Grip and swing type

Question about wrist cock on the top hand (right hand for righty hitters).

I've noticed a difference in grips for those who turn the barrel vs. those who drop barrel and drag, or push. Just wonder if there's anything to this. To turn the barrel, you need to hold the bat higher in the hand, toward the fingers, because you need that hand control to manipulate the bat (turn the barrel). Same reason you don't hold the ball deep in your palm to throw it. It also helps to have a little bit of a cocked wrist.

If you're pushing the swing, you can be just as effective with holding the bat deeper in the palm. Same reason you hold a shot put in the palm. You're pushing it. Also don't need much wrist angle. You're not controlling the bat, you're just pushing it, or maybe pulling it.

Does this fall into the category of obvious? Insightful? Irrelevant?

CoogansBluff said:

Question about wrist cock on the top hand (right hand for righty hitters).

I've noticed a difference in grips for those who turn the barrel vs. those who drop barrel and drag, or push. Just wonder if there's anything to this. To turn the barrel, you need to hold the bat more in the middle of your hand, because you need that hand control to manipulate the bat (turn the barrel). Some reason you don't hold the ball deep in your palm to throw it. It also helps to have a little bit of a cocked wrist.

If you're pushing the swing, you can be just as effective with holding the bat deeper in the palm. Same reason you hold a shot put in the palm. You're pushing it. Also don't need much wrist angle. You're not controlling the bat, you're just pushing it, or maybe pulling it.

Does this fall into the category of obvious? Insightful? Irrelevant?

Click to expand...

http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-hitting-technical/24360-swing-help-13.html#post374323

While that is taking place, there is a loading and unloading of the barrel that is taking place. There is a transition point from when the barrels load is felt in the fingers of the top hand to when the barrels load is felt in the crux of the index finger and thumb of the top hand. Do you see this below? There are articulations in the top hand that need to be understood. They are essential to staying long through. They are essential to adjustment. Some folks say turn the barrel, which is cool. But the "how" of it is very important. IMO

Click to expand...

Around:

Along:

Rdb, are you agreeing with CB or countering it? Gifs show same grip throughout IMO so I am a little confused
Thanks

To turn the barrel, you need to hold the bat more in the middle of your hand

Click to expand...

I was trying to point out that I would like to feel the bat in my fingers.

rdbass said:

I was trying to point out that I would like to feel the bat in my fingers.

Click to expand...

I should not have said middle of hand (which is easily confused w/ middle of the palm). I meant basically where palm and fingers meet, roughly the midpoint from wrist to fingertip. So yes, you want to feel bat in the fingers.

I was suggesting that those who push/pull instead of turn barrel might be having bat handle in palm.

(I edited original post to clarify)

Please be easy on me as this is my first post in the hitting forum as I live primarily in the pitching forum. However, like others have said, I need to start getting to work on batting much more than I have.

Question on the above post and again a newbie question.....Coogan's when you say turn the barrel is that the same thing as rolling the barrel over? rolling wrists over? Just trying to get acquainted with the lingo. I think I understand the drag/pull/pushing you are talking about but just trying to differentiate.

Lastly, do you all think one method is preferable over another? i.e. turn the barrel vs. pull push through?

Thanks again for your help on this!

STRIKE3 said:

Question on the above post and again a newbie question.....Coogan's when you say turn the barrel is that the same thing as rolling the barrel over? rolling wrists over? Just trying to get acquainted with the lingo. I think I understand the drag/pull/pushing you are talking about but just trying to differentiate.

Lastly, do you all think one method is preferable over another? i.e. turn the barrel vs. pull push through?

Click to expand...

By turning the barrel, I don't mean rolling the wrists. I'm talking about how the hands get the barrel of the bat into the hitting zone, or to contact. Here is someone working on turning the barrel. (Not everyone is going to like the device she's using, but I'm just trying to illustrate the act of turning the barrel.) Watch the path of the barrel to the ball. She is turning the barrel into the zone. This is opposed to taking a ''knob-to-the-ball'' approach where the bat is pulled into the zone to contact simply by the hands going forward. As for pushing, that's the act of extending the arms to get the barrel into the hitting zone, or to extend through it. Extension is a key element to hitting, but it needs to be done secondarily, or in tandem, with turning the barrel.

CB, Thank you! I appreciate the clarification and a big help. I had promised myself I would stay away from this stuff as pitching is more than I can handle already. DD has hitting coach and I didn't want any part of this. However, curiosity killed the cat, and I am now well on my way so thanks for helping me understand and probably more questions on the hitting side down the road.

Thanks again!

S3

CoogansBluff said:

By turning the barrel, I don't mean rolling the wrists. I'm talking about how the hands get the barrel of the bat into the hitting zone, or to contact. Here is someone working on turning the barrel. (Not everyone is going to like the device she's using, but I'm just trying to illustrate the act of turning the barrel.) Watch the path of the barrel to the ball. She is turning the barrel into the zone. This is opposed to taking a ''knob-to-the-ball'' approach where the bat is pulled into the zone to contact simply by the hands going forward. As for pushing, that's the act of extending the arms to get the barrel into the hitting zone, or to extend through it. Extension is a key element to hitting, but it needs to be done secondarily, or in tandem, with turning the barrel.

Click to expand...

Here is what i find. holding the bat in your Fingers, and loosely, will give complety different result than the grip used in coogansbluffs gif. The bat will fling out and continue to turn, past the contact spot.
You can try this with same drill above, and see a big difference.

Try with the bat in the crux open hand, and bat in fingers, same drill.

grip


SL