FiveFrameSwing
Banned
Forcing a "level shoulders" swing can lead to "lunging".
New here looking for help
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Forcing a "level shoulders" swing can lead to "lunging".
Don't mean to hijack, but I think answers to some of my questions might help the OP some.
I've been trying to break a lunger (she wasn't taught wrong; that's her "natural" way of hitting). I've tried a few different things I've found here (or some stuff from Antonelli, etc.), but it's not quite working yet. What I think I've noticed is that her hips (maybe not her hips?) are still going forward after front foot heel plant, so I've tried to focus there by trying to get her to start her "turn" (I think you'd say it's the torso-engine turning, but I could be wrong) as the front foot goes down.
So my question is if you have someone who really lunges, what's the first thing you do to start to fix it? I've been focusing on the lower half (she has an all-arms, choppy swing, too), but maybe that's not the best place to start? I thought the shoulders, which you focused on in a lot of the GIFs here, is sort of a no-teach/result of doing other things correctly. Am I wrong there?
Should I be having her keep her weight back then?
FiveFrameSwing
Banned
Before teaching this girl further, please consider the Hanson Principle.
“Always compare what anybody tells you about the swing to slow motion clips of the best hitters in the world”
-- Mark Hanson
FiveFrameSwing
Banned
Hitters that lunge generally have poor mechanics. Often the issue in their sequence begins with their negative move. Teaching them to stop 'pushing back' and introducing 'pulling back' (sort of their torso pulling back/around their rear leg) can help address the negative move. Promoting a FbC from there, further helps prevent lunging. That often goes a long way towards addressing the lower-body mechanics relative to lunging. The upper body loading pattern also often needs to be addressed. Teaching the 'rocking of the U' and promoting the passage of the swing through a healthy swing launch orientation can be constructive. Promoting lateral tilt in the swing is essential.
The shoulder is drawn/pulled down. It is a result. The action to teach/promote is that of 'lateral tilt'. Lateral tilt is not natural for a lot of young developing hitters. As humans, these hitters have a tendency to go throughout their day with level shoulders ... they walk with level shoulders, they sit at the table and eat with level shoulders, etc. They live their life largely with level shoulders ... and when they get into the batter's box they tend to have a horizontal tendency. Hitters that are adverse to becoming laterally tilted will make it difficult to leverage against their front side and will tend to drift/lunge forward.
Great Drill for fixing lunging and teaching rotation: call it “stride passed to stay behind”
Have player set up on a tee with the front foot slightly in front of the ball
Using a normal stance, normal stride player swings thinking stay behind the ball and rotating hips. Lungers will miss hit every ball until they begin feeling of rotating hips and keeping upper body behind the ball. Important to reinforce a balanced finish. Have players push feet down into the ground firmly during finish and hold balance.
This drill is a part of our daily tee progression
Have player set up on a tee with the front foot slightly in front of the ball
Using a normal stance, normal stride player swings thinking stay behind the ball and rotating hips. Lungers will miss hit every ball until they begin feeling of rotating hips and keeping upper body behind the ball. Important to reinforce a balanced finish. Have players push feet down into the ground firmly during finish and hold balance.
This drill is a part of our daily tee progression
Nice post 5. Down and in shoulder action happens because of a good negative move.
FiveFrameSwing
Banned
Please expand on this.
FiveFrameSwing
Banned
Dad: My kid a decent swing and hit the ball with authority.
Old Salt: Good for her. She probably enjoys the game more being a solid hitter.
Dad: The issue is that she no longer hits the ball with authority.
Old Salt: That’s too bad. What do you figure has changed?
Dad: I don’t know. I only made her swing better. But the result was that she began lunging and became an army hitter.
Old Salt: Sorry to hear that her swing has gone south. What did you do to help make her swing better?
Dad: She was lowering her rear shoulder at swing initiation. I had her stop doing that.
Old Salt: I see. What did you expect the outcome would be when you did that? Wouldn’t that make her become more army? Wouldn’t that promote her to drift or lunge forward?
Dad: What I did is common advice.
Old Salt: Is it common to be a great hitter?
Dad: No. Very few people become great hitters.
Old Salt: When you looked at video of the great hitters to confirm what you were teaching; didn’t you notice that their rear shoulder became lowered?
Dad: I never bothered to look.
Old Salt: Maybe you should look at video of the better hitters for verification of what you plan to teach.
Dad: I will look to see if I can find video of professional hitters with level shoulders.
Old Salt: Good luck. This game tends to be cruel to those with a level shoulders mindset.
Old Salt: Good for her. She probably enjoys the game more being a solid hitter.
Dad: The issue is that she no longer hits the ball with authority.
Old Salt: That’s too bad. What do you figure has changed?
Dad: I don’t know. I only made her swing better. But the result was that she began lunging and became an army hitter.
Old Salt: Sorry to hear that her swing has gone south. What did you do to help make her swing better?
Dad: She was lowering her rear shoulder at swing initiation. I had her stop doing that.
Old Salt: I see. What did you expect the outcome would be when you did that? Wouldn’t that make her become more army? Wouldn’t that promote her to drift or lunge forward?
Dad: What I did is common advice.
Old Salt: Is it common to be a great hitter?
Dad: No. Very few people become great hitters.
Old Salt: When you looked at video of the great hitters to confirm what you were teaching; didn’t you notice that their rear shoulder became lowered?
Dad: I never bothered to look.
Old Salt: Maybe you should look at video of the better hitters for verification of what you plan to teach.
Dad: I will look to see if I can find video of professional hitters with level shoulders.
Old Salt: Good luck. This game tends to be cruel to those with a level shoulders mindset.
Ok. The negative move accompanied by resistance pulls the front shoulder down and in as well as start the torso forward. When this move has been mastered a lot of ‘band aids’ will be peeled away to reveal that there weren’t any ‘boo boos’ to begin with.
Forgive me, I am not as eloquent as you.
