Critique / Help Series of Swings

[knightsb]

In the second swing, she sweeps the barrel around rather than whipping it.

In slow motion, I can see what you are saying... thanks.

 

[knightsb]

Knightsb, girls send their recruiting tapes during their junior year, usually. I got tapes even after the signing period started. Right now, at 14, with this improvement in this video, your daughter is light years ahead of the average video I got, and better than average mechanically than the average girl on 18U travel ball teams; when she can do this in a game! That requires muscle memory and getting to the "unconscious competence" phase.

Things she is doing well.
1) Load timing is pretty good, so her hands don't move around too much; keep an eye on that!
2) Connection through swing to hip is very good.
3) Eyes down on ball, chin on back shoulder.
4) Contact with "power arm" position, hands extend just in front of hips at contact, back elbow bent, palm up, palm down.
5) Front elbow is bent, not straight. But as I said, I think that was about reaching to hit out front too much. So it looks very good
6) Back knee is under hip better sometimes. But I have a comment below.
7) Front arm and bat form one long line at contact and through extension.
8) Extension is very good, long. When hitting up the middle or pulling, it should be at the pitcher at finish, toward RF when hitting to RF.
9) Weight is on toe, not squishing the bug.
10) Front foot orientation at about 45 degrees at heel plant.

Things I see that could use a little work, but not today. Practice what you are doing and working on now.
1. Her toe touch is not solid. She is reaching but setting down her heel rather flat footed, without weight transfer causing the hell plant. She needs to push into, or against the front foot a little more. Look at 2:30 in the video. Back leg stays back.
2. Make sure her wrists are rather parallel. I can't see it clearly enough to see if they are. The index fingers should be able to extend parallel.


There are a few dads here whose daughters swing this well, but they have had a lot of private lessons.

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the compliment to DDs swing... As phrek said, she is a hard worker and a quick study. The feedback received by everyone in this thread is gold. Thanks again.

 

[knightsb]

Knight - I love the song selection. Thank you!!

Love the progress she is making which goes to show that this does not have to be a 6 month ordeal to change some things for the better....shout out to TM for helping see the light.

OK - my constructive piece of advice/analysis:

Front shoulder still in charge of bringing the barrel around. Does it help you/her to think of the elbows and hands forming a triangle and that you are simply turning the triangle to swing?

MTS, I just reviewed this with DD and it clicked! Thank you. I look forward to a new VLOG entry.... any music requests? ;-)

 

[Steve Huff]

Can you point out exactly where the "little sweep" is occurring? Are you saying that sweeping can be solved by changing the grip?

Possibly. That wasn't my point. If she is launching as you preach, she would pretty naturally initiate a sweep. "Launching" would necessarily create a long swing, but if done separately, and with "hand push" which you say is bad, then it wouldn't be sweep. Hand push is what McCutchen does to start his swing. Her grip being over rotated will have a tendency to create a shorter swing, less extension, and her back hand will have a tendency to lead the swing.

Here is a swing with no sweep or early release in sequence #4 and 5. Then I show grips here. The index fingers lined up. Wrists over cocked which is good for upper cutting but not a level swing. And no, I don't care if baseball players do it. Index fingers lined up, and a bat and forearm showing a single linear plane, and a broken down plane between bat and front forearm.

 

[Steve Huff]

Double Lunacy!!

What kind of meds are you currently on because of the walking pneumonia? Send some to me.....

When you talk about hitting deep, I am on your side; on the outside part of the plate. When when you talk about launching, I am not on your side, and neither is any other reputable coach in the country. You are against Mike Candrea, Sue Enquist, Mike Epstein, Chris O'Leary, Raph Weekly, Ken Eriksen, etc. Therefore the burden of proof is on you, not us.

 

[Steve Huff]

Bustos is a good model. Nothing wrong with where her hands start. It is where they are at load that is the issue. Does she have too much time before load to screw around with her hand position, such as dropping them. She isn't bad. In your third photo you can see the wrist alignment. You have to watch a high back elbow. Baseball players do it to get upper-cut. If the wrists are flexible enough, and the elbows return to 90 degrees at hip, then it isn't an issue. But this grip sacrifices whip (bat speed), and can cause the bat head to drop.

 

[RayR]

Excellent - Glad it helped!

Hmmm.....How about something from The Who?

MTS, I just reviewed this with DD and it clicked! Thank you. I look forward to a new VLOG entry.... any music requests? ;-)

 

[RayR]

See Steve, the problem is you really don't understand the launch nor what it does for a hitter....you want swings out in front giving the hitter a shorter hitting zone and applaud them for it thinking there is a fastpitch swing and a baseball swing and they are mutually exclusive....all because you think you hit a rise ball differently from every other pitch....hands high and chop down....

Her grip being over rotated will have a tendency to create a shorter swing, less extension, and her back hand will have a tendency to lead the swing.

How much more "extension" does this hitter need to satisfy you? Also, when is the sweep occurring in this swing?

So, I asked this before but you didn't answer - from frames 1-3 which way is the barrel moving?

Possibly. That wasn't my point. If she is launching as you preach, she would pretty naturally initiate a sweep. "Launching" would necessarily create a long swing, but if done separately, and with "hand push" which you say is bad, then it wouldn't be sweep. Hand push is what McCutchen does to start his swing. Her grip being over rotated will have a tendency to create a shorter swing, less extension, and her back hand will have a tendency to lead the swing.

Here is a swing with no sweep or early release in sequence #4 and 5. Then I show grips here. The index fingers lined up. Wrists over cocked which is good for upper cutting but not a level swing. And no, I don't care if baseball players do it. Index fingers lined up, and a bat and forearm showing a single linear plane, and a broken down plane between bat and front forearm.

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[Marcus]

When you talk about hitting deep, I am on your side; on the outside part of the plate. When when you talk about launching, I am not on your side, and neither is any other reputable coach in the country. You are against Mike Candrea, Sue Enquist, Mike Epstein, Chris O'Leary, Raph Weekly, Ken Eriksen, etc. Therefore the burden of proof is on you, not us.

What is MTS saying that is different than Mike Candrea, Sue Enquist, Mike Epstein, Chris O'Leary, Raph Weekly, Ken Eriksen, etc?

 

[Steve Huff]

Hi Chris,

We were using Bustos as a model swing and that is why I had her start with her hands like that.

Here is a video that visually explains what I am saying with slow motion breakdown and analysis.

How to Avoid Bat Drag - How The Best Hitters in Baseball Use Their Hands - YouTube

knightsb, this video reminds me of the video where DD hit the batting tee.

How to Avoid Bat Drag - How The Best Hitters in Baseball Use Their Hands - YouTube

As I have said, "the swing does not change, inside pitch or outside pitch". Orientation changes.

Hitting the Baseball to All Fields - YouTube

Discusses barred front arm. Perhaps MTS should watch this also. Has an excellent "load" drill.

Hitting Drills - Setting the Hands with The Bat - YouTube