- Oct 25, 2009
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I agree with that. But for a beginner trying to understand stride this is a good start. Being at toe touch (timing) is often overlooked.
Batting Progress for my DD
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I agree with that. But for a beginner trying to understand stride this is a good start. Being at toe touch (timing) is often overlooked.
- Oct 25, 2009
- 3,331
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I did watch the Sue Enquist video and we have been working on the stride a bit since my last video . She seems to want to move her hips and hands at the same time in the same direction . I have been trying to come up with a way to hold the bat back so she can get her hips moving before the bat . The first go round I wasn't being very smart and just held the bat until she had moved her hips thinking she would check her swing . Wound up with some bruised ribs for my troubles there
I am gonna try and have her get into her finished swing as was suggested elsewhere and then have her hold her hips there while she swings through the ball to see if that helps her understand what needs to happen .
I told her your mantra Amy '"Hips first , then hands."
We watched the Benyi video together but when her stance is as wide as Benyi's she struggles to get any stride at all . Thats why we narrowed her stance back up a bit . the other thing about the Benyi clip is that it appears to me that her back elbow is up . Originally she held her bat almost exactly like that but didn't stride . I was told that having the elbow up was incorrect so we spent the last year getting her to tuck the elbow down .
That is Benyi's stance. Yours may vary. Her moves are good. Notice how she shifts her weight (loads) slightly before going forward (striding) to toe touch (touching down with the toe). Notice how her front heel plants as she initiates her swing (heel plant). Notice how she maintains her balance and posture although she is shifting her weight forward. Notice how her back foot ends up on the toe at ball contact before it settles back down.
There are many such swings under the Model Swings thread. Look for the similarities.
I believe you are referring to the "check-swing" drill I posted on another thread today. That drill is really good for the hip lead and some bat drag issues. It's important to do that drill a lot, not just understand it. It's self-teaching. If she's comfortable doing it, she's probably not doing it right. Exaggerate the hips forward, and the hands back. And swing hard. Well, as hard as it will let you. Between just about every pitch I have to tell the girls, "hips, hips, more hip, hands back".
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My DD read some of the posts and watched both the Sue E. video and rewatched the Benyi video . We went outside and adjusted a few things then I had to run a quick errand . She had her sister make this video and upload it while I was gone . To my untrained eye the second swing in this sequence looks like the best and in the last one even she commented that she forgot to load .
[video]http://www.youtube.com/user/Nefffamily1#p/a/u/0/b9-ZcTw-Ejk[/video]
[video]http://www.youtube.com/user/Nefffamily1#p/a/u/0/b9-ZcTw-Ejk[/video]
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- Oct 25, 2009
- 3,331
- 48
Good! Now, let's stride, like she's doing for now, to toe touch. Right now she is landing on her whole foot. She needs to touch down lightly on her big toe/ball of the foot, with the heel up and her front knee bent. At the instant she starts her swing she needs to forcefully plant the front heel into the ground. Also at this instant the front knee will firm up so that she is hitting against a firm front side, like she's doing now.
For drill purposes, have her pause at toe touch as described above and then heel plant/swing. Matter of fact it would be a good idea to just come to toe touch several times then swing after successfully doing the toe touch a few times. Have her keep this in mind, when she is at toe touch, she is ready to swing at the ball—whether pitched or on a tee. She is only ready to swing when she is at toe touch. That's where you have to be to launch the swing.
Ideally you will be at toe touch the instant before the ball gets there. It's ok to be somewhat early but it's never ok to be late to toe touch. It's the pitcher's job to disrupt that. Now, toe touch should be almost effortless. Everything until you swing should feel effortless. No matter how fast the pitcher is. But I'm drifting. Let's just stay with toe touch for now.
Good job so far. Waiting for more video or questions.
For drill purposes, have her pause at toe touch as described above and then heel plant/swing. Matter of fact it would be a good idea to just come to toe touch several times then swing after successfully doing the toe touch a few times. Have her keep this in mind, when she is at toe touch, she is ready to swing at the ball—whether pitched or on a tee. She is only ready to swing when she is at toe touch. That's where you have to be to launch the swing.
Ideally you will be at toe touch the instant before the ball gets there. It's ok to be somewhat early but it's never ok to be late to toe touch. It's the pitcher's job to disrupt that. Now, toe touch should be almost effortless. Everything until you swing should feel effortless. No matter how fast the pitcher is. But I'm drifting. Let's just stay with toe touch for now.
Good job so far. Waiting for more video or questions.
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I can see some good improvement from her first video. Good info from softballfreak.
One thing I noticed that she is hitting the top half of the ball most of the time, and looks like she is just hitting the ball at the net, instead of trying to drive it through the net. Can't tell if her hands are rolling over at impact, or if she just isn't keeping her eye on the ball at contact. (fingers on left hand should be facing down at impact, and fingers on right hand should be facing up) Swing # 2 did look better and more power than the others.
Have her focusing more on hitting the middle or just below middle part of the ball and have her swing through the ball, and not just at the ball. ( swing like she is trying to drive the ball through the net)
One thing I noticed that she is hitting the top half of the ball most of the time, and looks like she is just hitting the ball at the net, instead of trying to drive it through the net. Can't tell if her hands are rolling over at impact, or if she just isn't keeping her eye on the ball at contact. (fingers on left hand should be facing down at impact, and fingers on right hand should be facing up) Swing # 2 did look better and more power than the others.
Have her focusing more on hitting the middle or just below middle part of the ball and have her swing through the ball, and not just at the ball. ( swing like she is trying to drive the ball through the net)
I can watch the video frame by frame and she is definitely keeping her eye on the ball at point of contact and then some as well as keeping her hands faced correctly . here is a couple still frames from the video .
We have practice tonight so we will head down to the field a little early and hit a few before practice . She likes to see how much closer the ball gets to the fence when she changes things
We have practice tonight so we will head down to the field a little early and hit a few before practice . She likes to see how much closer the ball gets to the fence when she changes things
In the still frames from the video, look at the position of the bat to her front forearm. They should be in line with each other. She needs to lead more with the front elbow (bent) so there is more angle between the upper arm and forearm, instead of bat to forearm. This will keep her hands in tighter to her body and allow more bat speed and power. Look at the Benyi video again and compare her hand/arm position to these pictures. Extending the arms before contact will lessen the "whip" of the bat.
The angle that the hitter aligns the bat handle into the fingers directly impacts which fingers are engaged in the grip. The fingers that are designed for gripping are the bottom three fingers, not the index finger and thumb. Actually the middle and ring finger are but the strength of the ring finger is limited when the pinky isn't used along with it.
By positioning the bat into the hand at an angle vs. straight (90 degrees), the gripper fingers are better engaged allowing for more control and bat-speed through the swing. This grip will produce a "trigger finger" type of position with the index finger.
The most efficient grip alignment is not "knocking knuckles with knocking knuckles". It is "knocking knuckles of the top hand somewhere between the "knocking" and "big" knuckles of the bottom hand.
The Bat Jack Grip Trainer - Baseball / Softball Swing Aid Develops Proper Bat Grip For Hitting
Jim, I agree with you and I even go further with my grip and line up the knocker knuckles with the large knuckles of the bottom hand. This gives me a grip with a much wider angle between my wrists. I DO NOT grip the bat tight with the top hand. The top hand must be loose enough to allow it to turn on the bat as the angle between the wrists goes from wide, at the beginning, to narrow at contact. -- I tell the girls that my top hand rotates.
- Oct 25, 2009
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Read this thread, post #10, in particular:
http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-hitting-technical/6013-bat-drag-seperation.html
