DD at a lesson

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

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

Jan 6, 2009
6,591
113
Chehalis, Wa
The bat is outta plane for along time. The hands are on plane for along time. You are saying to dump/release the barrel early which makes the swing non-adjustable. Kendrick doesn’t plane the barrel early. Hottest hitter in the playoffs. Maybe Altuve is hotter.



This must be an inside pitch. He is getting the hands out front and around his body to make contact out front.
 
May 30, 2013
1,442
83
Binghamton, NY
Try this for yourself...Retract your scap. Now turn your shoulders. Your hands have no choice but to go along for the ride. They are CONNECTED. Now, let go of the scap tension. Your hands are now free to roam around the cabin. How will you get the power being generated in the torso to the bat if there's a flexible connection between them?

one word of caution: most young girls I know are very literal in how they apply the concepts you are attempting to teach.
My own experience with DD was that when we first started to work on better swing mechanics,
she got to where she was "connected" but maintained the box (quite rigidly) throughout the entire swing. Never got any extension,
partially, becasue she was so rigid and "connected". and once that movement pattern was baked-in, it was very hard to get her to "loosen-up" the latter part of her swing.

Like Eric has already noted: the swing is dynamic. Over-bake one aspect and you likely ruin others.
Most Dad's are interested in Fool's Gold: a quick fix to solve all problems and start jacking HR's and hit .400+.
Well, It ain't that easy for most, and takes lots of well-guided reps.
Rushing the process can take an athletic kid and turn her into a confused automaton.
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
one word of caution: most young girls I know are very literal in how they apply the concepts you are attempting to teach.
My own experience with DD was that when we first started to work on better swing mechanics,
she got to where she was "connected" but maintained the box (quite rigidly) throughout the entire swing. Never got any extension,
partially, becasue she was so rigid and "connected". and once that movement pattern was baked-in, it was very hard to get her to "loosen-up" the latter part of her swing.

Like Eric has already noted: the swing is dynamic. Over-bake one aspect and you likely ruin others.
Most Dad's are interested in Fool's Gold: a quick fix to solve all problems and start jacking HR's and hit .400+.
Well, It ain't that easy for most, and takes lots of well-guided reps.
Rushing the process can take an athletic kid and turn her into a confused automaton.

Very good advice, corlay. (y) (y)
 
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
Ok I’m getting somewhere. She’s doing something ok. Lmao.
Can you explain a little depth the foot reach and the scap retract.
I thought the elbow is supposed to go straight back toward her back. Which I thought she did. Or is it the timing of it. As far as the foot reach I’m not sure what you mean.
Also, I do see her left elbow should be higher. Tends to drop around contact. Are we in sink there?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Compare this to your dd. Notice his belly button go forward BEFORE he strides. It’s subtle but needed. Notice the hands are in a relaxed state at this point. Once the belly button advances, the hands and stride react to this AFTER the forward move was initiated. A few call it a ‘sequence of balanced actions’. That’s a good description.

To maintain a good level of balance during the forward move posture will need to be maintained... Notice the posture change from stance to initiation of the forward move? That’s the posture that needs to be maintained into swing launch. You can try a ‘nose over toes’ cue during the load phase and ask her to maintain that posture through launch. That’s what the Trout gif was showing.
 
Nov 8, 2018
774
63
Keep in mind that the swing works out from the rear shoulder, not around the torso. This was a huge revelation to me the first time I understood it.

Look at any good hitter. Watch the location of their hands in relation to their body. It is not until well after contact that the hands cross the centerline of the body in front of the chest. The entire swing happens on the right side of the body, working out from the rear shoulder.

Yeah. These are tough concepts. I’ll get it eventually.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
As EricF stated. Go slow. One thing at a time. Understand it. Master it. Move to the next thing. I would start with the gather/load if I were you. Key on it. Dont worry about the quality of hits. Worry about moving the mass without giving up balance and maintaining posture.
 
Jan 6, 2009
6,591
113
Chehalis, Wa
For sure. Notice the late release of the barrel. I would say his hands are still on the right side of his body. Not around his body. Jmo.

I appreciate your views on the swing. When I say around his body. I meant the hands have to get toward the center of the chest on an inside pitch. They might still on the right side of his body, only they get toward the center of his body on an inside pitch location.
 
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
Nobody is promoting a purely rotational motion of the hand without any translation in space. At least nobody who has ever seen a person swing at a moving ball (not demonstrations of somebody teaching a person how to torque the handle in dry swings or swings off of a tee).

LOL. State something with a disclaimer is a bit inefficient. Yes? :LOL:

The hands move forward in space (translated) in a manner which you describe ("planing") WHILE a moment is being applied to the handle in order to provide rotational motion of the barrel. The "how" of said moment is open for discussion e.g. whether it is due to a reaction to a core pulling plus force into the handle via hands/forearms ("torquing the handle") or just a reaction to a pulling core as some subscribe to. Turn it forward or turn it to the ball.

I see it as the core pulls the hands and the hands pull the bat. In laymen’s terms. The barrel is released on the tightest arc possible to be short to and long through.

Kids typically need help with 2 or 3 things depending on your view of the above moment applied to the handle. The correct planing of the hands (e.g. don't drop the hands to the level of the ball), the proper use of the core to aid in an efficient barrel turn (e.g. producing the correct of amount of body tension/stretch/resistance via proper sequencing and balance) and how to torque the handle (if you think that is part of an efficient barrel turn. ) Or said in another way, most kids need help with everything :LOL:

Very true. But most of the things kids need are balance and sequence imo. The hands aren’t as big a problem when the body/balance is right.
 
Nov 8, 2018
774
63
As EricF stated. Go slow. One thing at a time. Understand it. Master it. Move to the next thing. I would start with the gather/load if I were you. Key on it. Dont worry about the quality of hits. Worry about moving the mass without giving up balance and maintaining posture.

Posture is big for her. Tends to stand up during swing. I’ll focus there and retract and stride.
Thanks for the advice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,478
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top