DBSFA-(Drop-Barrel-Swing-Flat-Anonymous) a FFF thread

[FiveFrameSwing]

referring back to that post from Cliff...(I dare not quote it for fear that it will invite more)

If this confused anyone that is learning about this issue and trying to identify it, I wanted to explain what exactly I see as the issue on that swing.

If you watch the clip you will see a big difference in the leveling action between the front toss and the game swing in my kid's swing. Yes it as a high pitch in the game swing so it is not as noticeable but you can see how she starts to level her hands and bat and if the pitch were lower the elevator would have just gone down more and it would be more obvious. In the front toss the bat does not level out prior to launch and you can see she tilts her body (hard to see from that angle, but after the swing you can see the un-tilting action so you know she had some spine angle during the swing).

I go back to the low pitch I was talking about and zone coverage. If this were a low inside pitch in the game and she got in that position she would have had no chance to hit it fair with any power.

Poor leveling is not just the hands lowering, it is the bat angle getting flat in a slo manner before launch, it is "scrunching and staying upright" instead of using upper body tilt to get the right bat path for balls lower in the zone.

The barrel should be flattened/leveled as it is swung. Doing so has the added benefit of increasing barrel speed.

 

[CoogansBluff]

The barrel should be flattened/leveled as it is swung. Doing so has the added benefit of increasing barrel speed.

So, wouldn't you say it's still possible (though not optimal) to turn the barrel even if the bat is not vertical at launch? That's my theory on why some player get away with letting the barrel drop too soon.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Rich,

No need to apologize. I'm simply trying to have her start with the barrel in different spots so as to bring about barrel awareness.

...and to JJ's point in starting this thread - regardless of what we say/do/demonstrate/show gifs, etc...hell I stand behind her with 1" PVC at a spot about 6" above and behind her shoulder with the idea of NOT flattening the bat and hitting the PVC...

We're at the point where this is our sole focus...this needs to get fixed this off-season...

This is from tonight...non-flattened starting position...

Got any other cues to try? I'm all ears....CP

Bold above ..... reminds me of this 'drill' that Yeager uses to encourage a healthy bath path.



p.s.
Inserting the 'extra strech', such that the 'missing frames' are not missing, may be a goal of more importance. Get the feel of the big muscles pulling/stretching/slingshotting the smaller muscles.

 

[FP26]

The barrel should be flattened/leveled as it is swung. Doing so has the added benefit of increasing barrel speed.

Interesting thread on BBF that I am reading right now covers this very topic.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

It is clear that you don't mind thinking outside the box, so I will offer you another idea. I have a feeling some others will blast me for this one....

I am sure you are familiar with SnF. Have her set up in the regular SnF stance but challenge her to place the focus on working her hands. I realize this drill is not designed as a "hands drill", but I have found it to be effective. As she is doing it, ask her to pay attention to what her hands are doing, and the path that her hands and the barrel are taking. Gradually reduce the angle at which she is standing, while asking her to maintain the same feeling with her hands during each step.

SnF should improve the hand path ... giving the hitter a slingshotting-like feel.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

I'm past the point of worrying about being blasted...if I show up on Dick's blog, so be it. It's not like I don't know what needs to be done or don't get in the box myself.

SNF is pretty regular for us...we start here:

Then the 45* version:

I'll change her focus to her hands and certain hand pressures and see what happens...thanks for the suggestion!

CP

CP, just an opinion mind you, but it appears to me that the SnF action is something your daughter would benefit from establishing in her swing.

 

[FP26]

So, wouldn't you say it's still possible (though not optimal) to turn the barrel even if the bat is not vertical at launch? That's my theory on why some player get away with letting the barrel drop too soon.

I'm not FFS, but to me it is not a matter of the barrel "dropping". It is the direction the barrel drops, and how that action is controlled by the hands/wrists.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

So, wouldn't you say it's still possible (though not optimal) to turn the barrel even if the bat is not vertical at launch? That's my theory on why some player get away with letting the barrel drop too soon.

Of course. The importance of the "short-to"/"around" doesn't go away simply because the barrel is more flattened early on.

We all saw video of Brooke's swing development here at DFP. She was turning a more flattened barrel for quite some time.

Here's Benji ... she was a fairly accomplished hitter for UCLA.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Note the description of not having a one-plane swing, the narrowing of downswing relative to the backswing, and the shaft/barrel ‘falling’ into a more ‘flattened’ position.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Benji was a great hitter but, the difference is in the hand usage or lack of hand usage.
Benji barrel follows the shoulder rotation around her body.
Brookes hands don't follow the shoulders around her body. Brookes hands & barrel go 'out from' her body.
Most younger hitters will follow the shoulders rotation when the barrel is placed on the rear shoulders. There 'lays' the problem with possible adjustability.

To be clear, I'm not a fan of placing the barrel on the rear shoulder. I tend to promote the barrel becoming more vertical during the move out.