Wrists? Bat drag? Understanding a high end swing

[mann]

Same....just on the high pitch MLB player (Miggy) has a tighter /less arc 'turn the barrel to the ball'.

Ever notice that Miggy's hands rise and keep rising on the high pitch?

Not sure they even get as high during barrel launch on the low pitch as they do on the high pitch.

 

[rdbass]

Ever notice that Miggy's hands rise and keep rising on the high pitch?

Not sure they even get as high during barrel launch on the low pitch as they do on the high pitch.

Yeah, I think Howe/Chap has mentioned that a couple of times......

 

[rdbass]

The two gif images have the ball in different locations. One is in the top of the zone and one is low. How different would that mlb swing look at a high pitch?

Mann's gif:

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

My thoughts exactly when I read this. FFS, would you say that a lack of body awareness is the first thing to address with DBSF? In other words, is it putting the cart before the horse to try to fix DBSF without addressing body awareness first? I've read multiple times how you've had the easiest time addressing this in your players, but this is the first time I've seen you mention a distinction in young players specifically. Additionally, what age are you considering young players? The context will help us better understand the position you have on this.

Dado, teaching higher level hitting mechanics is largely about the teaching of body awareness. It’s about learning/teaching movement patterns from an under-the-hood perspective.

You don’t simply “address body awareness first”. Body awareness is something that a hitter that has never attempted/tried/experienced doing something different, needs to wrestle with. You teach through a perspective of body awareness. If you are working with a hitter to make a positive improvement in their swing, and they don't feel anything different from their normal swing, then the odds are good that they won't retain the improvement you just worked on.

Body awareness doesn’t just happen magically. You don’t wake up one day and suddenly become aware of how your body should function in a relatively complex action such as hitting … which when a hitter finally clues in, isn’t so complex after all. What makes it complex for them in the early going is their relative awareness of the actions that need to take place.

It is my experience that body awareness is more of an issue at the young ages, but certainly isn’t restricted to just the young ages. You don't just become older and suddenly know how to move your body efficiently. For many people it takes work.

 

[dadofadirtlover]

Dado, teaching higher level hitting mechanics is largely about the teaching of body awareness. It’s about learning/teaching movement patterns from an under-the-hood perspective.

You don’t simply “address body awareness first”. Body awareness is something that a hitter that has never attempted/tried/experienced doing something different, needs to wrestle with. You teach through a perspective of body awareness. If you are working with a hitter to make a positive improvement in their swing, and they don't feel anything different from their normal swing, then the odds are good that they won't retain the improvement you just worked on.

Body awareness doesn’t just happen magically. You don’t wake up one day and suddenly become aware of how your body should function in a relatively complex action such as hitting … which when a hitter finally clues in, isn’t so complex after all. What makes it complex for them in the early going is their relative awareness of the actions that need to take place.

It is my experience that body awareness is more of an issue at the young ages, but certainly isn’t restricted to just the young ages. You don't just become older and suddenly know how to move your body efficiently. For many people it takes work.

In your experience, how much "wrestling" happens at the younger ages? By younger, I'm assuming you mean 13 and lower?

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

In your experience, how much "wrestling" happens at the younger ages? By younger, I'm assuming you mean 13 and lower?

On a 10U team I worked with yesterday there was one hitter that was very aware of their body and was able to learn to move more efficient. She was a standout on her team. The other 9 players there struggled fiercely.

On a 12A team I worked with yesterday all but one player was in tune with their body and was capable of learning improved movement patterns.

On a 14B team I worked with yesterday none of the players had a sense of body awareness ... and the session was largely about getting a feel for some very basic movements.

On a 16B team I worked with yesterday about 60% of the players were capable of tuning in to their body to move more efficiently. That of course leaves 40% that were in a "different ball game". Teams like that ... that have a big mix of players from such a perspective ... need to figure out what direction they are heading in ... because those that can improve will do so, and those that aren't willing to put in the fight to improve, won't improve ... leaving a team that is roughly 60% capable.

With some 16A players I worked with yesterday the improvements were significant, and largely about taking advantage of their ability to be aware of their body. One player in particular was working on a mechanic for three weeks. It was new for her ... and it contrasted years of bad muscle memory. She struggled fiercely. She was given home-work assignments to practice the new movement pattern. She didn't give up ... and yesterday she conquered it. She now wonders why it was so hard. So what indeed was hard? IMO what was hard for her was the running of a series of mini under-the-hood experiments and becoming more in tune with her body ... body awareness.

 

[Eric F]

If you are working with a hitter to make a positive improvement in their swing, and they don't feel anything different from their normal swing, then the odds are good that they won't retain the improvement you just worked on.

Yep. When working with a hitter, I talk a lot about feel. I want them to feel the difference between their old pattern and the new movement we are working on. When they make a step in a positive direction, I ask them to duplicate that feeling again. Building body awareness is important in making a change to the muscle memory pattern.

 

[FP26]

Dado, teaching higher level hitting mechanics is largely about the teaching of body awareness. It’s about learning/teaching movement patterns from an under-the-hood perspective.

You don’t simply “address body awareness first”. Body awareness is something that a hitter that has never attempted/tried/experienced doing something different, needs to wrestle with. You teach through a perspective of body awareness. If you are working with a hitter to make a positive improvement in their swing, and they don't feel anything different from their normal swing, then the odds are good that they won't retain the improvement you just worked on.

Body awareness doesn’t just happen magically. You don’t wake up one day and suddenly become aware of how your body should function in a relatively complex action such as hitting … which when a hitter finally clues in, isn’t so complex after all. What makes it complex for them in the early going is their relative awareness of the actions that need to take place.

It is my experience that body awareness is more of an issue at the young ages, but certainly isn’t restricted to just the young ages. You don't just become older and suddenly know how to move your body efficiently. For many people it takes work.

I think this is an excellent post, but I would like to add one thing. Growth spurts can complicate this process. They may have had decent body awareness prior to the spurt, but now the added length has confused them. Now they must re-learn or fine tune that awareness again.

 

[Eric F]

I think this is an excellent post, but I would like to add one thing. Growth spurts can complicate this process. They may have had decent body awareness prior to the spurt, but now the added length has confused them. Now they must re-learn or fine tune that awareness again.

Valid point!....

 

[Coach Up]

Tape a whiffle to the barrel of your bat...hit a heavy bag. Do you hit the whiffle part? Tape whiffle facing forward.