Favorite drills for assessing and fixing swing flaws

[Ryan777]

While on this forum I’ve enjoyed seeing the discussions and debates on creating an elite swing, although they do get contentious at times I just chalk that up to people being passionate. There were two or three threads in a row recently where the general diagnosis was bat drag as the culprit for weak or no contact and it was interesting because while people agreed there was bat drag some saw it as a cause while others saw it as an effect.

so with that in mind what are the biggest flaws you all see in young players swings? What drills, mental cues or training aids do you use to help correct said flaws? And bonus question how do you approach the situation when a girl may not buy in easily because she has been swinging a certain way their whole playing career? I’ll get us started in a new comment

 

[Ryan777]

Recently I’ve had three new hitters I’ve been working with varying in age from 10-13. Immediately noticed that as they stride out their hands would float forward with the body. Their hands end up in a poor position with a ton of slack and their swing turns into a flick or pushy swing.

Now depending on who you ask people will say walk away from the hands tip and rip load into the scalp what have you, but my biggest thing is that they do what works best for them while removing slack from their body and landing in a balanced launch position.

One drill I do to try to get them to feel the stride moving away from the hands is the feet together drill. I’ll have them find their balance as they coil into the back leg, from there the butt of their bat and front knee will come together and as they initiate the stride will pull away from each other. The biggest goal is for them to realize that their backside needs to hold until they get to toe touch. Most girls pick it up pretty quickly and it seems to help get them into a better hitting position.

 

[Work=wins]

Good questions. I would say pushy, steep, unbalanced swings are the most common flaws I see with players. There are multiple ways to attack these flaws. I’ve found addressing the body’s movements is the most efficient way to correct most swing flaws.

if a kid doesn’t want to fix a flaw or problem. I will leave it alone until they ask or during BP I will expose the ‘hole’ and let them realize on their own that they need to address this, either with me or with an instructor they trust. Doesn’t matter who helps them. Just fix it.

 

[BigSkyHi]

"Try this to see how it feels" Edit: Be sure to have them tell you.

 

[julray]

IMO, sequence is the number 1 flaw with kids or any inexperienced hitter.. this video has literally been referenced hundreds of times on this site for new/amateur hitters. Get your sequence down first, off the tee and live and then build on that foundation

 

[julray]

After you've mastered sequence.. I would focus on posture

 

[Work=wins]

After you've mastered sequence.. I would focus on posture

I have yet to see a BR tutorial that is truly informative. Drill is eyewash imo. Would go in the direct of hip hinge and hands to create posture. Then sequence. Ryan Braun vid comes to mind. To each his own.

 

[julray]

I have yet to see a BR tutorial that is truly informative. Drill is eyewash imo. Would go in the direct of hip hinge and hands to create posture. Then sequence. Ryan Braun vid comes to mind. To each his own.

But you just seen one that is informative .. . Nothing wrong with the Braun video either. The BR video is excellent in showing how the body can support the hands depending on pitch location. Are there better videos out there, yes, Casey Smith has a bunch. But this is a simple video to follow and it can be done anywhere(well you need a wall). Not a big fan of hands creating posture.. leads to pushy swings, which is one of the flaws you mentioned in your original post

 

[Work=wins]

But you just seen one that is informative .. . Nothing wrong with the Braun video either. The BR video is excellent in showing how the body can support the hands depending on pitch location. Are there better videos out there, yes, Casey Smith has a bunch. But this is a simple video to follow and it can be done anywhere(well you need a wall). Not a big fan of hands creating posture.. leads to pushy swings, which is one of the flaws you mentioned in your original post

Not sure how getting the hands on plane with the pitch causes a push. Getting on top is a planing cue right? Get inside the ball would be a planing cue as well right? I think that getting on plane is done with the hands.

 

[julray]

Not sure how getting the hands on plane with the pitch causes a push. Getting on top is a planing cue right? Get inside the ball would be a planing cue as well right? I think that getting on plane is done with the hands.

I might be misunderstanding you here.. but IMO the only way to truly get on plane early with the hands is to TTB.. immediate supination of the wrist/forearms... unless you DBSF. I want my body to support and create space for my hands to do what they need to.. I believe that is achieved with good posture, which is relative to the plane of the pitch.

If I'm not TTB... then without the proper posture which is relative to pitch location ...my swing ends up being pushy. This motion is displayed in the BR video @ 45 secs