12yo Maddie

Shawn said:

EricF you daughter looked a little stiff, no preswing or pre load rythym with the body. She has a little hands and bat movement, just no body rythym. I like the weighting of the front leg while ready to load the back hip.

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Her current routine is kind of a settling in process. When she steps into the box, she does some rocking back and forth between her feet, which kind of rolls up to her bat. After a few bat waggles, she settles her hands as the pitch is being delivered. Her routine has varied over time, and I generally don't get in the way of it. She tells me she feels relaxed and focused, which are pretty important things. I agree that a little more dynamic loading would probably be good for her. I will try to work that in as part of the adjustments to how she is loading her rear leg/hip on the FBC.

I don't know maybe I'm just different but I would not micro manage every aspect of her swing. She can handle the bat and is having success. I don't think there is a need to change her stance, loading, rhythm, etc. I feel like alot of these suggestions are stylistic, not necessarily cornerstones in all high level swings..........I'm a fan of installing the two engines. Learn how to sync them up. Fine tune the system. I think these would feel like minor changes to her, not a complete overhaul......

Spartans21 said:

I don't know maybe I'm just different but I would not micro manage every aspect of her swing. She can handle the bat and is having success. I don't think there is a need to change her stance, loading, rhythm, etc. I feel like alot of these suggestions are stylistic, not necessarily cornerstones in all high level swings..........I'm a fan of installing the two engines. Learn how to sync them up. Fine tune the system. I think these would feel like minor changes to her, not a complete overhaul......

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Trust me on this...I'm not overhauling anything. The consistency with which she is driving the ball hard is too good to mess with in a significant way, and her building confidence with success is equally as important as the mechanical aspects. I've also gotten away from nit-picking every little thing. That was a mistake I made early on with her, and it wasn't good for either of us. Much of what Shawn is talking about are things that Maddie and I have discussed during her journey, so they aren't foreign concepts to her. Items such as improving the loading of her rear hip/leg are small adjustments that will get made as her swing continues to evolve. Introducing a little bit more rhythm and flow ("dance with the pitcher") to her pre-swing setup is also a small adjustment. These are the kind of things that get mentioned in a "give this a try" kind of way, and not necessarily at the same time.

I got ya.......I just feel like adjusting all different surface issues aren't going to do much if the engines don't change. You've done a nice job so far, best of luck moving forward!

Spartans21 said:

I got ya.......I just feel like adjusting all different surface issues aren't going to do much if the engines don't change. You've done a nice job so far, best of luck moving forward!

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I see these issues as fine-tuning the engines, or adjustments to the sync between the engines. Overall, I think she is pretty close to where we are trying to get to in a lot of areas. We're to the point of squeezing out the top few percent. Thanks for the input and support.

As much as anything, this is all about discussing the details of hitting mechanics. Can Maddie improve? Sure. Am I going to rush out and do an intense series of hitting sessions to incorporate everything discussed here? Nope. The input is great. The discussion is great. Having other eyes - more knowledgeable than my own - seeing things I don't, is very helpful for my own development as a student of the swing. Some things make sense (to me) to adjust. Some things I'm still trying to sort out in my own head before I can attempt to introduce them as another adjustment.

Eric F said:

I see these issues as fine-tuning the engines, or adjustments to the sync between the engines. Overall, I think she is pretty close to where we are trying to get to in a lot of areas. We're to the point of squeezing out the top few percent. Thanks for the input and support.

As much as anything, this is all about discussing the details of hitting mechanics. Can Maddie improve? Sure. Am I going to rush out and do an intense series of hitting sessions to incorporate everything discussed here? Nope. The input is great. The discussion is great. Having other eyes - more knowledgeable than my own - seeing things I don't, is very helpful for my own development as a student of the swing. Some things make sense (to me) to adjust. Some things I'm still trying to sort out in my own head before I can attempt to introduce them as another adjustment.

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IMO, she's at the point where her swing has surpassed the last clip I recall seeing of your swing! Not just for kicks, why don't you switch roles for the next week or two and have her help you to try to improve your swing. I'd expect that she'd not only get a big kick out of it, but it would help her improve her understanding of what she's trying to accomplish. IME, teaching someone else requires a deeper understanding than just knowing how to do something yourself.

I showed Maddie this clip this morning (I love this one)...


I started talking about how the hands are being pulled back as the rear hip and knee are turning forward. I got a sigh, an eye-roll, and an "I know." My mention of being able to hit the ball even harder and farther than she already is didn't get her attention. Such is the magic of the daddy-DD teaching dynamic. I will try again another day.

Check out the back knee while the hips load and then unload.

Eric F said:

I showed Maddie this clip this morning (I love this one)...

I started talking about how the hands are being pulled back as the rear hip and knee are turning forward. I got a sigh, an eye-roll, and an "I know." My mention of being able to hit the ball even harder and farther than she already is didn't get her attention. Such is the magic of the daddy-DD teaching dynamic. I will try again another day.

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Try to explain it as the loading. Your not fully loaded until the hips start to open.

Perfect Circle said:

We all see she is going to play college ball...

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Word..........