What are you doing to fix DBSF

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Hank

Banned
Jun 30, 2016
33
0
I has believe having the rear elbow get into the horizontal position during the 'load' helped my DD.
http://i48.tinypic.com/9u



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Practice getting into this position then 'right to ball'(Command Drill) at go...no, none, nota 'slop'. Just Gooooo to 'launch' swing.

I tried this and getting the elbow into the horizontal position does not work. She can still pull the elbow down and lead with it as her first initial move. Im glad it worked for you! Im looking for something that can nix that action as er initial move. I have tried a lot of different things. Hard case for sure!
 

Hank

Banned
Jun 30, 2016
33
0
drop barrel swing flat?
This is a huge, persistent problem. I like to focus on the sequence, hands aren't allowed to go to the ball until the hips and then shoulders have started to turn.

hugely disagree with the shoulder part of this comment!
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
In helping my DD battle her early DBSF pattern, we spent some time having her rest her bat on her shoulder during the pre-launch part of the sequence, and launch the swing by using her hands to turn the barrel to the ball from the shoulder (hand pivot point). This helped her to get away from the habit of dropping the hands to a level-with-the-ball launch position. She has also done some knob-to-the-ball work, which helped her understand the feeling of a more direct hand path, rather than the dropping/looping path common to a DBSF swing pattern. That said, both of these approaches have potential side-effects that may require another round of corrections if not used with caution. In the shoulder-launch, it can easily lead to a swing where the hands are locked into shoulder rotation in a fly-off-the-merry-go-round type of action. Some hitters can be successful with this type of pattern for a while, but its limited adjustability can lead to challenges in the upper levels of the game. Knob-to-the-ball drills can lead to a hand-push disconnection where the hands are moving laterally across the front of the torso, which is not ideal.

Another thing that might be going on is an improper understanding of the swing sequence. Getting the sequence correct is a critical part of the process, and will often make fixing the symptoms (DBSF, bat drag, etc.) a lot easier.
 
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SB45

Dad, Coach, Chauffeur
Sep 2, 2016
150
28
Western NY
hugely disagree with the shoulder part of this comment!

REally?

Maybe I'm OILF...or just choosing poor wording. My thinking in trying to keep someone from dropping their hands early, which is usually accompanied by a swinging gate where the hips, shoulders and hands all move together...is to not allow them to take their hands to the ball until the shoulders start to turn. Not that the hands are static... Looking at the model swings, I'm pretty sure that there is always a split second where the shoulders are starting to turn, the hands may be turning the barrel but they haven't yet released to the pitch location. And again, I'm trying to instill some thinking that keeps them from allowing the hands to drop way early to theoretically get aligned with the itch and dragging it through.
 

rdbass

It wasn't me.
Jun 5, 2010
9,131
83
Not here.
How does a vertical barrel help? Does this give her more of a sense of where the barrel is.

Because your DD does what......DBSF. If your DD maintains a vertical bat all the way to launch it is impossible to Drop the barrel level to the ball. Stress it off of tee work until it carries over to live swings.
 

rdbass

It wasn't me.
Jun 5, 2010
9,131
83
Not here.
She can still pull the elbow down and lead with it as her first initial move.
Can be also 'bat drag'. With out seeing the swing I'm guessing bat drag. Sometimes coaches/dads mistake the elbow 'getting through' as bat drag.
I tried this and getting the elbow into the horizontal position does not work. I'm glad it worked for you! I'm looking for something that can nix that action as er initial move
Worked for my DD and other posted DD's. Your DD needs to learn to use her HANDS to 'turn the barrel forward to the ball'. Needs to learn to 'feel' the bat in her hands. It does take time.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
Worked for my DD and other posted DD's. Your DD needs to learn to use her HANDS to 'turn the barrel forward to the ball'. Needs to learn to 'feel' the bat in her hands. It does take time.

While my now 7 year old still is far from perfect, I found that playing pepper helped her with the whole feel the bat in the hands concept. Because you aren't taking a full cut you really have to concentrate on using the hands
to make contact and place the ball where you want. Seems to have transferred some to her actual swing as she now doesn't drop her hands nearly as much and keeps the bat more vertical (most of the time..still reverts
back to it at times...)
 
Sep 17, 2009
1,637
83
Agree with learning to control barrel with hands. Another thought---*something* has to power that barrel to contact. If it's not the lower body pulling the barrel through then the arms need to be recruited and hitter lays that barrel back to create a more powerful "arm engine" to get the barrel to and through contact.

Work the stretch and fire drill or any drill that purposely gets the hips ahead of the hands to feel how your hands can simply turn the barrel and the body pulls it to contact rather than the arms being the power source.
 

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