1st year 14u - Swing mechanics what to work on

[fanboi22]

2 little things I noticed right away.
1. Her grip looks extremely choked. Somewhere in between door knockers lined up and box grip - she is past that by quite a bit.
2. She turns in too much south the upper body - the pitcher would be able to read her number. This could be due to the tee and she may not do that with live swings.

She looks like a strong and athletic kid!

Thank you for reply and constructive suggestions,
1. yes, I guess i noticed that too. I think she is exaggerating the rear elbow up, overall just doesn't look comfortable. I think it loosens during the swing, but would agree something to review/correct.
2. maybe working on keeping a stretched position has caused this. I am working on her not prematurely dropping hands/barrel to that there is stretch before swing initiation. agreed she is over cooking it.

 

[Work=wins]

Well, we only just got started again on hitting. Probably a little too late, but better late than never. Want to make sure winter practices focus on the correct things, so here is an updated swing. Let'r rip.....thanks in advance for suggestions/critique/advice.

The length tensioning relationship she once had in her swing is gone. Need to get that back. It can be as simple as restraint cues during her loading portion. Or maybe going back to her old swing. Sometimes it’s not.



Mookies feet are flat on the ground while he loads . His stride foot gets pulled towards his midline then he strides because of his length tension posterior chain and anchor point.

Copy his flat feet until the body picks up the front foot while keeping the head still. This should restore the LTPC as well as get rid of the excessive active counter rotation.

Do it as a dry/drill until she can feel her front shoulder getting pulled down and in reactively(automatically) and there is counter rotation during the forward move not the negative move. Once felt she can transfer the ‘feel’ into her normal stance.

 

[fanboi22]

Copy his flat feet until the body picks up the front foot while keeping the head still. This should restore the LTPC as well as get rid of the excessive active counter rotation.

Thank you WW, when you say flat feet, are you referring more to DD's front foot? Her back foot seems relatively flat.

I also think there is a more needed rocking of the 'U' instead of the twisted torso to gain that tension. Do you think that would help the LTPC as well? She is a fairly flexible kid and states she really doesn't feel much of the tension, so mostly doing it wrong, but maybe just not feeling it.

 

[djcarter1966]

Ditto on the turn of the upper body it's way too drastic and she might be using this instead of a better coil.

Would really like to see a live pitch or just front toss to believe she turns quite that much...remember twisting and stretching aren't the same thing.

 

[Work=wins]

Thank you WW, when you say flat feet, are you referring more to DD's front foot? Her back foot seems relatively flat.

I also think there is a more needed rocking of the 'U' instead of the twisted torso to gain that tension. Do you think that would help the LTPC as well? She is a fairly flexible kid and states she really doesn't feel much of the tension, so mostly doing it wrong, but maybe just not feeling it.

Her front foot. I am not a big proponent of active hands until the LTPC is loaded. Rocking the U is fine. But when learning a new movement probably shouldn’t complicate it unless needed. Her kinesthetic feel will already be on notice. Notice Mookies hands relatively limp and settled until then. It’s mainly for feel. A drill for feel. Flat feet and limp hands with a still head while she ‘loads’ into the ground through the heel will/should create the load instead of the counter rotation she creates now.

As far as flexibility, if she doesn’t feel any tension in her front shoulder running down her back to her right glute, you could hold the head in place and let her load. Should feel tension then.

Most kids I have dealt with don’t have an issue with that portion. It’s the LTAC they have issues with, then adding in an opening of the front foot etc would be something you could try. But anyway one thing at a time.

 

[Shawn]

She seems to feel her way through first 1/3 of the swing/loading/initiation. To mechanical.

The load should stretch the rubber band and not simply move backwards or loading backwards. The load should create the slingshot effect or the catapult effect.

I would hook her up to Blast sensor and try to increase the rotational acceleration (rotational acceleration is how quickly you move from load and into the swing, measures initiation quickness).

 

[Work=wins]

She seems to feel her way through first 1/3 of the swing/loading/initiation. To mechanical.

The load should stretch the rubber band and not simply move backwards or loading backwards. The load should create the slingshot effect or the catapult effect.

I would hook her up to Blast sensor and try to increase the rotational acceleration (rotational acceleration is how quickly you move from load and into the swing, measures initiation quickness).

Yes !

 

[Shawn]

Yes !

And then at foot plant the swing unloads. In-which some people have said the front leg initiates the swing or even the dropping of the heel initiates the swing. If everything is done correctly and you load the spring/rubber band, creating leverage off the back foot/heel, then it is true you the front side/leg is used quickly and powerfully unload the swing.

 

[Shawn]

As Hank Aaron says in his book, wind it up correctly and it unload/unwind with lightning speed.

Work=Wins,

I didn't see anything in Carew's video about using the hands above all else. I thought he said something in that regard in his book. I'm over half way done with the book.

 

[Shawn]

The length tensioning relationship she once had in her swing is gone. Need to get that back. It can be as simple as restraint cues during her loading portion. Or maybe going back to her old swing. Sometimes it’s not.



Mookies feet are flat on the ground while he loads . His stride foot gets pulled towards his midline then he strides because of his length tension posterior chain and anchor point.

Copy his flat feet until the body picks up the front foot while keeping the head still. This should restore the LTPC as well as get rid of the excessive active counter rotation.

Do it as a dry/drill until she can feel her front shoulder getting pulled down and in reactively(automatically) and there is counter rotation during the forward move not the negative move. Once felt she can transfer the ‘feel’ into her normal stance.

Check out this clip of how Mookie is always working forward during the load. The load isn't all back, it's back to move forward.