Glance at Swing and Help

[vanhollymorgan]

Our biggest problem right now:
She hits with great power, a more than a few home runs this year. But 95% of hits are down the 3rd base line. 2 homers hit the foul pole. Teams now just play her right on the line.

To me she is stepping and swinging at 2 different times. I see her step then land then swing. I also see her hips turning (too much hip before bat comes through) and stopping then arms coming through.

She also is hitting the ball way in front instead of letting it get in her power zone. Alot of this seems like timing to me. But I just cant get it figured out to help her. Shes frustrated hitting everything down the line and deep fly outs that are foul.

I did these videos after bouncing the tennis ball at her to try to get her to wait for the ball to get in the zone. These are me throwing with no bounce.

i slowed them down best i could. thanks for any tips

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[Eric F]

There are a lot of things that need tweaking. The first things that stand out to me is that the timing of her movements is way off, she is lunging forward (all-back/all-forward), and her right hip is not being driven forward far enough. Her hands end up in front of her hips too soon, contributing to the pulled hits. With the disconnection between top and bottom halves, there is no contribution of power from the lower body, and her swing is all arms. If she is hitting HRs with this swing, she's going to be a killer once she gets her movements dialed in properly.

My favorite drills to start with for the lower body are the "walk-through", the "kick".

"Walk-through drill"

Notice the fluid connection throughout the whole movement. There are no pauses.

"Kick drill"

The knee and hip firing forward should be forceful and towards the pitcher, as if she's trying to smash the pitcher in the gut with her knee. Once the feeling of firing the right side is programmed, that feeling should be maintained with both feet on the ground.

Once she gets her lower body sorted out, she can work on improving her hand action. A strong foundation (bottom half) is critical for a powerful and consistent swing.

For getting the right sequence, my favorite example is Mig Cabrerra...

Notice how the hands go back ("rock the U") as the stride goes forward. Look how far - and forcefully - the right hip fires forward.

Good luck, and keep us updated on your progress!

 

[Howe]

I like the advice. 1 thing to add. Ask your DD to pretend to always hit the "inside seam" of the ball. This way her hands get inside the ball.

 

[Eric F]

Thanks, Howe. Lessons learned from my own journey

There's still a long road ahead...

 

[rdbass]

What is the age of your DD?
What is the size and length of bat?
Rec player or Tourneyball player?
I would watch these 3 videos and pay good/close attention to the lines in the driveway cement.
Alot to learn from looking at the lines and feet.

 

[JJsqueeze]

Good point. looks like that rear foot being pointed backwards is causing her front foot to align to it during the step so she is actually turning in towards the ball. Why do so many girls point that toe towards the catcher? Both My DDs have to look down to make sure they aren't pointing it back a little.

 

[rdbass]

Beside how the feet are set up, and different set up in all 3 videos.
Notice what the rear foot does during and after the swing. See some 'bugs being squished'
I see no movement of rear foot on other swings.
I see hitter almost falling over on another swing.
I do see some positives with her arms/hands.
Needs the proper sequences and theres only one place that you will find that info and that is......
Who luvs you Howe? DFP.

 

[Eric F]

Another note about the "kick drill" that worked well for my DD was to have her balance on her front foot with her rear (right) foot off the ground and hips facing the pitcher. This was a big help in getting my DD to learn how to feel the balance of her own body in the swing. Before understanding how to control this feeling, my DD would often lose her balance right (like the 3rd clip above) or left at the end of her swing. Obviously, you don't don't want to finish a full swing balanced on just the front foot, and some people are leery to teach that sensation at all, but it was an effective tweak on the drill that was useful for my DD to build her sensation of balance in the swing. Apply as you see fit.

 

[Perfect Circle]

Gonna be a good one...

 

[TDS]

Bass you are one good looking fella....