Stretch & Fire Success!

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Jul 10, 2008
380
18
Central PA
I used the SnF drill for the first time tonight and boy, was it impressive. The girls were talking about how much stronger they felt, and the ball really popped off the bat. We hit into a big vinyl screen, and it sounded like the 1812 Overture.

Tips for newbies like me: if the hitters don't bend their inside knee and get over their inside knee, they won't be able to coil as much. Also, the tendency at first is to swing around their bodies (MTS was right on with both of those warnings), so I had to demonstrate going "out" from their bodies to get stronger (go "through it" not "around it"). I told them to use their outside foot to catch them as they fell forward.

We then hit straight away on tees up the middle, and you could tell the difference. I can't wait to see what this will do after we're at it a while and the girls build that muscle memory. I'm sold.
 
Last edited:
Dec 5, 2012
4,143
63
Mid West
I too teach the stretch and fire... but for some reason I have a few girls who will release the barrel too soon with her hands at the belly button area instead of out in front and they are hitting around the ball. I'm looking for drill suggestions to get the hands further out in front before the barrel whip???
 
R

RayR

Guest
Coach James - you have to turn the barrel rearward to get behind the rear leg....if they are releasing the barrel too soon they either A) pushing their hands forward to start the swing or B) Slotting the elbow first (externally rotating the rear upper arm) but a video would help.

I would have them also work on rear leg swings to get used to swinging behind the rear leg and reverse top hands....
 
Aug 1, 2008
2,314
63
ohio
You guys ought to post some video of the drill.

On a side note: I bet Teacherman is overjoyed with you doing his drill ;)



SL
 
Aug 1, 2008
2,314
63
ohio
I used the SnF drill for the first time tonight and boy, was it impressive. The girls were talking about how much stronger they felt, and the ball really popped off the bat. We hit into a big vinyl screen, and it sounded like the 1812 Overture.

Tips for newbies like me: if the hitters don't bend their inside knee and get over their inside knee, they won't be able to coil as much. Also, the tendency at first is to swing around their bodies (MTS was right on with both of those warnings), so I had to demonstrate going "out" from their bodies to get stronger (go "through it" not "around it"). I told them to use their outside foot to catch them as they fell forward.

We then hit straight away on tees up the middle, and you could tell the difference. I can't wait to see what this will do after we're at it a while and the girls build that muscle memory. I'm sold.


From a teaching point of view
So what are your goals with this?
What improvement do you want to get out of this?



SL
 
Jul 10, 2008
380
18
Central PA
From a teaching point of view
So what are your goals with this?
What improvement do you want to get out of this?



SL

SL, I'm a stickler for mechanics, and even when girls have a good load mechanics (I've used Team USA's/Candrea's stuff forever), get on plane, stay inside the ball, etc., they sometimes lack that "pop" that I see other girls have. My thinking has been it's in the transfer from the load to toe touch, and the way I approached it was the only way I knew to do it: Have them "sit" heavier in inside of their back leg during load and stride a bit longer into toe touch. That still wasn't giving me what I thought they should have, and I was getting frustrated, and started blaming player genetics - I couldn't think of what else to do.

Then when I started following the evolution of the "Critique/Help Series of Swings" thread, what I saw in the gifs (especially crankermo's daughter) and was reading about made a lot of sense. I'm always willing to try new stuff, so I used it in practice. A side benefit has been through the discussion on SnF, I finally understand turning the barrel/early rearward launch. It was an eye-opener.
 
R

RayR

Guest
Mountie - resistance is the key to getting that extra "oomph" you are looking for and the SnF drill from HI is a good one to learn to get it....using brute strength to rotate the hips and staying connected is very inefficient...and slow...
 

redhotcoach

Out on good behavior
May 8, 2009
4,706
38
You guys ought to post some video of the drill.

On a side note: I bet Teacherman is overjoyed with you doing his drill ;)



SL

I tried really hard to follow the way that I believed Bustos took. I remember telling my kid to read "what Bustos coach says here". After a while I couldn't put together a swing with the tidbits of info that leaked out. So, with no clinics near by, and finding out the huge cost it would take to have her do a clinic, I decided to order her dvd. Boy that was fun explaining to the girls that we were taken 3 minutes later when the dvd was over. So I thought for my $30 and this three min dvd...she can help out some other way, a little bit any way. So I emailed her site....twice....no response.
Off on a journey I went to find the truth. Stuck around somewhere else for a while, but then a year or so ago some other posters were saying that guy didn't match a high level swing. I looked a ton at video of the best, and the key, I tried it all out. They were right, he didn't match what I saw and felt.
So on I moved....I knew kind of what I was feeling, didn't really call myself following anyone, even said a few times that I was a lone ranger.
Well...so as I continued to post on here, some experts posted and I knew that what they said was not true. I felt confident enough (because I swing a bat) to call them on it. Then Teacherman showed up here one day and said a whole bunch of things that made sense, and EVERYONE else was left studdering. I went back to check HI out. Saw this guy teaches what I am feeling and seeing, and he is years ahead of me in the journey. Other posters pm me and said "he is so mean"...but I always saw it different...he does the same thing I have been doing, asks people to prove what they are saying is the truth.

So now mts, I, and some others are suggesting "try this" and include that teacherman is the one who taught us. It looks like it makes you guys mad. So maybe say why...tell why you don't like people following his advice. He did a whole blog on how he believes what you, Howard, and Crystl teach does not match up to watch she does when she swings, and he swing matches closer to what he teaches. If you guys don't like him saying that, prove him wrong. You know he will debate you on it. For me it is all about the truth. I don't dislike any of you, just wish I wouldn't have tried so hard to follow that path.
 

redhotcoach

Out on good behavior
May 8, 2009
4,706
38
Mountie - resistance is the key to getting that extra "oomph" you are looking for and the SnF drill from HI is a good one to learn to get it....using brute strength to rotate the hips and staying connected is very inefficient...and slow...

What MTS is saying is what I think...well what is the hardest concept to understand. The continual pull in the back. The back resisting the turn of the rear leg. I believe it, and do it, but am still amazed by it. The Braun gifs I posted after playing with last night, I posted because I was just staring at them for half an hour. If you have an open mind, no preset thoughts, you can see it all.

People have a preset thought that a swing is a forceful push, it feels right, and can be successful in girls softball, but it is not the way the best swing.
Even if your girls are still pushing, the snf will help power that up, so it is a journey.
 
R

RayR

Guest
It continues to evolve....you can first get the a taste of the feeling by focusing on the scap area (upper back, but flashing lights and sirens come on when you figure out the lower back....

I can resist a few different ways - but when you learn how to twist the lower back as part of the upper body "load" your rear leg and rear hip want to provide resistance....they have to.

Rich knows what he is talking about and while I admit I had a hard time cutting through the bluster - I am not in this for any other reason then to give my players and students the very best chance to succeed...

What MTS is saying is what I think...well what is the hardest concept to understand. The continual pull in the back. The back resisting the turn of the rear leg. I believe it, and do it, but am still amazed by it. The Braun gifs I posted after playing with last night, I posted because I was just staring at them for half an hour. If you have an open mind, no preset thoughts, you can see it all.

People have a preset thought that a swing is a forceful push, it feels right, and can be successful in girls softball, but it is not the way the best swing.
Even if your girls are still pushing, the snf will help power that up, so it is a journey.
 

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