Critique / Help Series of Swings

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Aug 29, 2011
1,111
0
Dallas, TX
I have been too involved in this. I have obligations that I am ignoring, and one training document is a month late. That is in truth selfish on my part to indulge in this. I am going to come back again just to take a peek! I want to see your best videos and gifs on pitches on the inner half, up in the zone, to promote your technique. I want to see your technique defined by those videos. Then I might be more complimentary. But right now, I have to go make good on my commitments. Good luck to all of you. And I think anyone here can help the average girl looking for help. The question is, what is the ceiling?
 

HYP

Nov 17, 2012
427
0
I agree with much of what you are saying here. Your opinion of Torres swing and mine are different. You are coming from a different technical perspective. Show me one of your girls, MTS, Marcus, etc. that is more compact?

Yes, it is ridiculous to propose that no one swings and misses. May I offer up to you that you have never once seen Teresa or Lucy at bat. You don't know if they check their swings. In fact they do. Teresa has a little better eye and is stronger. She checks more. But again, you guys take one photo, which in reality is an indictment of MTS's statement I think it was, that turning the barrel drops the bat in the path of the ball and drops the back shoulder. Lucy did not try to check her swing. She was full out committed. She didn't slow down and speed up. She didn't take a half cut. She came out of her shoes, yet you guys are making the swing fit your agenda, not reality. In truth, though Teresa is a better player, Lucy is a better player than anyone you have ever created, or prove me wrong! Name your girls that play in International competition? Can you address that idea? But one swing of Lucy is an indictment of her skills. You collectively abrogate your legitimacy of authority on the game. And as far as ability to check the swing, I do not agree.

So now I assume everyone will fall in line with your premise, that instead of being incompetent as proposed in these recent posts, the girls instead can not check their swing?

Steve,

I have been patient and have lead you in a direction. I am normally a very, level headed person. I am not you guys. I am not MTS, TM etc... I have been addressing you as an individual. Should I start addressing you as you guys meaning you and O'Leary?

I was not critiquing anyone's swing. I was stating an observation based on your words and approval of Torres' swing.

When you say that she is better than any player that I have created is just silly. I understand it is out of frustration because you are running out of ways to spin. The reason why it is silly is because you have no idea who I am or who I have worked with. Just as I have no idea who you are or who you work with. I have only worked with a few girls. I work mostly with baseball players.

I never said they cannot check a swing. Like I said above it is your words that describe early barrel commitment.

So, please lighten up and address me as an individual. I do not belong to a camp. I have never spoken to any of the people you are mentioning.
 

HYP

Nov 17, 2012
427
0
Steve
Good post

You can tell the guys who work with real live girls and experience the adjustments you need to make as an instructor.

They jump all over Oleary when he is a guy who has worked on hitting with a pro.
I cant say that.
If you make it up this way and end up talking hitting with Howard. Let me know I will stop by if I can.








SL

Were you around when that came out?
 

Greenmonsters

Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
Feb 21, 2009
6,166
38
New England
I consider this post ridiculous! Every player should be taught to lay off pitches that are out of the zone. ..... Why is the rise-ball said to be "the most devastating pitch in softball" by people in the know? Is it because no one ever misses? I have seen much worse swings than this. And this was simply bad mechanics; guessing wrong, or bad mechanics.

There are nine fundamental elements to bunting which I published. One is keeping the bat at the top of the strike zone. What would make you believe that because a girl misses a pitch, it is because she isn't taught correctly? And the girls below? What advice would you two guys give them?

Did you say anything about these girls? You posted the gifs FFS, and you have seen them Greenmonsters! Truly it is bizarre to take A SWING and create an indictment! ... I will be watching them play in the European Championships in 2013 and the ISF World Championships in the Netherlands in 2014.

Steve - Of course every hitter will chase at least occasionally. And of course every hitter will swing and miss sometimes. MLB batting average is .270 ish and the best usually don't exceed .350. Hitting against good pitching is always a losing proposition and even most MLBers fail at least 2.5 times as often as they succeed. While FP SB averages trend somewhat higher, the same holds true - pitching is dominant.

Torres isn't near the hitter that Bonds is and if that's not clear from the videos and pix that have been posted here, just compare their career stats and bank accounts. What all the consternation here has been about is trying to provide a hitter with a better chance by equipping them with the best swing you can so that they can achieve greater success. Why would I want to try to teach someone Torres' swing when its no more effort than trying to teach Bonds' (or in my DD's case Bautista's) swing? Not saying that they or my DD will ever get there, but why not try to be great instead of just good? And, IMO, a running start w/ the barrel is the difference maker and would elevate your girls' performance to the next level. Good luck to you and your players.
 
Jan 18, 2010
4,280
0
In your face
pitching is dominant

kirk-bones.gif


Heck I could've told y'all that 614 posts ago.

I feel hitting is much like pitching. There is no one style fits all. If there were we'd all be pitching overhead and not a mixture of sidearm or submarine. Using someone's successful swing in pro ball is beneficial, but there is much more going for that person by physical size and athletic abilities, not to mention highly enhanced mental perceptions. If simply mechanical means dictated a highly successful swing, anyone of you guys could walk into Walmart and teach the 150lb guy on isle 3 to become a MLB hitter.

I really wish I had video of some hitters I've seen over the years for a test. One would be simple video of the swings of tee work or drills so you/we could point out pros or cons. Then a vote on who you feel can "hit" better in games. Then post random game swings and again vote on who you feel can "hit" better. Then finally post the statistics behind the player to see how the predictions faired in games over a season. Oh heck, I might just do it during the spring for kicks. :)
 
Last edited:
Feb 3, 2013
146
16
There have been two things said here by the HI camp. One is that "guessing" is not part of the process as if every swing makes contact, or every "turned barrel" swing makes contact.

Steve, while I can't speak for the HI camp, I can speak for myself.

When I'm in the box and guessing, I'm looking for the pitch to come into a particular subset of the strike zone. I'm initiating my swing and looking for the pitch to end up in that particular area of the strike zone. If the swing is not there then I take the pitch. This will even have me taking a strike elsewhere in the strike zone if it is outside where I'm guessing. In other words, my guess is about shrinking my hitting area and I'm willing to take a strike that comes in outside of my guessed hitting area. If don't check my swing, and follow through, it is because the pitch is where I guessed it would be. Such swings are generally some of my biggest hits.

In this particular case Lucy is swinging at a pitch well outside of the strike zone. I view it as very unlikely that she was guessing or zoning a pitch way out of the strike zone like this.

I don't believe for a minute that she was guessing in that case.
 
Feb 14, 2010
592
18
Ken,

Brooke has never swung a golf club in her life, she doesn't need to experience that frustration, lol. I would like to know where you are headed with that comment.
 
Feb 3, 2010
5,767
113
Pac NW
It's not where I'm headed! Your daughter is the one headed to great places if she has the heart and support for it! Softball, golf and I'm sure the list goes on. I hope she adds golf to her resume' someday! Long drive comps, if nothing else!
 

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