16yo Maddie

[Eric F]

Worth it though...

Yes. Also, topping off my bucket with a fresh dozen will let me ditch some of the ones that are coming apart.

 

[_MIA_]

Worth it though...
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

High five, pat on the back and then "don't come home until you find all the balls" Of course in my case this is all an Eisteinian thought experiment..

 

[FP26]

Maddie found a new level today...


She's hit plenty of balls over the fence on this field before (230' at the light pole, 250' at the green box on the right of the frame), but usually just into the bushes past the fence. The first hit went past the bushes, the sidewalk, the street, and hit a fence on the other side (est. 270'+). 2 others landed in the street (250'+). The others were in the 240-250' range. After the last one, we moved to an adjacent field where there wasn't a chance of hitting a moving car and causing bigger problems.

This is the best power I've seen from her, so far.

Her self-analysis...
I'm holding my coil longer as I move forward, and it's helping me get my foot down later with more control of my timing. I'm also keeping my hands inside the ball longer, instead of letting them go away from by shoulder, which is keeping me turn tighter and quicker.

What are you feeding that girl?

 

[FP26]

Be aware that the camera angle (on the ground) makes it looks like she's swinging a lot more downward than she actually is. Her barrel path is still down behind and up through contact. That said, she's not turning the barrel down as deep as she has in the past.

I have been saying this for years. The tendency with some folks is to over exaggerate TTB. That can lead to problems. I don't think anyone (at least here) has ever denied that. Getting behind the ball is the key IMO. She's looking great Eric! It's easy to tell she is putting the time in.

 

[FP26]

Next hitting session would be on a baseball field if it were me...lol.

Lol! We use Meg's high school field for hitting. As long as she hits them over the left field fence, all is good. If she hits them over the center field fence there is approximately 30 feet of grass that borders a forest filled with jaggers. I either leave the balls where they fall or rip up my legs trying to get to them. I'm to the point that I just say "nice shot" and order some new balls.

 

[Eric F]

I have been saying this for years. The tendency with some folks is to over exaggerate TTB. That can lead to problems. I don't think anyone (at least here) has ever denied that. Getting behind the ball is the key IMO. She's looking great Eric! It's easy to tell she is putting the time in.

Agreed. Like a lot of components of the swing, TTB can be over-baked, which leads some people to conclude that it doesn't work. The issue is portion control. Following Puljos' words of "hands down inside the ball" without understanding how that feeling works in the context of his entire swing is another example.

 

[Eric F]

What are you feeding that girl?

Well...pizza is a big part of it. I'm thinking it's the Sour Patch Kids candy that is the magic. I could be wrong.

 

[Work=wins]

Be aware that the camera angle (on the ground) makes it looks like she's swinging a lot more downward than she actually is. Her barrel path is still down behind and up through contact. That said, she's not turning the barrel down as deep as she has in the past.

i see that as conserving energy to release later and on the ball instead of early/deeper in the zone. Correct me if I’m wrong. So ‘right on time bat speed’ instead of ‘early bat speed’?

 

[Eric F]

i see that as conserving energy to release later and on the ball instead of early/deeper in the zone. Correct me if I’m wrong. So ‘right on time bat speed’ instead of ‘early bat speed’?

Her recent adjustment of keeping her hands inside longer seems to have slightly delayed when she is turning the barrel. I'm still a big believer that the intent to create early bat speed is important. For Maddie, there were some other issues coming into play that were sometimes making things less than optimal - the biggest being the tendency for her hands to get away from her rear shoulder. For her, intent to keep her hands tighter seems to be working well to sort that issue out.

As it always is, there is no one recipe that fits all hitters. Mike Q's other student (Haley) is an example. Despite getting the same coaching, with the same intended goal, her swing looks quite a bit different than Maddie's. Each of them have had struggles in their journey, but are finding what works best for them.

 

[Work=wins]

Her recent adjustment of keeping her hands inside longer seems to have slightly delayed when she is turning the barrel. I'm still a big believer that the intent to create early bat speed is important. For Maddie, there were some other issues coming into play that were sometimes making things less than optimal - the biggest being the tendency for her hands to get away from her rear shoulder. For her, intent to keep her hands tighter seems to be working well to sort that issue out.

As it always is, there is no one recipe that fits all hitters. Mike Q's other student (Haley) is an example. Despite getting the same coaching, with the same intended goal, her swing looks quite a bit different than Maddie's. Each of them have had struggles in their journey, but are finding what works best for them.

i think the hands getting away from the shoulder early is directly correlated to TTB for force.. Either way. Glad she’s finding ways to get better.