Alexis 12yrs

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TDS

Mar 11, 2010
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So y’all see a load into the ground resulting in the front heel coming off the ground. I see it as the front heel coming up creating the gather. If you read this board everyone teaches some kind of gather. I have too. My experience is that teaching a gather can get you in the weeds quickly and create timing issues. I know slow and early. For the dads on this board that have timing issues I’m offering a slightly different solution. The gather and the front heel coming up happen simultaneously for many of the best hitters and I’ve had success teaching it. If you can get them to gather and go and be on time, that’s great. If they are late try what I suggest and see if it helps.

I wouldn't say load against the ground necessarily although that is on way to do it.. The reason some of us speak of compressing/loading within the s-plane is it removes any chance or fear of lunging (shifting across the pelvis to the front leg).. If one starts 60/40 they land 60/40 dynamically balanced, all because UFA's occurring within the s-plane.

Not saying its easy but it puts hitters in the best possible position when leveraged.
 
Last edited:
Feb 25, 2020
952
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If I had to pick which happens first between picking the front leg up or loading into the ground it would have to be loading into the ground or the gather. Loading into the ground first makes it easy to pick up the front leg the right way. Here is Miggy gathering before his swing. He is not striding but you can see his front foot being lifted by the loading in the lead side oblique. Similar to you though I still see it as one move.

View attachment 21170

Im sorry I cant get around this. "Front foot being lifted by the loading in his front side oblique" Obliques dont move the legs. It's just not the way the body works. Saying so just totally delegitamizes anything you have to say.
 

TDS

Mar 11, 2010
2,926
113
Im sorry I cant get around this. "Front foot being lifted by the loading in his front side oblique" Obliques dont move the legs. It's just not the way the body works. Saying so just totally delegitamizes anything you have to say.

Bonesaw, think in terms of allowing the middle (obliques) moving you forward while the legs are the supporters.

FZsLDtB.gif
 
Oct 2, 2017
2,283
113
Im sorry I cant get around this. "Front foot being lifted by the loading in his front side oblique" Obliques dont move the legs. It's just not the way the body works. Saying so just totally delegitamizes anything you have to say.
I don't think that's what @big_bruiser said, it seems he said, loading his front obliques makes it easier to pick up the front leg right away. I don't want to mischaracterize his words though.
 
Jun 5, 2019
24
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Im sorry I cant get around this. "Front foot being lifted by the loading in his front side oblique" Obliques dont move the legs. It's just not the way the body works. Saying so just totally delegitamizes anything you have to say.

Bonesaw, I'm not a kinesiologist. I'm sure you are right about the oblique muscle not being able to lift the leg. I was just trying to explain a feel I get when I load my body in a certain way. When I press my heel into the ground and load the middle of my body I can feel my foot/leg want to come up.
 
Feb 25, 2020
952
93
Bonesaw, I'm not a kinesiologist. I'm sure you are right about the oblique muscle not being able to lift the leg. I was just trying to explain a feel I get when I load my body in a certain way. When I press my heel into the ground and load the middle of my body I can feel my foot/leg want to come up.

Yah sorry I thought about that being a "feel" earlier thia morning! Had flashbacks...
 
Mar 6, 2016
383
63
OK, I thought I'd post this from DD latest AB/game. Many times we all post the hits and such, but I think seeing what happens on the misses/Ks helps more.

Both are from same AB. (vid 1 is foul tip strike 1. She then got two balls, a called strike 2 on a changeup away and then the last vid is strike 3)

A few things that I notice:
1. Stance is wider than she usually has for some reason. She's typically much narrower and usually brings her left front knee in.
2. Weight shift load to rear leg is too extreme and her eye level drops too much. I want her to have a little shift down into right hip pocket but to me too much on this AB.
3. Also can't see it from this angle, but had a chance to move and see where she set up in the box and she was REALLY close to the plate on the line in box. So, I think she is getting jammed (last few AB's have been hit off hands).

thoughts?

 
Mar 6, 2016
383
63
My wife got this one of DD Alexis (12u) while out in AZ this past weekend for a tourney. As mentioned in other posts, Alexis hands just drop so dramatically after impact/contact. It just seems like she could create so much more lift and power if she kept her swing on a more upward arc. We do various drills on "finishing" up and extending through contact and ending over her left front shoulder, but her tendency is to drop her hands low after contact.

She's a very good line drive hitter and did a nice job taking the outside pitch to RF in this video, but seems like she could drive ball deeper with a better finish.

Drills that specifically work on upward arc extension?
 
Last edited:
Sep 19, 2018
923
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I think her hands / bat arc are dropping due to lack of strength and bat speed. Until she is stronger, whatever arc she has will be dramatically changed at contact. Until she has the strength / bat speed to not have the bat arc completely change on contact, I am not sure how much more production you are going to get by hitting more fly balls.

Personal opinion, if she is making consistent, hard, line drive contact don't change it. At 12U hard contact makes things happen. And while this is a generalization (and may not be true for everyone), i think you'll have. more confident player if you have more hard contact (even if you have a few less extra base hits).
 

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