DD Getting Told To "Squish The Bug"

[softballphreak]

Does this contribute to the rear toe coming off of the ground at contact in many of the higher level swings that have been posted? Such as Pujols, i.e.?

What part do the hips play in a power swing compared to the back?

 

[Wellphyt]

Does this contribute to the rear toe coming off of the ground at contact in many of the higher level swings that have been posted? Such as Pujols, i.e.?

What part do the hips play in a power swing compared to the back?

Study this clip carefully.

[video]http://i29.tinypic.com/210f195.jpg[/video]

Do you see the creases form in the jersey just above the belt? IMO the creases are caused from the hips turning ahead of the shoulders. As you watch the clip consider this quote from Williams: "The way you bring your hips into the swing is directly proportionate to the power you generate."

If you knelt behind a player and held their waist to restrict their hips from turning as they took a swing, what do you think the results would be? Give it a try. Restrict the hips and let them swing with just their upper body. When the upper body gets around let the hips go. Poof. Nothing happens does it? The upper body doesn't tug on the hips does it?

What if you reversed the experiment and resticted the upper body while letting the hips turn? IOW, hold the player's hands back while they bring their hips into the pitch. Do you notice how the hips tug on the hands and want to bring the hands forward?

Now consider this exchange between Williams, Gammons, Boggs and Mattingly:

WILLIAMS: Did you think I transferred weight?

GAMMONS: As you start your swing, you cock your front leg, and at the point of contact you're coming up off your back foot ever so slightly. That's a shift.

WILLIAMS: That's a hard thing not to do. It's a very little weight shift, more of an unwinding of the hips. A weight shift upsets balance.

BOGGS: I don't know what else you can call it. O.K., tell me how you think I swing?

WILLIAMS: I think you're balanced. But you talk about shifting weight.

MATTINGLY: All good hitters shift their weight. I can't believe they don't. Show me how you get back.

WILLIAMS: I'm doing it with my hips.

When Ted is asked how he gets his weight back, he reponds by saying "I'm doing it with my hips". IOW, the hip cock/coil is how he shifted his weight back. When Gammons points out to him that his back foot comes off the ground as he swings, Ted responds by saying that the back foot coming off the ground is a result of his hips unwinding. Which is how Ted describes the forward weight shift. So the back foot coming off the ground is a result of a good weight shift, done with the hips.

In "The Science of Hitting" Ted describes the hip action as a "swivel action with the head as the axis." If the weight shift is done with the hips, and the hips are a swivel action, then the weight shift can be considered a swivel action of the hips.

If you stand in place with your feet shoulder width apart, coil around your back leg and then uncoil, you have performed a simple weight shift using your hips. If you take that basic action and add in a stride, you will create potential energy to power the weight shift. It really is that simple.

None of the girls I am working with using this approach, "spin out". One reason the girls "spin out" is because they don't shift their weight back correctly. They don't cock/coil their hips. If the hips aren't cocked/coil, there is no backward weight shift of the hips and therefore nothing to shift forward. What the girls typically do is shift their weight onto their back foot, abscence the hip cock/coil. Then they stride onto their front foot and drop their heel. When the heel drops there is nothing to unwind so the hips just turn. To compensate, the girls are taught to purposely push off the ground with the ball of their back foot. This is what I call a "forced weight shift".

If the hips cock/coil as soon as the front foot is picked up during the begining of the stride, the player has something available to shift forward into the swing and a lot of the stuff that gets taught just happens naturally. Which is why Ted said:

"The most important move I can think of is the cocking of the hips."

 

[Wellphyt]

I was just at the softball facility where the reputable softball hitting coach (HS) said not to go backwards before going forward, that you would get struck out (takes too long).

Also, again, you just admitted that explaining all the hoo-ha behind hitting is not helpful to young players, IMO, or even old ones like me who could care less, but hit the crap out of the ball anyway.

Why can't you just say turn your hips or put your legs into it?

If you can get the girls hitting the crap out of the ball by eliminating a negative move or by just saying "turn your hips or use your legs", go for it. There is no doubt that what you describe is still commonly taught.

 

[softballphreak]

Study this clip carefully.

[video]http://i29.tinypic.com/210f195.jpg[/video]

Do you see the creases form in the jersey just above the belt? IMO the creases are caused from the hips turning ahead of the shoulders. As you watch the clip consider this quote from Williams: "The way you bring your hips into the swing is directly proportionate to the power you generate."

If you knelt behind a player and held their waist to restrict their hips from turning as they took a swing, what do you think the results would be? Give it a try. Restrict the hips and let them swing with just their upper body. When the upper body gets around let the hips go. Poof. Nothing happens does it? The upper body doesn't tug on the hips does it?

What if you reversed the experiment and resticted the upper body while letting the hips turn? IOW, hold the player's hands back while they bring their hips into the pitch. Do you notice how the hips tug on the hands and want to bring the hands forward?

Now consider this exchange between Williams, Gammons, Boggs and Mattingly:

WILLIAMS: Did you think I transferred weight?

GAMMONS: As you start your swing, you cock your front leg, and at the point of contact you're coming up off your back foot ever so slightly. That's a shift.

WILLIAMS: That's a hard thing not to do. It's a very little weight shift, more of an unwinding of the hips. A weight shift upsets balance.

BOGGS: I don't know what else you can call it. O.K., tell me how you think I swing?

WILLIAMS: I think you're balanced. But you talk about shifting weight.

MATTINGLY: All good hitters shift their weight. I can't believe they don't. Show me how you get back.

WILLIAMS: I'm doing it with my hips.

When Ted is asked how he gets his weight back, he reponds by saying "I'm doing it with my hips". IOW, the hip cock/coil is how he shifted his weight back. When Gammons points out to him that his back foot comes off the ground as he swings, Ted responds by saying that the back foot coming off the ground is a result of his hips unwinding. Which is how Ted describes the forward weight shift. So the back foot coming off the ground is a result of a good weight shift, done with the hips.

In "The Science of Hitting" Ted describes the hip action as a "swivel action with the head as the axis." If the weight shift is done with the hips, and the hips are a swivel action, then the weight shift can be considered a swivel action of the hips.

If you stand in place with your feet shoulder width apart, coil around your back leg and then uncoil, you have performed a simple weight shift using your hips. If you take that basic action and add in a stride, you will create potential energy to power the weight shift. It really is that simple.

None of the girls I am working with using this approach, "spin out". One reason the girls "spin out" is because they don't shift their weight back correctly. They don't cock/coil their hips. If the hips aren't cocked/coil, there is no backward weight shift of the hips and therefore nothing to shift forward. What the girls typically do is shift their weight onto their back foot, abscence the hip cock/coil. Then they stride onto their front foot and drop their heel. When the heel drops there is nothing to unwind so the hips just turn. To compensate, the girls are taught to purposely push off the ground with the ball of their back foot. This is what I call a "forced weight shift".

If the hips cock/coil as soon as the front foot is picked up during the begining of the stride, the player has something available to shift forward into the swing and a lot of the stuff that gets taught just happens naturally. Which is why Ted said:

"The most important move I can think of is the cocking of the hips."

Excellent!

I'm currently using a kick-stride drill to get the girls to feel this. It's starting to show up in their game-speed swing. They're not doing a full kick stride like we do in the drill but the coiling of the hips is showing up more now.

Of course it's more than just the hips but the hips are a major component.

I totally agree with your post.

 

[RayR]

Of course, the hips turn....they have to since they are connected to the legs and torso....

But, how many girls try to rotate their hips and have terrible swings? Everyone just says to lead with hips like it is a panacea....

It is about sequence....and the legs working correctly....

It is indeed much like throwing (not like the way most girls are taught to throw, though...)

If you cock your front leg (IR the front thigh) it will have to roll out (ER)....if the thigh waits until toe touch to ER the ground closes the chain and connects the front thigh to the hips and the rear leg....they all turn.....they have to....

If you try to just rotate the hips there is no guarantee the front thigh will ER....most times the front leg will just land and as the hips turn lock out the knee...because the front hip rotates back and pulls the front leg straight....

In addition to this, is linking the front thigh to the action of the rear arm just as Hodge describes....

The rear upper arm (humerus) needs to internally rotate (drawing back a bow) as the front leg strides....once the front foot toe touches the humerus should externally rotate (elbow slot)....sequence....

The difference between a throw and swing is you try to externally rotate your front thigh before you land in a throw and you want to wait until toe touch in a swing....or maybe a skinch early on something inside....

Also in a throw the rear humerus will ER by getting the hand/ball up in kind of the L position....in a swing the humerus ER's by getting the elbow down.....but each humerus ER is tied to the action of the front thigh ERing.....

This sequence in a swing with the front foot down creates a stretch in the back muscles that spring the hands when time....IR the rear humerus too early and you end up bleeding the stretch with the hands coming forward or dropping....most girls skip the IR completely and do straight to ER.....bat drag....

And how many coaches do you see teach girls to start with the back elbow pointed at the ground and then end the instruction there....

Watch the clip below....as his hands go back he is IRing the humerus....when his front thigh opens the humerus ER's....the hands know how to allow this so that they can adjust....

It is pretty much impossible to do what I describes and squish the bug....or bat drag....

 

[Wellphyt]

I was just at the softball facility where the reputable softball hitting coach (HS) said not to go backwards before going forward, that you would get struck out (takes too long).

The belief that hitters don't have time for a negative move is not just taught in fastpitch. When I'm at the park I see coaches teaching the same thing to young baseball players. What these coaches are doing is programming hitters to stand at the plate like statues and start their swings from a dead stop. I'm having to deal with this on my 14U travel team. The girls are inherently late using this approach and they have little ability to adjust.

From a practical standpoint, a batter has from the time the pitcher receives the ball back from the catcher to the time the pitcher releases the ball, to perform their negative move. IOW, they have all kinds of time. The issue is not about whether or not a batter has enough time. The issue is being able to time the negative move so the batter gets to toe touch on-time. The way a hitter gets their timing down is by hitting lots and lots of live pitching. Or as Epstein says, once a player gets their mechanics down; it's hit, hit, hit.

Do fielders have a negative move when they throw overhand? How about fastpitch pitchers? Golfers? Tennis players? Boxers?

 

[softballphreak]

The belief that hitters don't have time for a negative move is not just taught in fastpitch. When I'm at the park I see coaches teaching the same thing to young baseball players. What these coaches are doing is programming hitters to stand at the plate like statues and start their swings from a dead stop. I'm having to deal with this on my 14U travel team. The girls are inherently late using this approach and they have little ability to adjust.

From a practical standpoint, a batter has from the time the pitcher receives the ball back from the catcher to the time the pitcher releases the ball, to perform their negative move. IOW, they have all kinds of time. The issue is not about whether or not a batter has enough time. The issue is being able to time the negative move so the batter gets to toe touch on-time. The way a hitter gets their timing down is by hitting lots and lots of live pitching. Or as Epstein says, once a player gets their mechanics down; it's hit, hit, hit.

Do fielders have a negative move when they throw overhand? How about fastpitch pitchers? Golfers? Tennis players? Boxers?

Actually, the opposite is true; instead of not enough time they have more time with a negative move. It takes more time to go from a dead stop.

I'm working with a power hitter who hits from a dead stop. She pulls most pitches left foul. One of the reasons is she feels she has to start early--too early. (I'm aware there could be other factors, but this is the main one.)

The dead stop works ok at younger levels but shows up as a major weakness at higher levels when the pitches vary.

 

[obbay]

The belief that hitters don't have time for a negative move is not just taught in fastpitch. When I'm at the park I see coaches teaching the same thing to young baseball players. What these coaches are doing is programming hitters to stand at the plate like statues and start their swings from a dead stop. I'm having to deal with this on my 14U travel team. The girls are inherently late using this approach and they have little ability to adjust.

Those coaches drive me CRAZY! the worst offender always coaches an all-star team and his DD is always on that team and she can't hit because of that damn statue batting stance!
Last year I inherited one player who had been "damaged" by his teachings. she and her mother were both so happy when I told her to forget that BS and swing away. she could really hit the ball, she just needed someone to let her do it.

 

[PEPPERS]

My daughter attended a camp at the University of Alabama during the camp she advised that rhythm and movement and a negative move was promoted to slowed the game down for the hitter.

Squash the bug as I see it, is considered to rob the swing of power in todays teaching of the swing.

 

[RayR]

If you cock the front leg / hip and get the foot down in time with the hands back you always have a chance and will hit with more power....even on the machine if you get the foot down early you are essentially turning the machine pitch into a change up....keep the hands back and you will be surprised at how hard you can still hit the ball assuming the front leg and hip are opening the correct way...