Keeping shoulder in/not flying open

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Oct 2, 2017
2,283
113
Hi guys,

I'm looking for drills to help my Daughter keep her shoulders from flying open to early. I thought maybe you guys could help, like you have with so many other things.
 
Nov 18, 2015
1,585
113
Look at some of Justin Stone’s videos - he often talks about how the front shoulder flying open can be a result of not pulling back properly with the rear scap. Not saying the rear scap is the missing link to every swing flaw, but figuring out how to use it better has definitely added distance to my golf game (I now have to walk further into the woods to find my sliced tee shots!)


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Apr 20, 2018
4,581
113
SoCal
"flying open to early" You want it flying open but just at the right time. Timing the torso engine to synchronize with the hand engine and have the bat impact the moving ball. It ain't that easy. When doing front toss vary the distance of the toss every 3 or 4 tossed.
 
Oct 13, 2017
63
8
Our hitting instructor has them break the swingup into 2 steps for this. First they stride and start the body rotation then freeze. Frome there he has them pull their hands back or "reset their hands", then finish the swing.
 
Apr 20, 2018
4,581
113
SoCal
Our hitting instructor has them break the swingup into 2 steps for this. First they stride and start the body rotation then freeze. Frome there he has them pull their hands back or "reset their hands", then finish the swing.

get a new hitting instructor. LOL

I would guess he is trying to have them feel a stretch, coil, X factor.
 
Jan 6, 2009
6,588
113
Chehalis, Wa
Hi guys,

I'm looking for drills to help my Daughter keep her shoulders from flying open to early. I thought maybe you guys could help, like you have with so many other things.

While preparing to swing, or striding let the front shoulder move down and in slightly (let the front shoulder move inside the front hip). You should create an attack angle with the shoulders, a downward angle at the launch position. You can practice getting into the lunch position.

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Last edited:
Feb 16, 2015
933
43
South East
IMO teach her to swing the bat with her hands.... IME when someones shoulders fly open early it is because their back arm (elbow) is stuck due to their loading pattern. Which causes them to swing around the body/spine. IMO the act of throwing the barrel should be what causes the shoulders to open/rotate and shouldn't be active but passive.
 
Last edited:
Mar 1, 2016
195
18
I don’t know about all the technical, rear scap, turn barrel stuff, but when my DD’s have a tendency to fly open early, they get reminded of what their hitting instructor told them early on. Power comes from the back side. Keep the back side strong and use the top hand to generate bat speed. It’s when hitters collapse down the back side and try to pull the bat through the zone with the hand closest to the knob that the front side flies open too early and all power disappears.

As far as a drill to fix it.... We use one handed drills with a lighter bat. We saved one of the old 24-12 tee ball bats for this purpose. Tuck the front hand under the back armpit and start banging balls off the tee. The girls hate it at first because it forces them back into the right swing, but it doesn’t take long to settle back in. After a bucket or two of this, they’re back to crushing line drives.

Am I an expert? No, but this stuff works for us. Maybe it might help someone else, too.


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