please critique DD's swing

[Amy in AZ.]

Ok - I want NO squishing the bug! She isn't using her hips, as it is. Think hips first and then, hands. She should be able to rotate her hips toward the pitcher and hold up, w/o swinging the bat. It is OK, to come completely off the back toe, to get where she needs to be with the hips.

She needs fixed from the ground up and then, that will fix a lot of the other things that are happening. I wouldn't work on slapping, until she learns to hit. Do you have those TCB balls? They are all I use anymore, to teach hitting.

What size is the bat? I was wondering if it is too light.

 

[jbooth]

Ha! That's awesome.

Do you understand that turning the foot "squishing the bug" is a follow through motion, and not the power point?

Can you see the difference between these two bug squishes?

The top one is a weak move. The hips turn and the foot turns but, there is little drive of the hips.
The bottom one is the way power hitters turn their hips.

The top one is mostly twisting his leg, the bottom one is pushing off the back foot using the big muscles in the butt. Her foot will come up when the hips get fully turned.

Below is a push/turn followed by a squish, not a squish followed by a turn.

 

[TheStrike3yourout]

Can she really get full-hip rotation without rotating on that back foot (squishing the bug)? In addition, if she comes completely off that back toe won't most of her weight be caught on her front foot?

I'm just wondering because I, myself, want to teach this appropriately to my kids. Most of these terms I've learned through work with the Denny Doyle Hitting Academy. Let me see if I can find something from the academy to illustrate.

 

[TheStrike3yourout]

I copy/pasted a page I use as a reference below from the Doyle Hitting Academy. Here is the link:
Teaching Hitting

My former high school coach is MLB scout for the Red Sox, and he is known for his hitting instruction. Here is a link:
Teaching Successful Hitting with MLB Scout Terry Sullivan - CheckSwing

I reinforce the same lower-body hitting mechanics that the Doyle academy uses...rotational hitting. In addition, I know these Doyle mechanics worked for the following Doyle alumni:

Our History
Doyle Baseball was founded in 1978 by Denny Doyle and his twin brothers, Brian and Blake. Playing with and against the best, on pennant winners and World Series teams for a combined 30 years professional baseball experience, has helped lay the foundation for Doyle Baseball to develop its unique teaching methods, leading to the game's most innovative and respected training programs.
One of the first organizations to implement college and professional showcase events, Doyle Baseball has had many graduates reach the big leagues and thousands have gone on to successful college careers.

Recent Doyle Alumni now playing in Pro Ball

Aaron Shipman - Oakland A's (DBS 2009)
Tommy Winegardner - Baltimore Orioles (Academy 2007)
Jadd Schmeltzer - Boston Red Sox (DBS 1995-2001)
Gardner Adams - Atlanta Braves (Academy 2006)
Matt Spalding - Boston Red Sox (Academy 2010)
Randall Thompson - Toronto Blue Jays
Chris Getz -Kansas City Royals

Below is a list of other Doyle alumni who made it to the Major Leagues:
Gerald Alexander
Jeff Baker
Derek Bell
Casey Blake
Rick Colbert
Jose Cruz, Jr.
J.D. Drew
Tim Drew
Raul Ibanez
Tony Grafanino
Kevin Gregg
Bobby Howry
Charles Johnson
Steve Karsay
Paul Kilgus
Mike Kolplove
Paul Konerko
Casey Kotchman
Marc Kroon
Derek Lee
Paul LoDuca
Albie Lopez
David Martinez
All Nipper
Joe Oliver
Jim Poole
Bill Pulsipher
Jody Reed
Chris Reitsma
Brian Roberts
Larry Rothschild
John Shave
Gary Sheffeld
Robby Thompson
Tim Wakefield
Turner Ward
Walt Weiss
Dan Wilson
Robert Cuello
Matt Diaz
Chris Volstad

here is the link:

Our History

I know softball is a different game than baseball, but my players have always adapted well to these hitting methods. The team I coach was an ESPN Fab 50 High School Softball Team for the first several weeks of this past spring season. If there is one thing we do, it's HIT THE BALL!!! Below are some of the things I reinforce with my girls from this academy.

Teaching Hitting
The key to hitting is balance. Without good balance, your players will not be able to maximize the explosive power of the lower half (hips) and will have difficulty controlling their body and the bat as they are swinging. Every time your players swing a bat (outside of game situations) they should freeze - on balance -and hold their finish for three seconds. This will help create muscle memory and outstanding balance.

1. Teach Finish
Place players in their hitting finish as shown at right by having them take a slow-motion swing and freeze. Have them repeat the following terms while holding their finish:
Front foot closed (front foot remains closed)
Back foot pivot (back foot pivots 90 degrees as result of hip explosion) THIS IS the SQUISH of the BUG
Shoulder full turn (back shoulder is fully turned)
Eyes at contact (eyes remain focused at point of contact)
While repeating terms, players make necessary corrections.
2. Teach Objective (Contact Position)
Place players in objective/contact position as shown at left and have them repeat the following terms:
Front foot closed
Back foot pivot (SQUISH of BUG)
Belly button to pitcher (belly button pointed toward pitcher)
Hands extended (hands extended toward pitcher from belly button)
Bat barrel above hands (bat barrel held above hands)
Eyes at contact
While repeating terms, players make necessary corrections.
3. Teach Trigger from Objective (Preparation to Swing)
Explain the trigger. It is a slow rotation slightly inward and away from the pitcher which never stops and allows the hips to load in preparation to start the swing at any time. The purposes of the trigger are to time the pitch and to break inertia to get started. There are four hinges to the trigger: front ankle, front knee, front hip and front shoulder. The trigger starts with the hitter raising the front heel slightly and turning the front ankle and knee slightly inward. It is important to emphasize to your players that the trigger is a rotation, and not a swaying of the weight backward.

Place players in the objective/contact position and command the following:
Hands in - players bring hands in toward belly button about 4-5 inches away from body
Back foot down - players "un-pivot" back foot
Triiiiiggggerrr - players slowly return to stance and slightly beyond
Obviously, your players will not start in their objective during a game, but will instead trigger from their stance. You will teach them to trigger from their stance after you have taught the stance.
4. Teach Stance
Place players in the objective/contact position and command the following:
Hands in
Back foot down
Triiiiiiggggerrrr
Freeze - players freeze after triggering
After freezing upon completion of the trigger, have players point their front shoulder toward the pitcher. The proper stance is shown at left. Have players repeat the following terms for the stance:
Toes (toes pointed straight toward home plate)
Spread (feet spread twice shoulders width for optimum balance)
Flex (flexed at ankles and knees with weight on balls of feet)
Waist (slightly bent toward home plate - gets weight on balls of feet)
Shoulder (front shoulder at pitcher, slightly lower than back shoulder)
Eyes (level and focused on pitcher)
Grip (door knocking knuckles lined up, with hands):
UP - hands at top of strike zone
IN - hands 4-5 inches away from body (too far away creates arm swing)
BACK - hands back - even or slightly beyond back shoulder
Elbows down (elbows pointed down but comfortably away from body) THIS NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED ON YOUR DD
Bat angle 45 (bat barrel at 45-degree angle over shoulder)
60/40 (60 % of weight on back foot, 40% on front foot)
While repeating terms, players make necessary corrections.

 

[jbooth]

Can she really get full-hip rotation without rotating on that back foot (squishing the bug)?

The back foot rotates because the hips are rotating. The back hip moves forward and pulls the back foot forward. The back foot rotates to take pressure off of the bent back knee.

The kinesiology of the move is that the glutes (butt muscles) abduct and externally rotate the femur. This pushes the pelvic bone forward and into rotation. This un-weights the back foot and it naturally rotates in a "bug squish" movement.

In addition, if she comes completely off that back toe won't most of her weight be caught on her front foot?

Yes, you want to shift the pressure to the front foot, but you don't want your head to go out over the front foot. The front leg receives the equivalent of 123% of your body weight when you push off of the back foot. You push off of the back foot, you don't turn on it. The front leg blocks the forward momentum and causes torso rotation, not the back foot.

I'm just wondering because I, myself, want to teach this appropriately to my kids. Most of these terms I've learned through work with the Denny Doyle Hitting Academy. Let me see if I can find something from the academy to illustrate.

Denny Doyle does not have the best understanding of the kinesiology involved in a swing. What I'm explaining is from research done by two different guys, each with PhD's in human movement, who researched the pro baseball swing. Dr. Chris Yeager and Dr. Coop DeRenne.

Internally rotating the rear leg to squish the bug, without pushing off the back foot, does not produce the force and rotation that top level hitters get.

This guy is a pretty good hitter, and where is his back foot at contact?

The amount that the back foot comes up and/or forward is partly related to how far you stride or how much you shift.

Bonds had a narrower stance than Pujols and didn't shift forward as much, so his foot stays down more, but his back foot has no weight on it at contact either.

And neither does Cabrera. All of the weight is on the front foot at contact in all good swings.

 

[Wellphyt]

Can she really get full-hip rotation without rotating on that back foot (squishing the bug)? In addition, if she comes completely off that back toe won't most of her weight be caught on her front foot?

I'm just wondering because I, myself, want to teach this appropriately to my kids. Most of these terms I've learned through work with the Denny Doyle Hitting Academy. Let me see if I can find something from the academy to illustrate.

Here is a clip of a former Red Sox player that your former high school coach may have heard of:

Do you think Ted gets full-hip rotation in this clip? Do you see how Ted straightens his front leg as his back heel comes of the ground so that he can keep his head centered between his feet? Notice in the picture below how Ted's back foot is un-weighted while his front leg is still bent. All his weight at this point is being born by his front foot.



Ted used his butt muscles to unwind his hips. At the point when his hips transition from going back to going forward, the pressure against the ground at his back foot is in an outward direction. This is the opposite of bug squishing where the hitter purposefully turns their back foot inwards, immediately giving up the pressure at the back foot, resulting in the back leg/foot spinning. That's why I refer to what Ted does as the anti bug squishing move or the anti Elvis move.

Here is Hamilton. Notice how his back foot moves outward at the transition point right as his hips begin to unwind:

 

[Amy in AZ.]

We need to get back to helping n10sivern, with his DD.

 

[jbooth]

1. Teach Finish
Place players in their hitting finish as shown at right by having them take a slow-motion swing and freeze. Have them repeat the following terms while holding their finish:
Front foot closed (front foot remains closed)
Back foot pivot (back foot pivots 90 degrees as result of hip explosion) THIS IS the SQUISH of the BUG
Shoulder full turn (back shoulder is fully turned)

I'm not saying that there isn't a bug squish, I'm talking about how and when it gets done.

It is the result of the hips shifting and rotating, not the cause.

 

[Wellphyt]

Notice how Ted's hips begin to unwind before his front foot touches the ground. On well timed swings, many modern day players do the same thing. Entire hitting systems have been based on the idea that the dropping of the front heel triggers the swing. It's commonly called the "Elvis Move". I taught it to my DD from age 9 to age 12. I've abandoned that approach in favor of a butt triggered swing

"The butt triggers the swing".

 

[n10sivern]

Amy, you asked if the bat was too light. She is 12 y/o, 5'3", 90#. In the first video I posted she was swinging a 32/23, in the second a 32/21, and a 32/22 in the third. On the slap video she was back to the 32/21.

Her swing has been a mess. A mixture of coaches adding a little bit here and there til it was horrible. The last taught her not to step and as a result she stopped using her hips and was casting.

I basically told her to forget everything she had been taught and we worked from scratch. She hasn't been casting as much, but I'm still having trouble with her fully using her hips.

Since we have started working on her swing, she has started hitting the ball every time she goes to the plate.....but the power isn't there and that goes back to her hips.

Any good drills to get her hips moving correctly? I think once she gets that down her power should increase dramatically.