How should a ball spin when hit off a tee?

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Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
Been working w/ DD on barrel turn and swing path. One goal is to reduce her tendency to slice. She swings slightly down at times and gets too much backspin or side spin, IMO.

Noticed yesterday that she was hitting some balls off the tee that had hardly any spin at all. Looked like a knuckle ball without any dancing, just normal trajectory. If you're getting behind and under the ball squarely, wouldn't this be a good thing? I imagine that you might get different spin vs. a live pitcher, who is throwing w/ spin, but in the laboratory setting of tee swings, wouldn't you want very little spin?
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
Been working w/ DD on barrel turn and swing path. One goal is to reduce her tendency to slice. She swings slightly down at times and gets too much backspin or side spin, IMO.

Noticed yesterday that she was hitting some balls off the tee that had hardly any spin at all. Looked like a knuckle ball without any dancing, just normal trajectory. If you're getting behind and under the ball squarely, wouldn't this be a good thing? I imagine that you might get different spin vs. a live pitcher, who is throwing w/ spin, but in the laboratory setting of tee swings, wouldn't you want very little spin?

No spin may not be optimal, but to your point it demonstrates that she is hitting it square. I suppose some backspin would be optimal as the ball would carry further. The important thing is not to have an excessive amount of side spin as it demonstrates that she is not hitting the ball squarely and coming across the ball. This is why we do a good bit of tee work from the base line into the outfield as the trajectory and movement tells you quite a bit about the swing.
 

rdbass

It wasn't me.
Jun 5, 2010
9,131
83
Not here.
I've done the same. Lots of useful information is lost hitting into a net, or even a cage.

Agreed, balls that land onto a field, one is able to tell by spins or bounce if the ball was sliced. Earlier on when DD first started I could tell and show DD that she 'sliced' across the ball. It would land then spin to the side.
 
Jul 26, 2016
108
18
Slight slice is better than hook, but generally I would shoot for hitting knuckleballs off the tee (exit and launch angle match).
 
Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
fwiw, one thing that helped DD get a better barrel path off the tee here lately was to ask her to get the barrel as vertical as possible at contact, and then think about what her hands would need to do, and what path the barrel would need to take, to get it there.

I realize that you don’t want to have the bat literally as vertical as possible, but for some reason telling her where to finish (bat vertical down) was more helpful than telling her where to start (bat vertical up, as she tends to flatten too soon). Or maybe it helped her put the two together.
 

obbay

Banned
Aug 21, 2008
2,199
0
Boston, MA
you don’t want to have the bat literally as vertical as possible, but for some reason telling her where to finish (bat vertical down) was more helpful
you lost me there... why do you want to finish with the bat vertical down? are you talking about hands above the barrel at contact or swinging down and finishing in a downward motion which I thought you were trying to correct?

I agree with the concept of hitting the ball off the tee with little to no spin. FWIW- Chris O'Leary posted a GIF somewhere of a homerun ball coming off a bat with little to no spin.
 
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Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
you lost me there... why do you want to finish with the bat vertical down? are you talking about hands above the barrel at contact or swinging down and finishing in a downward motion which I thought you were trying to correct?

By finish, I meant at contact, not follow through. So yes, I mean hands above barrel and can see where that was confusing.
 

rdbass

It wasn't me.
Jun 5, 2010
9,131
83
Not here.
She swings slightly down at times and gets too much backspin or side spin, IMO.
Bat vertical down at contact? Not sure that is a good ideal.
Contact is 'normally' made on the up through the ball.
1zlwuvt.jpg

mannyswingplane.gif
 
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Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
Bat vertical down at contact? Not sure that is a good ideal.
Contact is 'normally' made on the up through the ball.

Understood. As I said, ''I realize that you don’t want to have the bat literally as vertical as possible.'' Was just saying that - for whatever reason and in her particular case - that the instruction to have the bat as vertical as possible at contact seemed to bring about a better swing path for her and produce more solid contact (less slice). It helped her to make contact ''on the up through the ball.'' In reality, she wasn't vertical at contact at all. It just 'seemed' that way to her. Thus, that 'vertical' cue just worked. She thinks she's vertical, but she's really just doing a better job of keeping hands higher than barrel and also scrunching the back torso (in other words, not swinging so level or down through).
 
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