PVC pipe “wall”.

[Spartans21]

. "Put the bat in your neckslot and keep your hands near your arm pit area. From here, turn the barrel perpendicular to your rear forearm. Nothing else allowed. Just turn it. Knob up. Torque the handle. Work the barrel under your hands."

I have asked in another thread how to teach, where to start, a brand new beginner how to hit.( or maybe a girl that has had no formal instruction) This ^^^^^^ which may sound like advanced hitting advice may actually be where to begin. You would get a lot of raised eyebrows from parents and other coaches for sure.

Raised eye brows for sure! First comment when player goes to practice is usually "Get the bat off of your shoulder"

But yes I start with this sequence whether it be a 7 year old who is just getting started or a college kid who pushes the barrel.....

I'm a big fan of keeping it very simple for kids. I use the least amount of big words as possible. I use tons of cues until one sticks to get the kid to feel what I am after.

 

[Westwind]

When first starting with the wall with a kid we usually take some swings without striding, at less than 100% effort. I have them get into an athletic position, rest the bat on their trap/shoulder, point the knob in line with the ball. Now I ask them to "turn the knob upwards" or "slice the ball in half with the knob". I feel like if the knob initially goes towards the ball or downwards, you are going to have problems with the wall later in the swing. Biggest thing for me with this drill is focusing on what the knob does. If the knob initially begins turning, so will the barrel, and the wall shouldn't have an effect on the swing.

Put the bat in your neckslot and keep your hands near your arm pit area. From here, turn the barrel perpendicular to your rear forearm. Nothing else allowed. Just turn it. Knob up. Torque the handle. Work the barrel under your hands.....

Spartans21, this is really good. I have always struggled with what “ttb” looks like. I just used the wall with a hitter and could really see it when she turned the barrel. This hitter has made amazing progress since the end of summer and I feel like she made a ton of progress in one session this afternoon. She was smoking machine pitching when we talked about keeping her barrel angle the same as hitting with the fence when she’s hitting machine pitching. She then completely broke the barrel of her bat in half on front toss. Might be a coincidence but I could tell she was hitting the ball harder. Thank you for several very good posts, I have not learned so much in a long time.

 

[rdbass]

 

[Westwind]

That’s all great stuff.

I’ll add this: I know a freshman in SEC that was built primarily on self toss, neck swings and front toss. I’m sure there is more but those are the three really big components.

 

[Spartans21]

Spartans21, this is really good. I have always struggled with what “ttb” looks like. I just used the wall with a hitter and could really see it when she turned the barrel. This hitter has made amazing progress since the end of summer and I feel like she made a ton of progress in one session this afternoon. She was smoking machine pitching when we talked about keeping her barrel angle the same as hitting with the fence when she’s hitting machine pitching. She then completely broke the barrel of her bat in half on front toss. Might be a coincidence but I could tell she was hitting the ball harder. Thank you for several very good posts, I have not learned so much in a long time.

WW,

Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad this helped you. I love talking hitting and helping kids, that's what it's all about!

Everything I post about I learned and continue to learn from others. I'm really passionate about this hitting philosophy. I learned it, did it myself, and implemented it with hundreds of others. Over the last few years, dozens of people around the country have found ways to teach it even more efficiently.

If I can help you at all feel free to reach out.

Good luck!

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

WW,

Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad this helped you. I love talking hitting and helping kids, that's what it's all about!

Everything I post about I learned and continue to learn from others. I'm really passionate about this hitting philosophy. I learned it, did it myself, and implemented it with hundreds of others. Over the last few years, dozens of people around the country have found ways to teach it even more efficiently.

If I can help you at all feel free to reach out.

Good luck!

I love the passion!

 

[Westwind]

http://[URL=http://s1279.photobucket.com/user/thulenc11/media/E185CA84-C5F8-408D-9C4A-74BF8A784D6A_zpsdmkwevem.jpg.html] [/URL]

Tried to post a pic earlier and it wouldn’t work.

 

[cvsoftball]

ok, I've been following this and I would give it a try. what are the distances between tee and wall, vertical and horizontal? do they remain constant? thanks.

 

[Spartans21]

ok, I've been following this and I would give it a try. what are the distances between tee and wall, vertical and horizontal? do they remain constant? thanks.

I place the tee even with the edge of the legs. So approx 12 inches away from the wall. I usually keep the tanner tee at its lowest setting.

 

[cvsoftball]

I place the tee even with the edge of the legs. So approx 12 inches away from the wall. I usually keep the tanner tee at its lowest setting.

ok, so the wall is fixed as far as height goes? looks like tee is placed in the middle and you're saying app 12" away. also looks like we're not concerned where the pitch is but only with swing mechanics? sorry for all the questions but every third person in my area is a hitting instructor and they're not going to get this. fwiw, I tell my girls I don't care if they're in the box upside down with one hand behind their back as long as they're consistently getting on base.