Bonds ... catching the ball with the bat.

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
Recently heard a golfing instructor speak of developing positional awareness to 'collect' the golf ball.

He preferred to use the word 'collect' vs 'hit' because he feels it helps his students swing the weight of the club to a finish form.

Made me think of Bonds' mentality of 'catching' the ball with his bat.
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
Bonds … three keys to hitting:

Keeping the hands up, staying short and balanced.

Keeping the hands up is very important.

... so, what did Barry mean with "keeping the hands up"?

To me, it's a feel-based cue for a good hand-path.
 
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
Bonds … three keys to hitting:

Keeping the hands up, staying short and balanced.

Keeping the hands up is very important.

... so, what did Barry mean with "keeping the hands up"?

To me, it's a feel-based cue for a good hand-path.

Saw that video awhile back. Loved his "keys". Very fundamental. I personally think the hands staying up is him thinking "stay on top". Reason being in a video with Jennie Finch he was preaching to finch to be direct and approach the ball from the top. Basically making sure his hand path was "down and to".

IMO once you show a player the difference between a direct hand path and a loopy path. They will conform.
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
Saw that video awhile back. Loved his "keys". Very fundamental. I personally think the hands staying up is him thinking "stay on top". Reason being in a video with Jennie Finch he was preaching to finch to be direct and approach the ball from the top. Basically making sure his hand path was "down and to".

IMO once you show a player the difference between a direct hand path and a loopy path. They will conform.

On that note, one way it has been described is that MLB hitters try to keep the barrel up as long as possible, and then throw it down at the ball.

It is a mentality of keeping the hands up as you throw the barrel down ... the momentum in the barrel will turn the palms, as it goes to the ball.

Such a notion needs to be understood within the context of a good hand-path.
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
1CA once wrote the following ...

Swing down TO the ball. Stay on top of the ball. Stay through the ball. DON'T swing down through the ball.

For this to be understood, one has to grasp the mentality of keeping the hands up as the barrel is thrown/swung down.
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
It should go without saying, but let's state it anyway ....

The idea of being short and on top is not to beat the ball in the ground.

The majority of missed and miss-hit balls have the barrel below the center of the ball.

Attack from the top!
 

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,477
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top