Thread: Free hitting videos

http://www.georgiascout.net/REFERENCE%20LIBRARY.htm

This site has alot of short instructional hitting videos frpm Mike Candrea and Sue Enquist.

I have read negative stuff about bat lag, Mike Candrea talks positively about bat lag????? I think maintaining connection while driving your hands through the ball will take care of it for know as I don't want to try to explain bat lag to our 10 yo's, I'm not even sure how I feel about bat lag. Any help!

Mike

Are you maybe confusing "bat lag" (a particular point in the Candrea/RVP swing just before the bat enters the contact zone) with "bat drag" (this being the swing problem exhibited by many young hitters)?

Possibly, I have been known to get confused from time to time. Bat drag would be the hands being disconnected and behind the rest of the body, which is bad, right? I do remember reading at some point somwhere that bat lag is not good, but that does not mean what I was reading is correct. There is as much bad information out there as there is good, sometimes the hard part is figuring out which is good. Thanks for the clarification.

Mike

Analysis

Bat drag-clips 21 through 25.

Mark, I am still a little confunsed. I think I want my 10 yo to have a quick less powerful swing, rather than a slower more powerful swing at this age. What is your opinion on the top hand elbow getting ahead of the hands? I understand what those clips are showing, I just don't know if it is good or bad.

Mike

It's bad. You are right to focus on quickness. The highest bat speeds are found in men's slow pitch. MLB hitters have slower bat speeds than the best slow pitch hitters but their quickness is obviously much better. The goal you should be looking for is five frames on a standard 30fps video from heel plant or first movement of the bat head into the swing plane till contact. Better to clear the fence by ten feet often than clear it by 50 feet once in awhile to put it in perspective. Or better to hit doubles often than an occassional dinger.

A bat drag swing can produce a LOT of bat speed. Just generally takes about seven frames to do it which of course kills you against good pitching.

Originally Posted by Mike

Mark, I am still a little confunsed. I think I want my 10 yo to have a quick less powerful swing, rather than a slower more powerful swing at this age. What is your opinion on the top hand elbow getting ahead of the hands? I understand what those clips are showing, I just don't know if it is good or bad.

Mike

Mike, I would look at the barrel position in relation to where the top hand and elbow are. Meaning if the barrel is still above the hands (like a good swing would look) it is not a bad thing if the elbow leads the top hand a bit going into the turn. But, if the barrel flattens out and the elbow gets ahead then it is bat drag.

Another thing to check is the hands. If the knuckles are facing the sky too early bat drag is usually to follow.

Thanks everybody, this is helpful. Is Candrea's explanation on bat LAG good, as long as it doesn't turn into bat DRAG, or am I mangling this by overthinking it. I promise I will understand at some point.

Mike

Originally Posted by Mike

Thanks everybody, this is helpful. Is Candrea's explanation on bat LAG good, as long as it doesn't turn into bat DRAG, or am I mangling this by overthinking it. I promise I will understand at some point.

Mike

Two different things.

Originally Posted by MTS

Mike, I would look at the barrel position in relation to where the top hand and elbow are. Meaning if the barrel is still above the hands (like a good swing would look) it is not a bad thing if the elbow leads the top hand a bit going into the turn. But, if the barrel flattens out and the elbow gets ahead then it is bat drag.

Another thing to check is the hands. If the knuckles are facing the sky too early bat drag is usually to follow.

Watch for the top hand forearm laying over away from the shoulder. A little bit of elbow leading is fine till it starts impacting quickness.