Thoughts on Daughter's Swing

[FiveFrameSwing]

Already loaded....weight shifted back and hands back to aid with pitching machine timing.

IMO ... this is how people use pitching machines to ruin a hitter's swing.

When feeding a pitching machine replicate the windmill pitching motion. Release the ball such that it comes out of the shoot when your pitching arm is at a normal pitcher's release point. Since there is a small delay in the ball being fed through the pitching machine, you'll want to release the ball prior to reaching the normal pitching release point. The notion is that you want the ball coming out of the pitching machine just as your windmill throwing arm reaches the normal pitcher's release. The batter should be using the pitcher's motion in "timing" their swing "sequence".

Hitting is about 'timing' and 'sequence'. What you describe here is how to rob a hitter of 'timing' and their 'sequence' ... IMO anyway.

 

[dukie]

I totally agree. I will be glad next year when she moves up to live pitching. We do try to to give them some type of reference with a pretend pitching motion during regular play but in tournament play the umpire just asks "are you ready", and then lets it fly.

Do these allow you to see what you were looking for?

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Thank you Dukie. To be honest ... I was hoping for a side view with her hitting a ball coming at her head-on.

 

[dukie]

Sorry FFS.....I misunderstood. Thought you wanted a "head on" shot of the swing, that's why I posted them.
Heck what your asking is simple.....I had to bribe the wife to stand there with the camera, she's a little ball shy.
I will delete the videos above and get you what you ask. Thanks.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Now that's funny Dukie ... you're wife is smart ... she has the common sense to be gun shy. You yourself won't get away with what you are doing much longer without a pitching screen.

 

[dukie]

Yes....I have a death wish but I'm still pretty quick for an old guy.
I have to pitch to her team every game and it is a little unnerving, especially with her.
I'm always looking for that, "you made me turn off the TV and do my homework" or "you didn't let me go to my friends house", vengeful look in her eye.....then I'll call for the relief pitcher.

 

[Jim]

That's what I love about this forum; you can watch thousands of hours of games and not see what is so obvious in a five-frame clip.

Get the batters you are working with to focus on the hips leading and you will hear and see the difference it makes. If it's wrong you've lost nothing. But I think you'll love it!!!

Thanks for the clips FFS!

You think you are looking at the hips "obviously opening" or "leading" the swing. Your eyes are not trained to see what is actually happening. His hips are not "opening". His back hip and back knee are driving his swing along with the rest of the connected parts of his back side (back elbow, back shoulder, back foot, etc.) To you it appears the he is "opening his hips". To the trained eye, his entire back side is driving and moving in sync, forcing his front hip to move. Understandable.

Remember, the back side of the swing and the front side are two separate entities. They work together but don't mistake when one is working more than the other during the pattern.

 

[Jim]

Notice his entire back side working in unison.

Also notice how quiet his head is!

 

[Jim]

Notice his back knee driving down and forward in unison with his back elbow driving down and forward. This forces the front hip to move, but not the front shoulder because of the skeleton. The front and back shoulders are not one solid bone as the front and back hips are. If the hips were separate the front hip would act as the front shoulder does with less movement at initiation.

Also, notice how quiet his head is!

 

[softballphreak]

Notice his back knee driving down and forward in unison with his back elbow driving down and forward. This forces the front hip to move, but not the front shoulder because of the skeleton. The front and back shoulders are not one solid bone as the front and back hips are. If the hips were separate the front hip would act as the front shoulder does with less movement at initiation.

Also, notice how quiet his head is!

The swing starts from the ground up. By saying the hips lead I am not saying the hips open. I'm definitely not promoting spinning.

We're on the right track here. I believe you are going to find out pretty quickly that the hands don't jump out front ahead of the "train". You (and your students) are about to see a significant increase in performance.

Do yourself a favor and read some of the recent posts from the past few weeks or more on this very subject.

You may be right, my eyes aren't trained. That's why I appreciated the slow motion clips.

Everything is almost effortless until the swing. The calm before the storm.