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Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
View attachment 14214

The gif on the right (which is still circular, albeit a bigger circle) is a demo swing of someone lunging onto their front foot. I've never seen anyone teach lunging.

Can you show me an overhead video of an MLB player using a straight hand path on a normal swing? I know most people imagine that it happens, but it's like Big Foot. Of course people reach for balls all the time, but I don't think I've seen anyone teach that method of swinging. One doesn't need to learn to reach, you need to learn how to swing properly.
Example_CurvedHandPath_PeteRose_001.JPG

The point of the ‘straight’ cue is to stay loonngg through the zone.To hit in a ‘big zone’. The curved path would be a late adjustment to a pitch and is less optimal. If you believe the barrel follows the hands. Then this isn’t something that would be questioned.

The best try to keep a straight line to any pitch which serves the purpose of efficiency in both time and space. Take the young lady analyzed the other day with the leaky back arm. Her path was a bit long and around. Less efficient in time and space. Make sense?

On time:


Late adjustment, less optimal:
 
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Apr 2, 2015
1,198
113
Woodstock, man
The right way to stay 'long through the zone' is to use the correct bat 'attack angle'. Swing in the plane of the pitch. This has been known since Ted's book in the 1970s.


hitting-ted-williams-swing-plane.jpg


There are two wrong ways, which are still taught unfortunately.

1) Swing down, or flat (see above). Dads, are you hitting balls straight into the L screen (flat)? Or just over the L screen (6-10 degrees)?

2) The other wrong way is to push your hands forward after hip slot (elbow at hip), thereby keeping the bat head in a lag position, and preventing the bat head from getting even with the hands. If your hands go with the torso (around), then the bat head will go on it's merry way past the hands.

This slows down the bat head, makes it harder to hit balls hard that are deeper toward the catcher, and increases chances of popups since the bat head is lower, and generally results in oppo IF dribblers .
 
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May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
If you believe the barrel follows the hands...

I think this is where things are going wonky (IMO).

The hands are the center point for the rotation of the barrel, and the barrel's path is affected by the path of the hands, but in a high-level swing, we don't see the barrel following the same path as the hands. The hands may take a downward path from launch to contact, but the barrel pivoting around the hands turns down before coming up through contact. We have seen countless examples of this.
 
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
The mystery is how the hands whip the barrel. That’s what has people scratching their heads.

If the Ryan Braun drill is done with the right intent. The barrel becomes whipped.


Then it’s just matter of adjusting the U of the swing arc and learning how or more importantly when to release the barrel.

The whip(loading) is attained when the hands seek direction to the pitch and go forward.Its blended together. (Swing launch)


By this time the core is already pulling which creates leverage for the hands. It’s a sequence. In turn the hands create leverage for the bat to be whipped.

Swinging in a direction creates the whip.Maintaining the ‘U’ and attacking from the top creates a short path to the ball.
 
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
The right way to stay 'long through the zone' is to use the correct bat 'attack angle'. Swing in the plane of the pitch. This has been known since Ted's book in the 1970s.


hitting-ted-williams-swing-plane.jpg


There are two wrong ways, which are still taught unfortunately.

1) Swing down, or flat (see above). Dads, are you hitting balls straight into the L screen (flat)? Or just over the L screen (6-10 degrees)?

2) The other wrong way is to push your hands forward after hip slot (elbow at hip), thereby keeping the bat head in a lag position, and preventing the bat head from getting even with the hands. If your hands go with the torso (around), then the bat head will go on it's merry way past the hands.

This slows down the bat head, makes it harder to hit balls hard that are deeper toward the catcher, and increases chances of popups since the bat head is lower, and generally results in oppo IF dribblers .
There is more then one plane to satisfy here. Don’t ignore ‘east’ and west’.


Since the swing is ALWAYS ‘down to’ you must stay ‘on top’ or if you like the hands need to ‘stay above’ the ball. Which will create your ‘up through’ without an ‘up through’ mentality. Reality being your still ‘down to’ either way. :)

Agree. The hands can’t come forward with the core. That’s a push.
 
Apr 2, 2015
1,198
113
Woodstock, man
Ryan Braun is very lucky that his actual swing is nothing like his practice swing. :)

This is why it's important to always use the Hanson Principle, verify against video of what the best actually do in games.
 
Last edited:
May 12, 2016
4,338
113
Ryan Braun is very lucky that his actual swing is nothing like his practice swing. :)

This is why it's important to always use the Hanson Principle, verify against video of what the best actually do in games.
So all these guys practice/approach incorrectly, yet end up with the game swing they have?
 

TDS

Mar 11, 2010
2,926
113
Ryan Braun is very lucky that his actual swing is nothing like his practice swing. :)

This is why it's important to always use the Hanson Principle, verify against video of what the best actually do in games.

We know this is misinterpreted as well since some claim a match when video and movements don't match.
 
Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania
I did not realize we were giving advice for reaching for pitches that are off the outside of the plate. But carry on.
So all these guys practice/approach incorrectly, yet end up with the game swing they have?

Feel vs. Real. The problem is that many young athletes cannot determine the difference. Worse yet, some of the people trying to instruct them also cannot tell the difference. The result is hitters that never reach their potential.
 
May 12, 2016
4,338
113
Personally I don't understand why a guy goes through these sequences day in, day out for no reason whatsoever.. if the practice swings are so vastly different than game swings, why practice like that? Practice your game swing... Just another ignorant Pro I guess
 

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