All I hear is " keep your back elbow up" and "level swing"

[quincy]

You can just do what I did this year with one player who had a parent on her case while at bat. I told her that her mom means well but does not know what she is talking about and gave proper instruction. I went on to tell her that her Mom meant well but that if she wanted to hit well she should listen to me while on the field and not her mom.

Response a week later: Sure coach she has to listen to you while she is on the field....BUT....She has to live with me.
This player is no longer on my team. Here is your SIGN!!!! So sad for the player but I could no longer manage her mom.

Otherwise....Breathe....Move on. This is gonna happen no matter what.

The way you characterized this it I would not have approached it the way either of you did.

If you want DD to change how she swings me as a parent needs to be educated or you are fighting a losing battle. I spend more time working with her then her coaches and have more influence. I do not provide advice during a game but you will have her head spinning with us practicing one thing and you have her trying to do something different in the games.

 

[nanotech14]

Quincy,I have to agree with you ,if the coach is lost and does not know what they are doing.I don't mean to poke fun of ASA-Crossfire-12u,but if he was coaching my dd and knowing what I know about the high level swing that MLB players use and he was telling me it is wrong,because this is softball.My dd would just smile at him and say okay and do what she has been trained to do,use a MLB high level swing.No offense to ASA-Crossfire and sorry up front if you don't like my post.I hope that you will go to the model hitting threads and watch the clips and read the info on there.

 

[ASA-CROSSFIRE-12U]

Quincy,I have to agree with you ,if the coach is lost and does not know what they are doing.I don't mean to poke fun of ASA-Crossfire-12u,but if he was coaching my dd and knowing what I know about the high level swing that MLB players use and he was telling me it is wrong,because this is softball.My dd would just smile at him and say okay and do what she has been trained to do,use a MLB high level swing.No offense to ASA-Crossfire and sorry up front if you don't like my post.I hope that you will go to the model hitting threads and watch the clips and read the info on there.

Nanotech14 No offense taken. But a little to what you said about "coach is lost and does not know what they are doing". You can talk to 100 different coaches and they all will tell you 100 different ways to do everything. All I was trying to get across is that what I have seen. I have seen the raised elbow and then what the high school coaches teach the girls, we have 4 different high schools around here and all have the same batting style and it really works. If I had the time right now I would try to put together a clip and post it, the video would probably explain it better than I could typing it.

If something is not working for a player I find ways that will work and get them to be a better player. If the not raised elbow works and they have a great power swing and are hitting it over the fence or close to it, nothing hurt right? I by no means know everything about being a coach and never will. I can assure you I am always looking to improve players and to improve as a coach!Also have looked at the model hitting threads and watched the clips. Enjoy it is my weekend! Till next week everyone!

 

[MsDinosaur]

DD tends to keep her back elbow up and her hitting instructor would rather see her arms in the upside down V. However, what she's really emphasizing right now is using her hips/lower body, not opening up, and not wrapping the bat. I'm fairly clueless, but I can often see when she wraps the barrel behind her head, so that's what I yell about. :-D

 

[rdbass]

Bat wrap causes a long swing.My DD bat wraps.A habit she picked up hitting off at tee.She thoght would give more power to her swing.She makes it work, but I would like the bat more vertical.I like a high back elbow during the swing, because I have found helps my DD not drop her hands as much.I also think it helps her to "turn" the bat behind her instead of beside her.

 

[Ken Krause]

Williams hit 423 with a super low rear elbow setup and Giambi hit 429 with a super high rear elbow setup. I don't consider either style a "myth".

When did Giambi hit .429? I must've missed that. Last I heard Williams was the last MLB hitter to hit .400 or more for the season.

What I am saying is there is no reason to tell a hitter to get her back elbow up. It's useless information and doesn't help. Some players do it, probably because someone told them to do it and they just got used to it. But I doubt even the players who do it and are successful would tell you that's the secret to their success. There are lots more important things to focus on than the back elbow. If all you're telling hitters to help them is "get your back elbow up" you're not helping them at all.

And T, I know you're not personally doing that. I am using the global "you," not you personally.

 

[pstein]

When did Giambi hit .429? I must've missed that. Last I heard Williams was the last MLB hitter to hit .400 or more for the season.

What I am saying is there is no reason to tell a hitter to get her back elbow up. It's useless information and doesn't help. Some players do it, probably because someone told them to do it and they just got used to it. But I doubt even the players who do it and are successful would tell you that's the secret to their success. There are lots more important things to focus on than the back elbow. If all you're telling hitters to help them is "get your back elbow up" you're not helping them at all.

And T, I know you're not personally doing that. I am using the global "you," not you personally.

Load the hands, retract the scap. If you can do that successfully (consistently) without raising the elbow, I'll stop believing in it.

 

[CoogansBluff]

"Keep the back elbow up" is a myth, spouted by people who don't know what else to say. Keep the back arm relaxed and maintain the box/triangle. When you load the back elbow will raise (if you do it right). If it's already there you have no where to go.

I like the box/triangle better as well. But do you think this is an absolute or a preference? My daughter has back elbow level to the ground while in her stance - which was taught to her by a hitting coach (who coincidentally is an ex-MLB player). I've never changed it because, while not what I'd recommend, I don't think it's a significant issue for her.

 

[CoogansBluff]

... retract the scap. ....

How do you do that? Not questioning it, just never heard it and wondered what you meant by it. By scap, you mean scapula? At first, I thought I read ''retract the scalp.'' I see a lot of coaches out there with retracted scalps. That's why so many caps are sold.

 

[pstein]

How do you do that? Not questioning it, just never heard it and wondered what you meant by it. By scap, you mean scapula? At first, I thought I read ''retract the scalp.'' I see a lot of coaches out there with retracted scalps. That's why so many caps are sold.

Yes, I meant scapula. Sorry, too lazy to type the whole thing out.