⚾ Why I Don’t Buy Into HLP Hitting — My Honest Take

I first learned about HLP Hitting when I came across former MLB players like Manny Ramirez and Jeff Frye talking about it. As someone who grew up in the game, with a family connection to Albert Pujols — a man who ended his career with 703 home runs — I know a little something about hitting.

I’ve been training hitters of all levels — from youth players to pros — since 2007. So when I first saw what “Teacherman” was teaching, I was intrigued. I binge-watched his videos trying to really understand his breakdown of the swing.

And I’ll admit… some of what he says makes sense.

🧠 What HLP Gets Right

What I found fascinating was that he’s talking about things players know in the back of their minds but rarely talk about out loud. Concepts like:

Loading into your back leg

Starting the swing from behind you

Feeling the coil and connection before launching the barrel

With Aaron Judge’s success and public support of Teacherman, it’s easy to see why this “HLP way of hitting” became such a big deal.

I started noticing it everywhere — scrolling through social media, I could spot an “HLP swing” immediately. The Judge-like hover, the exaggerated uphill path, the same loading pattern.

There’s no denying HLP has helped some players become more aware of what’s happening in their swing — especially in the loading phase. And that’s valuable.

❌ Where I Disagree With HLP

Where Teacherman and I don’t align is at the hands — specifically, the wrists.

I saw a video where he explains that the bottom wrist should “jet up” with the top wrist. Essentially, it’s the same move a hitter would make if they were trying to pop the ball straight up to the catcher during infield.

To test this, I reviewed swings of Ken Griffey Jr. — one of the most iconic “uppercut” swings in baseball history. And guess what? Griffey doesn’t do that. Neither do successful MLB hitters.

Even Aaron Judge — the poster boy for HLP — doesn’t flip his wrists the way Teacherman describes.

The way I see it, Teacherman helped Judge by making him more aware of starting his swing from the rear leg and minimizing movement. But let’s be honest:

Judge is 6’7”, 280 lbs. His size and power make that approach almost a cheat code. He doesn’t need a lot of movement to drive baseballs where no one else can. What works for Aaron Judge doesn’t work for everyone.

🧢 What Really Bothered Me

What I found interesting — and honestly a bit deceiving — is that Teacherman tends to take credit for players who probably don’t even agree with HLP. He’ll label some players as “HLP guys” and ignore others who clearly move the same way.

A perfect example is Spencer Jones from the Yankees Triple-A team. He clearly looks like he’s doing everything they preach… but for some reason, Teacherman doesn’t claim him.

Many MLB players have spoken out against him. I personally tried to have a conversation with him on X (formerly Twitter) — and ended up blocked. Then days later, I saw him remake one of my own videos and tie it back to his HLP agenda. That’s when I knew it wasn’t about just helping players… it was about owning a narrative.

🧠 HLP Isn’t New — It’s Repackaged

Don’t get me wrong: HLP has some good principles, but these are ideas that have been around since the beginning of baseball. All Teacherman has done is package them differently with flashy new terms like:

“Barrel depth”

“Pushing”

“Snapping”

But this isn’t revolutionary. It’s baseball.

🗣 My Message to Hitters

If you’re following HLP, you need to understand this:

This swing works only if you have elite strength.

If you don’t have at least 215 lbs of exit velocity potential, a swing designed to lift everything will turn into… a lot of popups and fly balls.

You can’t copy Aaron Judge’s swing and expect Aaron Judge’s results.

Hitting is about understanding your body, your strengths, and building a repeatable, powerful, efficient swing. Not copying internet gurus.

📢 Join Me — Learn How to Hit the Right Way

I created the Pujols Baseball TikTok channel to break down hitting from a real player’s perspective and give the game back to the players.

If you’re serious about your swing and want real results, not theories — I offer swing evaluations and training designed to make your swing work for you, not someone else’s blueprint.

👉 Book a Swing Evaluation (https://www.pujolsbaseball.net) on my website today.

It’s time to rethink the hype and start hitting like a ballplayer, not a hashtag.

-Wil Pujols