Baseballance?

[baseballance]

Wellphyt-- there are videos of hitters using the BASEBALLANCE in live BP, as a drill to stay back on the offspeed pitch---coaches were throwing live curveballs.

WARNING: NOT ALL SWINGS are perfect so if you can't stand to watch a student learn or progress and build and develop, like some others---please don't watch the videos.

But, there are some swings in there where (if you watch the bottom half) the hitters get it RIGHT--- that stay back and explode movement that puts the board at a balanced position right at the point of contact. Search through the BASEBALLANCE YOUTUBE stuff and look for the kids in the black jerseys hitting on the field--- some are bad, but we learn through feel. When things are bad--- we let the hitters feel that and work not to duplicate it. Let me know what you think. After exploding the back side on this board--it becomes a very simple task on flat ground.

 

[PEPPERS]

This is a training device. It is totally dependent on the instructor/user to define its application. Not the student. It is obvious that the young man in the video has swing flaws in both the upper and lower parts of his movement.

That being said I don't think BB was even trying to demonstrate the perfect hitter using their training device. My use of it with students is to start very very slowly with it so the student can "FEEL" their weight transfer during the swing process. This also gets them used to the rocking motion and forces them to stabilize and try to maintain a better sense of balance during the swing. Once that is accomplished then we start speeding it up. I have also used it to just put them in their stance and challenge them to maintain balance. Most last about 30 seconds before they start loosing stability. At that time I point out to them they don't know how to balance themselves. If they cant do it on this do you think they are doing it when they set up at the plate?

What I can promise you without a doubt is that when you take a student off this device they have a much better understanding of how to use momentum and maintain balance and stability in the lower body feeding into the core. How you mold that into the students swing is totally up to the instructor or coach.

I can see the difference in their ability to move and I can see the difference in the power they generate due to understanding balance and momentum weight transfer. That is all that matters for me.

Dana.

My DD attended the University Alabama summer camp and they had one of these devices she tried to describe it to me, but she could not make me understand, she love the device. Then at the Nashville, TN pro softball game they had one they were bidding on for cancer and after time expired she had the highest bid, half was her money and half nine, and then a 10 YO girl came crying and they let her have the device and told my daughter to get lost pretty much ,she is 15. If they had not cheated my daughter out of it I would be able to give my opinion on the thing.

I had intended to let her HS team use it, because I was not sure how it worked or what it accomplished, hopefully the HS coach would. I saw an ad on the device and became curious and was wondering if anyone had experience with it. According to the add it has a number of good programs use the device and recommend it. It accoriding to the ad was awarded the 2010 best new device.

ifubuildit

What I can promise you without a doubt is that when you take a student off this device they have a much better understanding of how to use momentum and maintain balance and stability in the lower body feeding into the core. How you mold that into the students swing is totally up to the instructor or coach.

This is very important to the female hitter.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

It's hard to say what it accomplishes without trying it out. Based on the two demo clips that FFS posted, you have to wonder if it is doing more harm than good. The most efficient swing is one where the hitter is balanced throughout the entire swing. It stands to reason that if you put me on a platform that rocks back and forth every time I make a movement, I'm going to be fighting to stay balanced. My body is going to react differently than if I were standing on stable ground. It also seems like this device would hinder the uncoil. IOW, when you do your initial hip cock, the device would undoubtedly rock back as it should. However when you reverse the hips to uncoil, I don't see how this device could possibly keep up given the suddenness...explosiveness, of the uncoil move. When I uncoil, I want to be on stable ground so I don't end up on my butt.

Very good Wellphyt. Once the body is out of balance, the body will place a higher degree of focus on the task of re-balancing the body than on the movement they are trying to make. Whether people know it or not, this is already part of a person's swing mechanics ... and if understood well, would add to their understanding of beginning their swing from a balanced position. What we see here are people performing swings with their bodies being taken unnaturally out of balance, and what I believe is the result is that the movement they are intending to make is being sacrificed and modified for the higher purpose of re-balancing the body while in movement.

The hitter has no choice. The body will place a higher priority on seeking balance.

As an example .... assume you are walking across a batting cage and you trip or stumble. You suddenly fall off balance. Rather than simply fall to the ground, your body will sense being off balance and will do what is necessary to seek balance ... such as sticking your arms out, etc. The task of walking across the cage suddenly is interrupted while higher priority is given to the body seeking balance. The body's need to establish balance is extremely high and will be put ahead of the body's planned activity.

 

[baseballance]

Well said, and the basis for the BASEBALLANCE. Once you get back to flat ground and allow transfer of the feel and movements you have acquired, things are easier on flat ground.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

BB … my observation is that the swings being demonstrated on this device are not good … and there is a perfectly good explanation for this. To a certain extent, the device will cause the user to modify and sacrifice their swing mechanics WHILE using this device. That is because the device unnaturally places the hitter out of balance, thus causing them to place a higher priority weighting on re-balancing their body over executing the planned activity of swinging a bat.

IMO, the product should be presented in a manner to make it clear that it is primarily about capturing the goodness of dynamic balance. That of course could be followed up with how improved dynamic balance enhances the swing.

IMO, the desire should be that the user is capturing the ‘goodness’ of dynamic balance and ignoring the inferior swing mechanics that accompany having a higher priority task of suddenly needing to seek balance.

Trying to actually teach mechanics, while a hitter is off-balance, is a questionable objective IMO. The hitter would be frustrated, as it is unlikely that they could adequately control not giving a higher priority weighting to their body seeking balance.

If what you are suggesting is that the intent of this device is on improving dynamic balance … and that doing this will have positive benefits WHEN the player is returned to ‘flat ground’, and that this better employs/trains their muscles to maintain dynamic balance, then that is something that I could possibly believe.

What I’d be interested in seeing is ‘before’, ‘during’ and ‘after’ videos of people using this product. What I’d like to know is if this product improves one’s ‘drive’ (weight shift … and associated synchronization/timing) without degrading their swing mechanics. I suspect that is possible, but the hitter would likely need to be educated on what they should be extracting from their usage of this product … and that would not include the enhancement of the swing WHILE using this product.

I do believe that improved dynamic balance leads to overall improved swing mechanics … but you won’t see that in the demonstrations advertising the product … and IMO the advertised demonstrations don’t do the concept of ‘dynamic balance’ justice.

I do have a question on the overall shape of the product. To me, the load is not purely all ‘back towards the catcher’. The load has a translational component to it … as in also being directed back towards the rear butt cheek. The forward-and-back rocking platform doesn’t take that into account. Is that the purpose of the side-to-side platform? Ideally I think you’d want to combine the multi-directional components into one unit.

Let me know if there is a demo unit in the Portland, OR area and I’ll test it out.

 

[ifubuildit]

Five

You can actually perform the hip load while on this device as well as stride. It cant be a long stride but more controlled in nature. That is one thing I have discussed with BB. I would like it to be about a foot longer. Maybe the second coming of the device.

If the hitter lifts the front foot to stride and the rockers go back then they have too much weight on the back leg starting the swing. It is all about dynamic balance with this system. It is instant feed back. In most cases if they go through with the swing they will squish the bug and not transfer the weight as needed to the front side.

One thing you don't see with the device is there are legs that are "Rocker Stops" that limit the amount of rock on the device. They are not on it in the videos. That way you can control the amount of rock backwards and forwards. This also gets the hitter to feel better balance and movement with limited opportunity to make a mistake that will throw them completely off balance.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

IFBU ... thank you for the explanation. I appreciated your description.

Funny that you mention the front foot/leg lift. I would especially like to see a demo where someone lifts their front leg. Is it possible to use this device and perform a front leg lift where the front leg internally rotates as the one coils into their rear hip? Have you tried something like that with this device?

I would think the 'rocker stop' legs would be essential. If you go back too far then I suspect you would have to engage a different set of muscles than what you wish to target.

Your suggestion that the board be longer to permit a stride makes sense to me.

 

[baseballance]

How to Regulate the Movement of the BASEBALLANCE

BOOTS AND REGULATED MOVEMENT | Facebook

One thing you don't see with the device is there are legs that are "Rocker Stops" that limit the amount of rock on the device. They are not on it in the videos. That way you can control the amount of rock backwards and forwards. This also gets the hitter to feel better balance and movement with limited opportunity to make a mistake that will throw them completely off balance.

 

[baseballance]

The BASEBALLANCE is available in a larger version, as well. 6 feet long by 3 feet wide. Is there a way to post photos here without a url?

Original is 4 feet long by 20 inches wide.

 

[baseballance]

Original Board with the Bigger Version | Facebook

The bigger version with the smaller/original.