Baseball swing vs. Softball swing?

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Oct 2, 2015
615
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Not to 'nitpick' but, A to B to C
CCabrera.gif

Not in a straight line......

This is what I'm talking about.
My DDs swing is very similar to Miggy's or Mike Trout's swing.
Tip of bat head arcs back, around then up and into the ball.
What some of the coaches want is the rear hand and elbow to be in line with each other. (...I call it the steam engine arm...and yes you an make fun of me right now)
Everyone has seen the batting drill where the batter keeps a ball in between their elbow and their ribcage...the arm moves in a more linear motion similar to an old steam train's wheel arm.
A lot of the coaches also want "A to B" with the bat head. Meaning as straight as possible from the beginning point of the swing to contact with the ball. And it is almost always downward.
Don't get me wrong some of the coaches at the camps love my DD's Miggy Swing, but it's definitely the minority of them.

Personally, what I've seen in the PGF games my DD played in 18U Gold and in the college scrimmages.
I think my DD maybe loads her hands up too much, and loses a lot of time moving the bat head around and forward with that delay.
Not as much hand loading as you would see with a slow pitch hitter, but she could stand to use a little less hand loading.
I'm glad to hear that a "Baseball Swing" isn't such a bad thing after all...

Great thread Annesdad!
 
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Greenmonsters

Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
Feb 21, 2009
6,168
38
New England
CrystalBustos1_zps7nactdht.gif
JK_zps5aadtrfu.gif

A high level swing is a high level swing.....

Thanks - this is the Bustos clip I was hoping RDB would post. Looks to be as free of slop/short to the ball as it gets in FP. Only question I have is if this is a function of frame rate (i.e., is it the same and fair to compare w/ Florida #12 etc?). Regardless, this is my FP model swing standard.
 
Oct 2, 2015
615
18
Just spent a bunch of time reading up on and watching Bustos on YouTube...92 mph exit speed off of a tee!!! OMG!!!

Thanks for posting the Bustos gif! I don't think my DD, nor I, will listen to the naysayers anymore...

What a treat watching Bustos smash a softball!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a7wVq7bEQE
 
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Apr 5, 2013
2,130
83
Back on the dirt...
Rotational vs Linear Swing Techniques


Thoughts? Mistakes? Are the differences accurate?

Reading this article really flipped a switch for me. Its does say in the article Bustos has a "hybrid" swing between rotational and linear.


Another question I have is how would you change the tee placement for a "baseball vs softball" swing? What I mean is if the differences are because of ball flight to the batter, wouldn't you need the tee in a different place? More over the plate vs out front, bb vs sb.


When I discuss this BB vs SB swing, they always throw in "but you cant hit a riseball with a BB swing". Looking at the Cabrera swing on a higher pitch, I dont think he would have an issue with it.
 
Sep 29, 2014
2,421
113
You can't catch up to a high fastball with a baseball swing either. If the ball is up out of the zone and really fast is just a low probability you catch up to it baseball or softball not that you can't just less likely.

All high level swings have both a rotational and linear component to them they are not mutually exclusive.
 

Greenmonsters

Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
Feb 21, 2009
6,168
38
New England
Rotational vs Linear Swing Techniques


Thoughts? Mistakes? Are the differences accurate?

Reading this article really flipped a switch for me. Its does say in the article Bustos has a "hybrid" swing between rotational and linear.


Another question I have is how would you change the tee placement for a "baseball vs softball" swing? What I mean is if the differences are because of ball flight to the batter, wouldn't you need the tee in a different place? More over the plate vs out front, bb vs sb.


When I discuss this BB vs SB swing, they always throw in "but you cant hit a riseball with a BB swing". Looking at the Cabrera swing on a higher pitch, I dont think he would have an issue with it.

My advice to you is to read your own esignature line and stop falling for the bait!
 
Apr 5, 2013
2,130
83
Back on the dirt...
GM, Lol you got me. But when the other is our team HC and they trying to change my DD's swing, I have to argue the point a little bit.

DJ. I think I understand that too, but wanted to be sure I was understanding the article correctly.


Really what it boils down to for me is trying to educate other people that I like to help see why the SB swing is not the proper way to teach it.

We have a good team and really do pretty good in our tourneys but the coaches are influenced by an "experienced" softball coach who teaches a short, compact linear swing. As ive posted before, it has my DD so confused because I am trying to teach her what is taught here.

She doesn't want to leave the team. I dont want her to leave this team either but I have to get her on the right track before spring ball. And then I want to keep her on the right track by not having them change her swing. And I like them so I am trying to persuade them to see what I see as the differences and the benefit of a High Level Swing.


Sorry to ramble on but I have become quite obsessed on learning how to swing properly. I myself have taken more cuts than my DD in the last month trying to get a feel for it. SIGH, oh to be a normal dad....
 

rdbass

It wasn't me.
Jun 5, 2010
9,131
83
Not here.
This is all I need to know:
Updates
We are obsessed with foolproofing and testing everything on this page. And yes, we make mistakes and fess up to them here.


•7/10/2015 Coil to Toe Touch Phase - stride section - provided more detail to the 'coil in' and 'coil out' process.
•3/29/2015 Swing to Hip Phase - bat drag section - replaced "caused by the back elbow coming down too early" with "primarily caused by a near vertical forearm at toe touch"
•3/29/2015 Toe Touch - added hitting faults section and item "rear forearm is vertical"
•3/29/2015 Stance - clarified 'open' and 'even' hips comments
•3/29/2015 Hip to Contact Phase - clarified "As your elbow hits your hip" and "Keep your back elbow at your hip" to "As your back elbow reaches the level of your rear hip" and "Keep your back elbow rotating with/near your rear hip"
•3/29/2015 Coil/stride phase - added bullet point "The rear shoulder is generally even with the rear hip from this point forward. The rear shoulder should not be significantly behind the rear hip (I see this in many tee swings)."
•3/29/2015 Swing to Hip Phase - added bullet point "the front hip will initially advance ahead of the front shoulder during this phase, then return to even near contact."
•3/29/2015 Coil/stride phase - added bullet point "the rear shoulder should not rotate beyond (behind) the rear hip. It's OK for the rear hip to rotate beyond the rear shoulder slightly during the stride."
•10/16/2014 Swing to Hip Phase - added tip 'High level hitters move their hands below their front elbow.'
•5/28/2014 Swing to Hip Phase - clarified that the initial front hip rotation is aided by the opening of the front knee
•5/28/2014 Coil/stride Phase - added Note 2 clarifying that the hands can go back, or up, or down, or forward, and clarified that the back forearm must be near horizontal at toe touch.
•4/22/2014 Swing to Hip Phase - major change - added tip to keep back heel down and keep back knee from rolling over too soon.
•3/6/2014 Stance - clarified that even hips are not required
•2/19/2014 Swing to Hip Phase - reworded everything about hips and shoulders for clarity. It was unnecessarily confusing. Made it clear that the hands are not primary in turning the bat head.
•2/18/2014 Coil/Stride Phase - added Warning to hitters about the 'no stride' approach
•2/7/2014 Coil/Stride Phase - clarified 'Hands go back to a spot 'near' the shoulder' into optional and required components.
•2/7/2014 Coil/Stride Phase - clarified 'Front hip and shoulder should turn in slightly', to read 'Shoulders and hips should rotate around the spine.'
•2/5/2014 Toe Touch position - clarified back elbow position, added 'Back forearm must be roughly horizontal (not vertical)', and clarified 'Front shoulder MUST be down, back shoulder up', to read 'Front shoulder MUST be lower than the back shoulder'.
•2/5/2014 Swing to Hip Phase - clarified 'Don't move your hands away from your shoulder (they should not go back, and should not move toward the ball', to read 'Don't move your hands away from your shoulder (they should not go back, and should not move faster than the shoulder, or push away from the shoulder'
•1/18/2014 Swing to Hip - added 'Bat Drag' section to Hitting Faults
•1/18/2014 Hip to Contact Phase - added Hitting Faults section (shoulder pause and front arm disconnect)
•1/5/2014 Stance - added 'not musts' section
•11/27/2013 Stance - added images of Bagwell, Youkilis, and Plantier
•10/29/2013 Swing forward/contact - clarified back elbow slotted position
•9/19/2013 Swing forward - clarified the back shoulder/elbow drive
•9/9/2013 Stride/coil - major change - changed the 'preferred method' to rear leg drive, and deleted 3rd option of torso drive (from 2011-2013 I believed that torso/gravity was the main force)
•9/9/2013 Stride/coil - clarifications to various coil moves and positions, revised 'hips are closed' to more accurate 'hips are even' at toe touch
•9/9/2013 Swing to Hip - added specific line about moving the bat head backwards
•9/9/2013 Stance - Revised hand position from 'Hands near your shoulder or ear' to 'Hands can be almost anywhere', added box grip line
•9/9/2013 Hanson Principle - added this section (corrected 11/18/2013)
•7/28/2013 Swing to Hip - Added comments on the 'chicken wing fault'
•2/26/2013 Stride/coil - major change - Removed references to 'arm bar' as a bad thing
•11/30/2012 Stance - major change - added warning about 'stand on balls of feet' myth (will put together separate myth page on this later)
•9/12/2011 Swing to Hip - clarify simultaneous events in 'Swing to Hip' phase
•6/30/2011 Stride/coil - added 'secret' stride drill in the 'Weight Shift' phase
•4/20/2011 Swing to Hip - added front hip rotation - myth exposed in 'Swing to Hip' phase
•2/15/2011 Stride/coil - added a 2002 SetPro lunging tip in the 'Weight Shift' phase
•2/9/11 Stride/coil - added stride timing points in the 'Weight Shift' phase
•2/1/11 Swing phase - separated swing forward phase into 'Swing to Hip' and 'Hip to Contact'
•1/25/11 All - added 'destructive cues'
•3/9/10 added Youth section, "cues to use", and various caveats
•Jan 2010 initial page
Its does say in the article Bustos has a "hybrid" swing between rotational and linear.
Another point...
There is both rotation & linear in a HL swing.
 

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