quick decision-making that is required when facing live pitching. An initial struggle for Judge was brought to light by this exercise, which in turn revealed the areas that require immediate improvement.In his explanation, Schenck stated, “His swing was terrible.” His swing was that of an amateur. Despite the fact that he was a talented athlete, he was unable to get his speed up very quickly.

A realistic and open-minded reaction was provided by Judge in response to the criticism. I would not say that it was an awful experience, however I had just finished hitting.Judge admitted that he got 179 hits in the major leagues.

As a result of his commitment to adapt and improve, he participated in 23 intensive sessions with Schenck before to the 2017 season. During these sessions, he focused on snapping the barrel backward, which was a vital modification that resulted in swings that were both quicker and more powerful.