Thread: right elbow up or against body (rhb)

Is there a proper angle for the right elbow for a right handed batter. I thought up (90 degree angle) was appropriate but have an older coach teaching our 8U girls to have elbow down almost against the right rib cage or so? His reasoning is that as the girls get older it is quicker to turn on the ball with the elbow at the side? Not sure what to teach the girls at this point.

I teach down. It is the same and equal angle as the front elbow.

Thanks. And what is your theory on this. I see lots of softball professionals with elbow's "out" and they seem to be hitting the ball ok. There seems to be a modern thought that we should teach our girls to hit like the boys, more or less (at least at set-up)? Just trying to learn. Thanks.

Instead of figuring I suggest looking at what the best actually do. Siggy's Hitting Clips - ImageEvent

I teach to relax both elbows and that comes from most coaches I've talked to from DIV I schools and clinics. RVP and Don Slaught/Mike Candrea/Sue Enquist all demonstrate both elbows down and relaxed. (Specifically back elbow you are asking about).
*** THAT said, we've been talking for years that softball swings and baseball swings are the same and you are 100% accurate when you say you see many successful batters hitting with their back elbow up. How do you argue with THEIR success?
*** THEN AGAIN - Joe Morgan, Hall of Fame Cincy Reds 2Bman..... used to FLAP his back wing to REMIND HIMSELF to keep his ELBOW DOWN!
So its cliche to tell you what we've been taught for last 7-10+ years, though MY THEORY in the last couple years has changed to if reasonable mechanics and you practice enough, your COORDINATION becomes much better anyway, thus your chances for success are greater!

I was told to keep mine down because pop ups were more likely to happen. That's just what I was told.

Mark H: Hard to argue with success of all the great batters in the clips and all those UCLA girls learned negative-positive, elbows lead the hands, contact to extension and follow through..... they all hit well.
Then again Samantha Findlay who was an awsome hitter often is seen dropping her BACK FOOT a few inches when she makes contact to use her body to generate power.
None of us teach to let the back foot slide or move BACK away from the plate, but how do you aregue with her success?
** What is the RATIONALE for back elbow down? more relaxed shoulder/forearm and wrist to allow quicker movement..... but if the batter has rythm in her hands before the pitch, that relaxes her muscles anyway...... so what is the prime rationale?

fortheloveofsoftball12: POPUPS are a result of where you contact the ball, how you get the barrel to the back of the ball is because you hit under the ball. (Various reasons you can hit under the ball.. dropping the back shoulder, just misjudged, too long a stride which may make the plane of the ball be lower then it is, misreading a pitch's path/plane).
Cindy Bristow has a great article that talks to misconceptions from coaches that teach back shoulder must be level or higher then the front shoulder! Read her article!
** There are outstanding coaches on this forum that I sure hope provide their input because thats exactly what this forum is meant to do..... teach and learn from each other! Good luck!

Yeah, I have taught it that way, since my kids were little. The elbow has to be down to swing the bat, so I just keep it that way.

I asked Don Slaught recently and he told everyone in the conference "elbow down." He was wearing a huge Detroit's Tigers World Series ring, so I'll just stick with him.

I would buy Right View Pro, if I ever get rid of most of the junk that I already have.

I haven't been playing softball long but one thing I have noticed is that different things work for different people. There's really not right or wrong thing for someone (to an extent ofcourse) one hitter on my team hits with elbow up and she's the leadoff hitter.