Lafayette ... any comments on their hitter's mechanics?

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Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
The hardest part when doing the SNF is being able to swing out from your body. Most want to swing around their bodies. This might help try Attack Opp. Set the tee up for outside pitches. Then practice hitting line drives opposite field. Helps with getting the 'feel' of swinging out from your body. Resist the shoulder rotation.
BustosOutFrom1.gif

Picture the hitters feet 45/open and you get the feel.



Notice how far off of the plate the person in the above GIF is. Not only is she well off of the plate, but she is squaring a ball that is more than a ball-width off of the outside edge of the plate. The point being that solid contact is being made on a ball well off the plate WHILE being far off of the plate.

Ted Williams was a big advocate of not crowding the plate. He wanted a swing that could deal with pitches on the outside edge of the plate while dealing a powerful blow to pitches on the inside half of the plate.

Once you perfect your AO mechanics, you will not need to crowd the plate to handle the outside edge of the plate. This in turn allows you to back off of the plate ... which in turn gives your hands more room to work for inside pitches. You are now better able to handle inside pitches.

It's true ... if you wish to become better at hitting inside pitches, then first perfect your ability to hit outside pitches without crowding the plate.

The message here ... get good at attacking oppo.
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
Dd and I got in our cage for a few buckets today... I tried the split grip and an open stance... I think I hit 2 decent balls out of about 20... it throws my timing off horribly. This style requires a lot of practice to break the habits associated with a neutral stance and grip.

I will use the split grip as a tee drill. The distance between the hands is approximately the width of two fingers pressed together side-by-side (3 fingers at the most) ... i.e., 1 to 2 inches ... if the distance is significantly more than that, then it will be as you describe and one hand will primarily dominate. The intent is not to lose functionality of the "hands" as a unit, but to feel how each hand works.
 
Nov 29, 2011
257
16
I am impressed, she has gotten tons better, keep up the good work!!

Never claimed to be an 'expert' seems everytime I make a comment though you like to call me an 'expert' thanks.
Here are the swings of Laura you requested. Bash away Steve on my 14 year old DD coached by her dad.
 
May 8, 2009
174
18
Florida
I have starting working with the split grip with a couple players this year. I am certainly not an expert on batting, but would like to share some of what I found (or think) and hear what others feel. I looked at some video and pics of the Layfeyyete players and then emailed and asked. Bigeest part of the response was that the amount of split was a feel thing. What I have observed is that if you look at the bat as a pendulum, the pivot is a point beyond the knob and behind the bottom hand. The more you split, it appears that the pivot moves closer to and more directly behind the knob. In ian earlier post , there was a mention of leverage and bat speed. The leverage on the bat head will increase with the split, and I dont see much difference in bat speed. I havent measured this so I cant say for sure. It does stand that if you split too much you will sacrifice bat speed. It also appears to help the batter torque the bat on plane. Both of the hitters that I worked with directly this year have had a significant drop in strikeouts, though I cant say whether there has been a change in power. Works in progress.
 
May 17, 2012
2,804
113

In the top video it appears the batter (her right hand) is pulling back with her fingers during the running start/load/reward motion and then pushing forward with her palm during the swing? It would make sense if she was I just never noticed it being that pronounced before.

Am I seeing things? I keep staring at it and I can't make up my mind.
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
Notice how far off of the plate the person in the above GIF is. Not only is she well off of the plate, but she is squaring a ball that is more than a ball-width off of the outside edge of the plate. The point being that solid contact is being made on a ball well off the plate WHILE being far off of the plate.

Ted Williams was a big advocate of not crowding the plate. He wanted a swing that could deal with pitches on the outside edge of the plate while dealing a powerful blow to pitches on the inside half of the plate.

Once you perfect your AO mechanics, you will not need to crowd the plate to handle the outside edge of the plate. This in turn allows you to back off of the plate ... which in turn gives your hands more room to work for inside pitches. You are now better able to handle inside pitches.

It's true ... if you wish to become better at hitting inside pitches, then first perfect your ability to hit outside pitches without crowding the plate.

The message here ... get good at attacking oppo.

Follow up ....

 
May 4, 2012
336
16
Personally, I like what's going on in these girls' swings. Contrary to many opinions on here, after talking to them, they were extremely focused on/cognizant of what's going on in the back leg, rear hip. They had not heard of Noontime but...:)

I was bored today so I checked out some NCAA DIV I 2013 stats for the Ragin Cajuns - 17th - Team batting avg (.318), 8th - Runs scored (6.61), 9th- Home Runs per game (1.42), 9th - Slugging % (.528).
 

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