Analyze DD's swing

[Eric]

OK, lets try this again. New to youtube, hopefully this time it will work.
Any comments or suggestions on what needs to be fixed, would be great. I have an idea, just want to know what the experts think.

YouTube - dig swing

 

[Chris O'Leary]

She's got swing plane and disconnection issues, due in part to the weird, elbows together, set-up.

What is the logic of keeping the elbows together?

She's also got a sequencing issue. Her swing is starting before her front heel plants, possibly due to some bat drag. Her swing looks a little long and draggy so she has to start it sooner.

She looks like a good athlete, but I don't think her mechanics are doing her any favors.

 

[Eric]

She has been going to a hitting instructor, who changed that this year. Her elbows were never like that before. Her swing has shortened up, was longer.
In slow-mo she is casting some. I didn't notice the swing starting before heel plant.

 

[Chris O'Leary]

The elbow thing isn't working.

She sets up like that and then, right before she's ready to launch, she drops her hands into a more traditional spot. She then swings very top-down and arm-y.

The first thing I would change is her posture. Get her into a more athletic stance and learn to rotate around her spine, not just swing and adjust with her arms.

 

[Chris O'Leary]

Here are the three swings.

In this one, notice how the bat starts moving before her front heel plants in the 3rd frame. This may be a remnant of a longer swing in the past, but I'm not convinced that what's she's doing now is really any better. She's quite extended at the POC and is hitting the ball way out front.

She does the same early start thing in the second clip. maybe she's just getting into a more comfortable launch position, but it doesn't look right. She isn't quite as extended in this clip.

In the third clip, she adjusts by lunging, largely because her posture isn't right. Is she being told to keep her spine upright and/or her shoulders level?

 

[Jeff_H]

She has been going to a hitting instructor, who changed that this year. Her elbows were never like that before. Her swing has shortened up, was longer.
In slow-mo she is casting some. I didn't notice the swing starting before heel plant.

I would look for a different instructor then. He seems focused on the wrong areas to fix the problems.

Her motion looks like he is trying to teach modified Epstein drills. I have seen this sequence of movements in a lot of girls taught by someone claiming they teach rotational hitting.

 

[Chris O'Leary]

I would look for a different instructor then. He seems focused on the wrong areas to fix the problems.

Her motion looks like he is trying to teach modified Epstein drills. I have seen this sequence of movements in a lot of girls taught by someone claiming they teach rotational hitting.

I agree with all of this.

It's like he's taken the bad parts of Epstein (e.g. stepping and then swinging) and mixed it with bad upper body stuff from someone else.

I'm not a fan of Epstein's lower body stuff, but his upper body stuff isn't always terrible (in the right hands). Unfortunately, she isn't even doing any of Epstein's upper body stuff.

 

[straightleg]

Eric
Look at this setup. She has loaded and went to toe touch and is getting ready to swing in this photo. Arm postion stretched back.

If there is not seperation, alot of the time the upper body swings before the heel plants. Upper body gets ahead of rotation.

Try bringing her back arm straight out from the shoulder or aliittle down and leave the front arm where it is at set up. Have her hit some off the tee. She will probably get her hips into it more just with this set up of arms. They will have a better chance of working in unison. Unison being the elbows, arms and shoulders.



Straightleg

 

[mudbug]

Im not an expert , but I agree too.

Shes keeping the bat too flat, shouldnt be less than about 45 degrees. Elbow not getting into position, causes swinging around the ball, she wont be able to hit an inside pitch. Drops hands some, Hands coming uncocked too soon, early extension , already extended at point of contact.

The first thing a college coach will look for is a fast, short handpath to the ball, which gives a fast short explosive swing. Its not as hard as some make it.

I observed a girl at a college camp recently. She had come a long way to go to it, and she had a hitting instructor. She had some problems, very long slow bat dragging swing, and her Dad thought she was just great and was excited. I didnt say anything to him directly, just pointed out to someone else in earshot how the coaches really liked the noticeably faster swings of a group of girls from a pretty reputable travel team that attended, hoped he would see the difference and realize his daughter needed better help.

 

[Eric]

Thanks for the input, if anyone else has some good info or tips, I would appreciate it. Her first movement is dropping the hands. I know the first pitch was inside, second was middle of plate, and the 3rd pitch was low. I have been trying to get her to uncock the hands later. To get more bat speed, shorter swing. More pop.
She just turned 14, has a cannon for an arm. She just needs to improve her swing, a lot.

Any suggestions?