14U Swing Assesment?

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Sep 29, 2008
1,401
63
Northeast Ohio
View attachment 13500

This is an extreme position. You would have a hard time finding many/any players in the model hitting thread that ever reach this position with the back elbow so that would be something I would study and see how that affects other parts of the swing downstream.

Think I will comment on my own post now that I look at the image I posted. Why don't you rotate that top hand a little? You don't need to line up knuckles but get somewhere closer. Those hands are way too opposed for the arms to work together. That's one of the reasons that elbow is up all crazy.
 
Feb 16, 2015
933
43
South East
View attachment 13500

This is an extreme position. You would have a hard time finding many/any players in the model hitting thread that ever reach this position with the back elbow so that would be something I would study and see how that affects other parts of the swing downstream.

The image you posted was from a previous swing.... in the updated video the elbow isn’t nearly as high.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Sep 29, 2008
1,401
63
Northeast Ohio
The image you posted was from a previous swing.... in the updated video the elbow isn’t nearly as high.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thx. Good, Missed that but I will check that out. Still a good isolated image to learn from. It was created at least in part by the extreme counter-rotation of the top hand.
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
Jan 28, 2017
1,661
83
FiveFrameSwing your power-vee is basically keep your hands above the ball, asking? Like the visual if I'm correct. Saw a MLB scout video say he does a good job getting his rear elbow under his hands. Same thing. I don't remember who doing the video.
 
May 30, 2013
1,442
83
Binghamton, NY
Thanks All for this most recent round of comments - they are appreciated...

What have we worked on since the last clips posted?
Mostly volleyball. I just posfed an update to hopefully generate some new interest and insight
Now that HS volleyball season is over, we have about the next 3 months to make improvements to her swing. We will workout 2-3x per week indoors during that time. Ready to break down the swing and build back up. Suggestions here are very helpful.

I agree she is “on” the front leg vs resisting “against” the front leg. Not sure how to correct. I imagine this current state is the result of an over correction to get her to use her core/legs. Before the open stance, she had difficulty with weght transfer, getting off her back foot, getting her hips turned. Perhaps experimenting with a traditional stance again might be worthwhile?

I am leary of the suggestion to try the “hop drill” only because she also had issues in the past with a negative move that got her weight back behind/beyond her back knee and also upper body counter rotation. And an all back/all forward type swing. I would worry this drill would re-encourage that?

to say she will “struggle” with current swing is certainly taken to heart, but she actually does pretty well. hit decent avg and power last HS/18U travel season as a freshman, .380 11HR. But i do realize there are issues to address and thise numbers can potentially be significantly improved this coming season with some good work.
 
Feb 16, 2015
933
43
South East
Thanks All for this most recent round of comments - they are appreciated...

What have we worked on since the last clips posted?
Mostly volleyball. I just posfed an update to hopefully generate some new interest and insight
Now that HS volleyball season is over, we have about the next 3 months to make improvements to her swing. We will workout 2-3x per week indoors during that time. Ready to break down the swing and build back up. Suggestions here are very helpful.

I agree she is “on” the front leg vs resisting “against” the front leg. Not sure how to correct. I imagine this current state is the result of an over correction to get her to use her core/legs. Before the open stance, she had difficulty with weght transfer, getting off her back foot, getting her hips turned. Perhaps experimenting with a traditional stance again might be worthwhile?

I am leary of the suggestion to try the “hop drill” only because she also had issues in the past with a negative move that got her weight back behind/beyond her back knee and also upper body counter rotation. And an all back/all forward type swing. I would worry this drill would re-encourage that?

to say she will “struggle” with current swing is certainly taken to heart, but she actually does pretty well. hit decent avg and power last HS/18U travel season as a freshman, .380 11HR. But i do realize there are issues to address and thise numbers can potentially be significantly improved this coming season with some good work.


I thought the following was a very good post....

WEEEEE, the old 1-legged 2-legged debate surfaces again.
I, like FPS, am not a fan of the terms because they generally fall into the viewers own depiction of how they move "their" body.
For instance, 1 hitter might not get forward at all, they never get off the backside at all in their swing. They might be told to get forward, or move forward.. Another hitter might get too far forward, too early and will be told to stay back. Does it really have anything to do with whether 1 leg or 2 legs are being used? NO! It's a check point used to identify a deeper usage/engagement of the core to control the bodies movement forward.
The hitter needs to move the bodies weight into an area that is neither back nor forward but is in the middle of the 2. And in that "middle" a hitter can find freedom to move more efficiently. It's a scary place for most because the hitter loses control as they have known it. But finding a new comfort zone in a new place takes courage and practice. It also takes an instructor that knows how to get a hitter out of their comfort zone.
And for those reading here trying to figure what the heck people are talking about..... YOU need to figure it out for yourself before you try to relate to any hitter you may work with. It may be as easy as stepping off a curb/ or not stepping off a curb. You know, that place where you partly committed your body to stepping off the curb but part of you is still committed to not stepping off the curb. how far off the curb can you go without committing all your weight to road and how long can you stay in that area where your weight is somewhere between on the curb and on the road. What would you do if you suddenly had to pull yourself back onto the curb or at least not continue forward into the road because a car is coming fast. Good luck.


My daughter has also suffered from shifting onto the front leg instead of staying behind it. Since working with my DD on the problem the post above makes a lot of since to me. Ultimately she needs to figure out how to use her core.
 
Last edited:
Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania

Your DD looks to be very athletic and explosive. And based on her statistics, I wouldn't want to make too many changes for fear of losing what she currently has. That said, there is always room for improvement, and you seem to be aware of that. I would suggest some simple changes.

1) I would take a look at her grip. Specifically with her top hand (right hand). Personally I like to have the grip more within the fingers. But it seems like she is holding it more within her palm. That change alone will change some of the angles with her wrists and elbows. My DD struggled with a similar issue and couldn't get comfortable with a finger type grip, so I ordered her a ProHitter's Thumb Guard (some refer to it as Direct Protect). Honestly, thinking about all the softball related money we have spent over the years, this was probably the best $10 I ever spent. The hitter in the still picture below has one on his left thumb.
2) I can't help but notice the exaggerated toe in stance with her rear foot. Is that comfortable for her? Honestly I have never been a huge fan of the toed in stance, but I know some people really like it. If it is comfortable for her, go for it. But I would probably experiment with some other angles and see what she likes best.
3) Continue to focus on separation. The rear arm usage looks a little better than previous videos, but there is still some sequencing work that needs to be done. Red line on the Bonds gif below...

Best of luck!

Ocaf3WT.png


rSSrKVO.gif
 
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
Thanks All for this most recent round of comments - they are appreciated...

What have we worked on since the last clips posted?
Mostly volleyball. I just posfed an update to hopefully generate some new interest and insight
Now that HS volleyball season is over, we have about the next 3 months to make improvements to her swing. We will workout 2-3x per week indoors during that time. Ready to break down the swing and build back up. Suggestions here are very helpful.

I agree she is “on” the front leg vs resisting “against” the front leg. Not sure how to correct. I imagine this current state is the result of an over correction to get her to use her core/legs. Before the open stance, she had difficulty with weght transfer, getting off her back foot, getting her hips turned. Perhaps experimenting with a traditional stance again might be worthwhile?

I am leary of the suggestion to try the “hop drill” only because she also had issues in the past with a negative move that got her weight back behind/beyond her back knee and also upper body counter rotation. And an all back/all forward type swing. I would worry this drill would re-encourage that?

to say she will “struggle” with current swing is certainly taken to heart, but she actually does pretty well. hit decent avg and power last HS/18U travel season as a freshman, .380 11HR. But i do realize there are issues to address and thise numbers can potentially be significantly improved this coming season with some good work.

https://youtu.be/txrucZmEPPE

This is a milder version.

Learning how to ‘get back’ is missing in your DDs swing. So much so that she uses her hands to ‘get back’.

When the body is moving, instinctively it searches for balance. She is using her hands to balance out her movements. Since there’s no weight ‘back’ or in reserve, her hands go up really high to compensate for the balance she’s missing.

When doing a ‘step back’ drill. The whole focus is on feeling ‘back’ or balanced in space until your ready to swing. It’s a feel thing that your DD will have to work on.
I like to say. ‘Stretch your rubber band forward(body)... release the back side when you swing.’ While doing a step back drill. That’s how I teach a kid to feel their weight within their swing. It’s a basic drill.

I believe the entire exaggerated upper body load others are seeing is from being unbalanced from the beginning of her sequence. Due to the weight never being ‘back’. Keep working! Good luck!
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
FiveFrameSwing your power-vee is basically keep your hands above the ball, asking? Like the visual if I'm correct. Saw a MLB scout video say he does a good job getting his rear elbow under his hands. Same thing. I don't remember who doing the video.

A mentality of keeping the top hand above the ball is what I mean by "attack from the top".
 

Latest posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,468
Members
21,443
Latest member
sstop28
Top