Are we on the right track?

[FiveFrameSwing]

Flattening the bat out too quick?

I'm glad you asked that. IMO she was swinging with a "mental image" of the barrel "flattening out". That isn't what I see when I review video clips of the better hitters. More often than not you'll see a diagonal barrel path ... and at contact you'll find the barrel looking more like an 'extension' of the leadarm ... i.e., the lead humerus & lead forearm will be roughly lined up with the barrel ... as in resembling a hitting lever. IMO, that isn't the case for this girl.

 

[newsoftballdad]

I know we don't want to teach an uppercut swing, so how do I explain to a 10 year old that the bat is an extension of the humerus? I am not being flippant here, but what term could I use. I try to explain the swing as a shallow U shape, but your examples are much more angular with the bat coming up from a point below the ball.

 

[SBFAMILY]

http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-hitting/2826-dd1-hitting-video-feedback-mechanics.html Here is the post. At her age keep it simple, some of this discussion you can have when she gets older. That is why I tried to keep my post to the basic's

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

I realize you aren't being 'flippant'.

I don't expect you to use the term 'humerus' with a 10yr old. I do expect you as a hitting instructor to know what the humerus is however. For a 10yr old, speaking in terms of the 'bat being an extension of the lead arm' can be somewhat helpful ... or at least I've had 'some' success with that cue. But that cue is useless if you don't demonstrate 'right' & 'wrong' and get your student to have success.

Consider starting by demonstrating what is 'wrong'. I consider the swing plane set up at contact demonstrated below to be 'incorrect'.

What I consider to be more 'correct' is arriving at 'contact' with the barrel roughly lined up with the lead arm ... see earlier GIFs and the highlighted 'red' line.

What I do is have my students perform swings and stop at 'contact'. The hitter will remain frozen in their contact position while I outline their hitting lever (lead humerus + lead forearm + bat barrel) and I give them feedback in terms of whether or not it is a 'broken lever' or not. I would consider this girls 'hitting lever' to be 'broken' at 'contact'. The goal is to get the hitter comfortable in terms of using a swing path that roughly aligns the lead arm & barrel at 'contact'.

I do more ... and have prior requirements earlier in the swing ... such as passing through the "Power-V" ... which is another position that I have students stop in and review the quality of their "pinched rear forearm-to-bicep".

Bottom-line, IMO, this girls swing plane could be significantly improved ... and the good news is that when she improves on this she'll likely see a significant increase in her ability to consistently drive the ball deep. It's a main selling point. I'll have girls hit into an open field ... and then when I correct their swing plane they'll see a dramatic improvement in their ability to drive the ball deep. They quickly become sold on the concept.

 

[newsoftballdad]

Thanks.

Simpler is better at this point, but I still don't want to teach anything that needs to get "untaught" later if she continues on.

 

[newsoftballdad]

I realize you aren't being 'flippant'.

I don't expect you to use the term 'humerus' with a 10yr old. I do expect you as a hitting instructor to know what the humerus is however. For a 10yr old, speaking in terms of the 'bat being an extension of the lead arm' can be somewhat helpful ... or at least I've had 'some' success with that cue. But that cue is useless if you don't demonstrate 'right' & 'wrong' and get your student to have success.

Consider starting by demonstrating what is 'wrong'. I consider the swing plane set up at contact demonstrated below to be 'incorrect'.

What I consider to be more 'correct' is arriving at 'contact' with the barrel roughly lined up with the lead arm ... see earlier GIFs and the highlighted 'red' line.

What I do is have my students perform swings and stop at 'contact'. The hitter will remain frozen in their contact position while I outline their hitting lever (lead humerus + lead forearm + bat barrel) and I give them feedback in terms of whether or not it is a 'broken lever' or not. I would consider this girls 'hitting lever' to be 'broken' at 'contact'. The goal is to get the hitter comfortable in terms of using a swing path that roughly aligns the lead arm & barrel at 'contact'.

I do more ... and have prior requirements earlier in the swing ... such as passing through the "Power-V" ... which is another position that I have students stop in and review the quality of their "pinched rear forearm-to-bicep".

Bottom-line, IMO, this girls swing plane could be significantly improved ... and the good news is that when she improves on this she'll likely see a significant increase in her ability to consistently drive the ball deep. It's a main selling point. I'll have girls hit into an open field ... and then when I correct their swing plane they'll see a dramatic improvement in their ability to drive the ball deep. They quickly become sold on the concept.

I do understand your concept, that basically you should be able to draw a straight line from the end of the bat through the forearm and up. How do I avoid casting the hands in this swing? We have taught to keep the hands inside, which I am assuming still holds true, until the poc, then everything unhinges and the stored power is released?

By the way not a hitting coach, per say, but one of 4 coach/fathers on the team, she is my DD.

Thanks

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Thanks.

Simpler is better at this point, but I still don't want to teach anything that needs to get "untaught" later if she continues on.

I agree completely. That is why I gave examples of accomplished hitters. IMO you want to follow a path that helps you get to where they have gotten to. Swinging with a "flattened barrel path" will not get you there IMO ... but swinging with a diagonal barrel path will. This is why I stress teaching mechanics that can be verified through video analysis of the better hitters of this game ... so that you don't teach something that needs to be 'untaught'.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

I do understand your concept, that basically you should be able to draw a straight line from the end of the bat through the forearm and up. How do I avoid casting the hands in this swing? We have taught to keep the hands inside, which I am assuming still holds true, until the poc, then everything unhinges and the stored power is released?

By the way not a hitting coach, per say, but one of 4 coach/fathers on the team, she is my DD.

Thanks

Yes, you'll want to promote a swing without 'casting'. I do this by teaching a swing that some refer to as having a "tight hand pivot point" ... and I have my students perform swings and stop at the "Power-V" position to confirm that they have maintained a pinched rear forearm-to-bicep (see 'red' Vee in the GIF below). IMO, teaching a swing with a "tight HPP" is roughly equivalent to teaching what others refer to as having the hands inside the ball ... the tight HPP is basically a means to satisfying that objective.

 

[Hitter]

When we instruct one on one the mirrors help a lot and at clinics we use caution tape to represent the Big Zone. We do not term it a long zone.

This points out to the student that we want to keep our hands inside the path of the ball.

We have found it also helps to have them simply to pull on a rope and set them up in the bat lag position to feel the position of a lead flexed elbow and not a straight out elbow as it does not offer a strong position.

We want them to feel that the lead elbow is pulling more and the rear elbow is helping to guide the bat for now and build from there.

We go back to the Big Zone again and show them that by keeping the hands inside the ball and releasing the barrel to the ball is the goal. This demonstrates we can hit the ball even though it may be foul however they see the bat is in the Big Zone. For now it is just a beginning.

We then hold a ball where a ball would be considered a strike in the upper portion of the strike zone or a rise ball and ask them to show us how the would hit it?

Then we introduce them to the elbow is above the plane of the pitch and the hands are above the ball and the bat head is below the hands at a slight angle.

Then we hold the ball at the knee caps as if it were a drop ball and ask them to position the bat to hit the ball again. Most will do what we said before and attempt to keep the elbow and hands above the plane of the pitch. What they do notice is the bat head is lower down and we explain the bat has a steeper angle as the ball is lower HOWEVER in all situations the elbow is above the plane of the pitch and the hands are above the ball and the bat head is angled accordingly as to the height of the pitch.

We explain they must from this point on look through the net and track the ball to the tee in all the drills we do and not just stare at the ball on the tee.

Then we do the matrix drill going very slowly and being very mechanical and then when they can tap the ball into the target area in the net, we proceed to pick up the fluidity in their movement.

We demonstrate this by using a half full or half empty bottle of water, depends on your view of life and have them put their hand under ours so they can feel the water shifting in the bottle as the bottle is laying in our hands. We shake the bottle and stop it to show them what we mean by being fluid in our motion.

We then show them what we mean by a flexed front knee and allowing the weight to continue forward.

We draw back to when we were throwing that a stiff front leg prevented the back leg from coming around as we could not shift our weight.

Everything has a progression and they seem to pick it up better that way.

Getting them to swing a little harder in the matrix builds their confidence and then dropping tennis balls and asking them to hit the ball as it bounces back helps build a loading and stepping sequence by which to time the ball.

Laying the foundation of balance, head down verses up and a good two eyed look by giving them a stance by which they choose and feel comfortable also helps.

Throwing gives us an opportunity to allow them to start to feel momentum and using a sense of timing and rhythm in their athletic movements they are learning.

For many it is possibly the first time anyone has even explained how to get balanced or why.

Thanks Howard

 

[redhotcoach]

Howard, you should put everything you use in a kit and sell it. Could be big money. "The Howard Hitting Kit." Rope, caution tape, towels, clips, tape measures, and etc. I want in.