13 yo DD in RVP

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

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

Jan 14, 2009
1,589
0
Atlanta, Georgia
I would address the level-shoulders swing flaw ... and when I do this I generally include an emphasis on the swing plane, which IMO is need of being addressed for this girl.

xc9oag.jpg


This is a very common swing in FP. This is my definition of a hybrid type swing and is a good example of how coaches are teaching kids conflicting information. This is the swing you get when the instructor/coach combines the following cues:

Swing level/down to the ball
Take the hands to the ball
Turn your hips
Keep your weight back.

I hear these cues all the time when I'm at the cages. All the time!

I would say this player is performing those cues really well. The problem is the cues can't coexist. What you end up with is an upper body arm-y gate swing that looks better than it is because the player has been taught to turn her hips to dress up the linear hands-to-the-ball upper body mechanics. The hip turn is purely cosmetic.

I find players with these types swings easy to work with because they have been taught to keep their weight back and therefore don't lunge. One less habit to break. She would pick up on Esptein's Torque Drill in no time. This would fix her level shoulder issue and give her IMO, a correct image and feel of how the shoulders should move.

Adding in the correct hand flattening movement would help fix other issues including creating more separation and keeping the hands from dropping prior to launch.
 
Jan 6, 2009
6,629
113
Chehalis, Wa
One thing I see is her hands and arms having very little activity before see starts to swing. You can create rythm for the hands directly from the body, with little if any movment. I might use the term stiff, instead of relaxed arms and allowing some rythm. She creates an arm and hand position, and keeps it frozen/or locked for most of the pre swing. This might add to the problem, has to suddenly try to swing. The upperbody moves back with the weight shift back, and then forward with the stride.

Their really not allowed into the sequnce or chain, and this might create I situation like a deer being caught in the head lights. Helping create a situation where she suddenly must swing.

The goal of the swing is to create and transfer energy into the bat and hit the ball. And no matter what you work on, hips, legs, torso, it must achieve the final goal. The more efficient you become of achieving the goal, the easier it should become.
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,019
0
Portland, OR
Bosoxfan ... curious which photo below that your daughter might think is more correct in terms of the orientation of the bat barrel at 'contact'.

Photo A:
IncorrectSwingPlaneAtPOC_S2.jpg



or


Photo B:
AROD_at_contact.jpg
 

Latest posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
42,864
Messages
679,907
Members
21,575
Latest member
zwhickcar
Top