Hitting Questions?

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

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

May 12, 2008
2,210
0
This leads me to believe that the unhinging of the back elbow into contact is something that naturally occurs and is virtually impossible to do incorrectly if the beginning of the swing is performed correctly.
.

Yes. The further into a swing inefficiencies happen, the less important they are.
 
May 12, 2008
2,210
0
Board,

Looking at her frame by frame I'd say from heel plant to lag the arms, shoulders and bat maintain roughly the same geometry. What do you see during those frames?
 
May 27, 2008
106
0
Indiana
Yes, Mark, good luck, good luck, I know. That Tom is one of the most dangerous independents in terms of swing development is, well, laughable.

John,

The left turn you speak of I see in a lot of kids. Benji shows great upper body mechanics in the clip. What I particularly like is her using her hands and arms to quickly get the hands flat and into the swing path. The elbows quickly change positions with the top elbow working up to allow the hands to get into the palm up/palm down position. And I see a lot of top hand/arm emphasis in her swing to create the whip from the get-go.

I particularly like and use the "hit the inside seam" tee drill that Donny Buster use to talk frequently about. Really promotes finishing through the ball up the middle and oppo. Just worked on this with some players at the new HS I'm now coaching at.

Mike
 
Jul 14, 2008
1,798
63
Board,

Looking at her frame by frame I'd say from heel plant to lag the arms, shoulders and bat maintain roughly the same geometry. What do you see during those frames?

Yep. Maintian the box from launch to lag. That's been my method.....

Without going into a bunch of scientific pontification, there is a reason this should be achieved.

Understanding the we are using angular acceleration to impart the highest eventual directional force of the collision, there IS a point at which the hands MUST "jump off" the centerpidal forces to change the vector of angular momentum.

If we think about how important it is to adjust to the location of the impending collision, yet still impart the MOST momentum into the collsion, we can understand the reason for the shape of the track ball or "Jai-Alai" racket.

imagegen


The ball starts at the inner most position of the racket. As the racket is "whipped", the ball eventually leaves the internal curvature, towards a new vector.

The angular acceleration of the physics of the "confined curve" eventually accelerates the force directionally.

When we hit, we hold the hands at the inner most part if the curve. But eventually, we need to direct that force toward the impending collsion.

So we USE angular momentum, and angular acceleration in the most efficient manner to impart that force directionally toward the collision........

There is a reason why virtuall ALL good swings show extension of the bottom arm into contact.........
 
Sep 29, 2008
1,399
63
Northeast Ohio
I've heard this Merry Go Round illustration before. Does that mean you are rotating around a center axis and then as you turn to the point of contact you redirect the bat until contact? Or what?
 
Jan 14, 2009
1,590
0
Atlanta, Georgia
I've heard this Merry Go Round illustration before. Does that mean you are rotating around a center axis and then as you turn to the point of contact you redirect the bat until contact? Or what?

Yes, I would describe it as rotating around a center axis. No, I would not describe getting off the Merry Go Round as a redirection of the bat.

Others may disagree with me, but IMO once you get close to the point of contact, the swing is pretty much on autopilot and things just happen naturally.

Getting off the Merry GO Round just means that the hitter needs to follow through contact and into the power "V" position. Again, the extension of the arms into the power "V" position is a result of a proper and powerful swing and should naturally occur.

"Short to the ball" and "Long through the ball" is another way to descibe the same thing.

I would be careful using terms like "redirecting the bat" or anything else that a hitter could associate with using more hands or arms. I'm paranoid about using any terms that could lead the hitter to think that they need to get their hands or arms more involved in the swing.

I've trained myself to the point where I don't think I ever use the words arms or hands when I teach. I try to be very specific i.e., top knuckles, bottom knuckles, back elbow, lead elbow etc.
 
May 12, 2008
2,210
0
Yes, I would describe it as rotating around a center axis. No, I would not describe getting off the Merry Go Round as a redirection of the bat.

Others may disagree with me, but IMO once you get close to the point of contact, the swing is pretty much on autopilot and things just happen naturally.

.

I agree with that. The later the problem the less important.

When I say get off the merry go round I'm talking about a transfer of the body's rotating momentum into the bat creating whip.
 
May 7, 2008
950
0
San Rafael, Ca
Nice example from BM of similar loading in throwing overhand and swinging:

Baseball Fever - View Single Post - Fundamental Swing Q&As


I like the step behind with the back/posting foot to encourage getting closed/sideways like this infielder does.

The main thing she needs to work on in throwing is getting more closed and getting/keeping the front shoulder up more while keeping the lead arm better INternally rotated as/after the stride foot comes down.

Improving throwing arm action will likewise improve sequence in swinging.
 

Latest posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
42,865
Messages
680,327
Members
21,523
Latest member
Brkou812
Top