14yo Maddie

[Gags]

Just some questions / observations:

1. Has she always had the head tilt (right ear to right shoulder), or is that present only with tee swings?
2. Did she have any kind of "launch angle" goal for these swings, or was it more mechanics focused? (All three were smashed, but look like they would have been right at the pitcher)
3. For the rest of us who are still early in the journey - sign of a great hitter - look at how little the top of the tee moves. On all 3 swings. Great consistency. As a comparison (not a negative, just a comparison), you can see the tee top bend almost in half in the video's posted in the "elbow slotting" thread. As a 10U coach, I'm just happy when I don't have to stand the tee back up every other swing!

 

[Eric F]

Just some questions / observations:

1. Has she always had the head tilt (right ear to right shoulder), or is that present only with tee swings?
2. Did she have any kind of "launch angle" goal for these swings, or was it more mechanics focused? (All three were smashed, but look like they would have been right at the pitcher)
3. For the rest of us who are still early in the journey - sign of a great hitter - look at how little the top of the tee moves. On all 3 swings. Great consistency. As a comparison (not a negative, just a comparison), you can see the tee top bend almost in half in the video's posted in the "elbow slotting" thread. As a 10U coach, I'm just happy when I don't have to stand the tee back up every other swing!

She does that with her head on tee swings sometimes. No sure why. With a helmet on, she can't move her head like that. It's something I need to point out to her...again.

The current focus of her work is adopting earlier use of her hands to generate bat speed behind her, and tightening up her HPP. There are still adjustments to be made, including to her barrel path.

Last week, she had one where she missed the ball completely and knocked the cone out from under it. The ball dropped straight down. It looked like the old yank-the-tablecloth trick.

 

[Work=wins]

I hate to beat a dead horse Eric. But the negative move/load Maddie has is a bit wobbly. She doesn’t create her set point to go forward from consistently. It’s different in each practice swing off the tee. Causing balance issues which will cause timing and adjustability issues. Resistance is needed to stabilize this problem. As well as some sagittal plane motion.

As far as the uphill swing, that is gone. But too much counter rotation without a set point will cause the ‘around’ path or shoulder driven swings that I’m seeing in her latest swings.

Too fix her negative move... I would key in on getting her COM staying stable and maintaining the nose in front of BB relationship during her load... during her forward move COM should turn towards the catcher which will cause the front shoulder to turn down and in.

A check point I use is mass must get forward or ‘on top’ immediately during the forward move. After all this is the power source.

See the famous Stan Musial gif OR ...

Here’s Trout with a proper load: https://twitter.com/hyattcraig/status/1045905380318965761?s=21

Here’s Puig with his mass getting ‘on top’ or forward first: https://twitter.com/hyattcraig/status/1056374051495600128?s=21

Just my opinion... good luck!

 

[Eric F]

W=w...I appreciate the comments.

 

[_MIA_]

No comment on the swing but a question. How well, at her age, is she able to take what she does on the tee and transfer it to live arm? Have you noticed an improvement with that as she has gotten older?

 

[Eric F]

No comment on the swing but a question. How well, at her age, is she able to take what she does on the tee and transfer it to live arm? Have you noticed an improvement with that as she has gotten older?

I don't know if I would say that it's gotten better with age. Changing muscle memory patterns is difficult at any age. I think she's better about making a more focused effort to make changes. I tend to be of the belief that game swings should be with what you have at that moment, without at lot of mechanical correction thoughts. A simple self-cue is good, but more than one, and you're probably making things too difficult for yourself.

Usually, we do front toss at home once or twice a week between sessions with her instructor, which helps a lot with translating changes to game swings. Recently, due to weather and other factors, she hasn't been able to get in as much work at home, and it shows. Some of the issues that cause her the most problems (hands getting away from the shoulder and arm bar), and some of the tendencies in her old pattern (knob push) are definitely prevalent in recent game swings, and it's hurting her in games . 8 games into her freshman season of HS ball, and she hasn't really had a solidly driven ball, so far...but still leads the team in batting average.

The work continues...

 

[rdbass]

I'd tell this hitter to hit the crap out of the bottom of the ball. Don't worry about knocking the tee over. I want to see the ball go over the net. That may help this hitter figure it out.......

 

[_MIA_]

I'd tell this hitter to hit the crap out of the bottom of the ball. Don't worry about knocking the tee over. I want to see the ball go over the net. That may help this hitter figure it out.......

Somebody tell Cannonball he can remove the Silver Alert out on rdbass

 

[bobbyb]

I don't know if I would say that it's gotten better with age. Changing muscle memory patterns is difficult at any age. I think she's better about making a more focused effort to make changes. I tend to be of the belief that game swings should be with what you have at that moment, without at lot of mechanical correction thoughts. A simple self-cue is good, but more than one, and you're probably making things too difficult for yourself.

Usually, we do front toss at home once or twice a week between sessions with her instructor, which helps a lot with translating changes to game swings. Recently, due to weather and other factors, she hasn't been able to get in as much work at home, and it shows. Some of the issues that cause her the most problems (hands getting away from the shoulder and arm bar), and some of the tendencies in her old pattern (knob push) are definitely prevalent in recent game swings, and it's hurting her in games . 8 games into her freshman season of HS ball, and she hasn't really had a solidly driven ball, so far...but still leads the team in batting average.

The work continues...

Your dd is looking good, I've seen her swing in previous post and she seems to be progressing.
I know you said you are working earlier TTB and hand drift here. My question is in these drills...why this set up? Tee height, tee deep? Is she thinking of hand direction and driving the ball in a certain direction? TY

 

[Eric F]

Your dd is looking good, I've seen her swing in previous post and she seems to be progressing.
I know you said you are working earlier TTB and hand drift here. My question is in these drills...why this set up? Tee height, tee deep? Is she thinking of hand direction and driving the ball in a certain direction? TY

Thanks for the kind words.

The tee is set deep to encourage turning the barrel deeper, and discouraging the hands pushing forward. I believe the instruction was to hit the inside half of the ball.