Swing looks....wrong. Any suggestions?

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Mar 4, 2016
66
6
This is my DD and she has been playing tournament ball for about 4 years now. Recently, I noticed she has been hitting the top of the ball a good bit causing the ball to usually one hop right back to the pitcher for an easy out. I recorded this a few weeks back and 2 things stand out to me. 1) looks like she is rotating her wrist too soon in her swing causing the bat to rise just enough to make contact with the top of the ball and 2) It looks like she is losing power due to not following through maybe(?). I'm not sure but I have very limited knowledge in this area and I was hoping someone could offer some suggestions/drills to get her swing back where it needs to be. She is a pretty strong kid but has never really had them big hits that other smaller girls can produce. Any advise would be appreciated. Thank you.

Also, it looks to me like about 3/4 through her swing her left arm is locked out and pointing straight to the ground. Could this be where she is losing power? I cant tell if this is one problem causing other problems or if this is multiple problems that is unrelated.

https://youtu.be/oaBR2X5nNto
(It's easier to see if you slow it down to .25 speed)
 
May 3, 2014
2,149
83
Have her move back towards the side netting - heels about on the white line nearest the netting. Swing and don't let the bat hit the net behind her.
 
Oct 16, 2008
164
18
SE Michigan
Looks to me that she is just turning the barrel with her arms and that her hips/legs rotation is disconnected from the bat. She needs to power her swing by using her legs and hips. To make that happen the top hand/arm needs to provide a pulling behind resistance while the rear hip is being pulled forward by the rear leg. When that tension is released the barrel will whip around being driven mostly by the hips. I wouldalso suggest reading some of the DFP threads on using the back leg to maximize that power.
 
Mar 1, 2016
195
18
Looks to me like she's just not that motivated because she knows she's being recorded. If that is indeed her swing all the time, it's all arms. There is very little lower half working here, hips are slow to rotate, weight finishes on front foot.

Take a look at several videos of high level SB players and you'll see what I'm talking about. They have a noticeably powerful swing that starts with the hips. Those things have to rotate at a high speed in order to generate rotational force in the torso (like a spring - wind it up and let it go). When that happens, you'll start to see the contact point and extension more like you think you should. Had the same problem with my DD some time ago and fixed it by having her show her back left pocket to the pitcher during her load and then throw her hips open to start the swing. What a difference it made - added about 30 feet to ball flight. That and having a goal of 50% of every bucket hit in the cage has to be line drive shots.

And that weight has to stay back on that back leg more. Just because she shifts her weight toward the front leg to generate more power doesn't mean that she should transfer her weight there. Too much weight on the front leg leads to chopping down on top of the ball, rolling over on it, etc.

Finally, I have no idea what your DD's mental state is, but I know that my DD does best when she's pissed off. It causes her to focus more for some reason, and if there isn't anything for her to be mad about she makes something up just get into that state of mind.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

rdbass

It wasn't me.
Jun 5, 2010
9,131
83
Not here.
I would need to see your DD swinging at a moving ball or a ball on a tee.
tumblr_omckp1Lj8w1usf292o1_250.gif

From this swing, your DD needs to get the bat in her 'hands' and off of the side of her shoulder. Flying off the Merry-go-around.
 

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
113
First, do you get a sense of your dd "walking away from her hands?" Also, she is disconnecting early. The hands come into a relationship with that back shoulder, ride that relationship for a brief time and then leave that relationship.
 
May 16, 2016
1,024
113
Illinois
Looks to me like she's just not that motivated because she knows she's being recorded. If that is indeed her swing all the time, it's all arms. There is very little lower half working here, hips are slow to rotate, weight finishes on front foot.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


That is the first thing I noticed. Looks like she know that you are video taping her and she looks to be nervous or embarrassed for some reason. There is no effort being put forth during the video of that swing.
 
Mar 4, 2016
66
6
Thank you for all the replies. I will record her today hitting off the tee and update this thread.
 
Mar 4, 2016
66
6
Here is an updated video. After we recorded, I had her try a few things that was mentioned here and having her turn so the pitcher could see her back left pocket did appear like she hit the ball a lot harder. Would this change the timing of her swing? I imagine it would since she is starting at a different stance when the pitch is thrown. Or is this just a drill done outside of a game? Thanks again for all the info.


https://youtu.be/QZMOIPMi6zE
 

obbay

Banned
Aug 21, 2008
2,199
0
Boston, MA
This video is way better!
to me, her swing is all arms. she's swinging flat or down (maybe DBSF? does not have a positive attack angle. everything she hit went downward, even the low pitches.) and is sitting with her weight in the middle or back, rather than driving forward. also, it looks like she skips bat lag (this is an observation- I have a hard time teaching how to do this correctly) and doesn't appear to get to extension as she wraps the bat around her after contact. (My DD sometimes falls into this in the off-season). It looks like a defensive swing rather than offensive. I slowed it down and it looks like she is rolling her wrists early, maybe rolling into contact and depends on that for whip. Reverse top hand drill may be good for getting her top hand path better.

I disagree with the previous post about keeping her weight back, I think that's part of her problem. on some of those swings she almost seems to be backing away from the ball. Most elite swing patterns that I see and are evident in photos, are with the weight coming almost completely off the rear foot. The front leg is similar to what happens in pitching, where it plants and becomes a fulcrum to drive off of.
Delponte.jpg
WHOA! I didn't know that picture was so big! sorry!
things I would work on- a more positive attack angle (reverse top hand drill, going for line drives), weight shift onto front foot at contact (try some "Happy Gilmore" work on the tee), palm up/palm down at contact, full extension before wrists completely roll over (Do tee work where she swings to extension and holds it there for "one Mississippi" before completing the followthru).

good luck, hope this helps!
 
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