Bat angle complaint from parent

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Dec 3, 2009
218
0
Kansas City area
I was doing an assisted matrix drill and putting bat into a good position by having them angle bat at a 45 degree angle across the pony tail hole with knob pointed towards catcher (wrist cocked) and the parent stoped me and said that he wanted her bat to start out on plane and to point the barrel toward the catcher, that a lot of the travel teams he's watched in Kc are doing this with sucess and this is what everyone is going to. I refused to teach this way but Im ok with his dd doing it. Has anyone else heard of this, I have but not on a high level.
 
Oct 12, 2009
1,465
0
I was doing an assisted matrix drill and putting bat into a good position by having them angle bat at a 45 degree angle across the pony tail hole with knob pointed towards catcher (wrist cocked) and the parent stoped me and said that he wanted her bat to start out on plane and to point the barrel toward the catcher, that a lot of the travel teams he's watched in Kc are doing this with sucess and this is what everyone is going to. I refused to teach this way but Im ok with his dd doing it. Has anyone else heard of this, I have but not on a high level.

I don't have a problem with starting on plane, but I don't understand the barrel pointing at the catcher.

Are they talking about this...

758900854_0649efcd98.jpg


...but to a larger degree.

That would open up the hinge angle too much and minimize the whipping action of the bat (which is why Pujols sets up like this but doesn't swing from this position).
 
Dec 3, 2009
218
0
Kansas City area
Yes, but with an even flatter barrel and lower hands and semi-slotted. I think they think this will speed up the swing because they have a headstart, but it actually slows it down and minimizes whip. what other problems do you think this will cause?
 
Oct 12, 2009
1,465
0
Yes, but with an even flatter barrel and lower hands and semi-slotted. I think they think this will speed up the swing because they have a headstart, but it actually slows it down and minimizes whip. what other problems do you think this will cause?

I have seen this a couple of times and it's a bad idea for multiple reasons.

It only makes "sense" if you think you pull the knob to the ball (which of course is a bad idea).
 
Oct 12, 2009
1,465
0
Aren't the mechanics of a girl's swing usually a little different from a boy's?

Not in good swings.

Girls tend to have less upper body strength (although they pass boys for a couple of years around 5th or 6th grade).

The reason why rotational hitting makes sense is that it relies more on core strength than upper body strength.
 
Jan 14, 2009
1,591
0
Atlanta, Georgia
How a player holds the bat while in their stance is a style choice and not part of technique. As long as the player can get to the bat lag position correctly and on time, it dosen't matter how they start the bat. The advantage of starting the bat out on plane is that the back elbow and front forearm are pre-set very close to where they need to be when they get to the bat lag position. The same can be said for players who start the bat at a 45 degree angle across the pony tail hole. The difference is a matter of degrees. In both cases the coaches and instructors are starting the players out with flatter handsets because they know that the hands need to be flat very early in the swing in order to get on plane quickly and hit in a long zone.

I see a lot of FP hitters who start with flat handsets, including ones who start with the bat at a 45 degree angle across the pony tail hole; drag the bat. IMO, the players need to be taught how to correctly get the hands flat in such a way that they can do it from any handset.
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
I don't have a problem with starting on plane, but I don't understand the barrel pointing at the catcher.

Are they talking about this...

758900854_0649efcd98.jpg


...but to a larger degree.

That would open up the hinge angle too much and minimize the whipping action of the bat (which is why Pujols sets up like this but doesn't swing from this position).

It is true that Pujols does not swing from this position ... and while you have attempted to explain why he doesn't swing from this position, you have not explained why he sets up in this position. What is the advantage to setting up in this position and transitioning to a more conventional launch position?
 
Oct 12, 2009
1,465
0
How a player holds the bat while in their stance is a style choice and not part of technique. As long as the player can get to the bat lag position correctly and on time, it dosen't matter how they start the bat.

True, but it sounds like the coach doesn't want them to get to the lag position.
 
Oct 12, 2009
1,465
0
It is true that Pujols does not swing from this position ... and while you have attempted to explain why he doesn't swing from this position, you have not explained why he sets up in this position. What is the advantage to setting up in this position and transitioning to a more conventional launch position?

He does this as a reminder to keep his hands back.
 

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