DD Getting Told To "Squish The Bug"

[jryan15]

Any chance someone could share a link to this material? Thanks!

My daughter needs help, and my understanding of the overhand throw is not adequate. Any help would be appreciated... I'm striking out on google.

 

[rdbass]

Hodge Biomechanic baseball is what it is called.I think it is a tape or book google that.But if you have time read through all the posts of the forum on tech hitting.You can learn everything and I do mean everything you will need to know on helping your DD become a better hitter.I'm always reading and rereading.So much to learn.If you can throw correctly you will be able to hit same sequence.

 

[jryan15]

Thanks for the info. I've been searching with those keywords, but maybe I'll try using it as a phrase.

I agree with you on the reading part and that throwing right will lead to hitting right. The problem is that neither one of us throw correctly, lol. As a big kid who could throw from 3rd to 1st, throwing instruction for me petty much ended before it began.

In my quest to become a better teacher for my daughters, I've realized the importantance of energy transfer from the bottom up. My eyes have been opened to how closely the core movements are utilized in all sports ie throwing, hitting, tennis serve, golf swing, etc. With this in mind, my primary objective is not necessarily to improve my daughters softball throw/swing, but to teach her the kinetic chain which will help her in every sport from here on out.

That being said, it's my impression that I should start with throwing mechanics (hodge material if I ever find it), but if any one is able read into my objective and offer any training/teaching material, I would really appreciate the feed back. Thanks!

 

[PEPPERS]

I saw this in an email from Marc and it has great timing in regard to my daughters hitting.

"Believe me, I've seen and heard plenty of things in practice facilities over the years that have made me cringe. Some of it is just bad advice (such as get your back elbow up to hitters), while other things are just patently incorrect (such as squish the bug)."

Currently my daughter is getting told by a coach on her team to do just that. My basic question is why is this incorrect to teach?

To clarify my daughter goes to a very good, established hitting coach and frankly she starts getting a lot of advice from others when she just averts from his teachings and then starts hitting weak at the plate. Now I wonder how I handle all of this without pissing off her teams coaches.

My daughter has struggled with this many times through the years she is now 16.

I try to get her the best training I can for hitting and then someone like a school coach, mostly well meaning, says squash the bug, level shoulders or hands to the ball and she gets to thinking or questing herself and she struggles at the plate.

I tell her trust your training, you’ve had had some great coaches and instructors that you know that understand the swing. So trust what you have learned from them.

 

[softballphreak]

My daughter has struggled with this many times through the years she is now 16.

I try to get her the best training I can for hitting and then someone like a school coach, mostly well meaning, says squash the bug, level shoulders or hands to the ball and she gets to thinking or questing herself and she struggles at the plate.

I tell her trust your training, you’ve had had some great coaches and instructors that you know that understand the swing. So trust what you have learned from them.

Part of the problem is there has been instruction from "great" coaches that has proven to be wrong. "Squish the bug" is a perfect example. Many great coaches taught this. As technology evolves, many facets of mechanics are brought into question.

People should not just take what they see, read, or hear for truth. They need to know how and why. As FiveFrameSwing mentions frequently, use the Hanson principle: “Always compare what anybody tells you about the swing to slow motion clips of the best hitters in the world”.
-- Mark Hanson

Note he said the "best hitters" not the "best hitter". There'll be minor variations.

 

[guero_gordo]

Part of the problem is there has been instruction from "great" coaches that has proven to be wrong. "Squish the bug" is a perfect example. Many great coaches taught this. As technology evolves, many facets of mechanics are brought into question.

IMHO This is the kind of thing that hurts the "coachable" kids more than the "naturals", because they listen and attempt to do what they're told. The naturals will do something completely different that just works, and the coach claims the success, which is how the stuff gets perpetuated I guess.