Finish flat or finish high?

[Osric]

Do you teach your hitters to finish with hands above their lead shoulder, or to finish flat; generally with hands lower than shoulder high?

I've always been told (and have therefore told my kids) that the ideal swing matches the plane that the ball is traveling. In baseball, with a pitch coming off the mound and from an overhand throw, the plane of the ball is downwards and therefore the plane of the swing should be upwards and therefore the swing finishes with hands above the shoulder. But in softball, since the pitch is coming underhand and the plane of the ball is likely to be flat (at least once they start throwing with a little speed), then the plane of the swing should be flat as well, and thus the finish is usually below the shoulder.

We arranged to have the local University Club Softball team run a clinic this weekend and the college girls had free reign to run the clinic as they saw fit with no interruption from the coaches (in fact, coaches were encouraged to observe the college girls so they might correct some of their misconceptions). Did I just come across one of my own misconceptions? Should the swing in softball finish high like in baseball?

 

[Amy in AZ.]

The plane of the pitch is just not all that flat. Finish high.

 

[rdbass]

Do you teach your hitters to finish with hands above their lead shoulder, or to finish flat; generally with hands lower than shoulder high?

I've always been told (and have therefore told my kids) that the ideal swing matches the plane that the ball is traveling. In baseball, with a pitch coming off the mound and from an overhand throw, the plane of the ball is downwards and therefore the plane of the swing should be upwards and therefore the swing finishes with hands above the shoulder. But in softball, since the pitch is coming underhand and the plane of the ball is likely to be flat (at least once they start throwing with a little speed), then the plane of the swing should be flat as well, and thus the finish is usually below the shoulder.

We arranged to have the local University Club Softball team run a clinic this weekend and the college girls had free reign to run the clinic as they saw fit with no interruption from the coaches (in fact, coaches were encouraged to observe the college girls so they might correct some of their misconceptions). Did I just come across one of my own misconceptions? Should the swing in softball finish high like in baseball?[/QUOTE]

Softball and baseball is the same swing.
But in softball, since the pitch is coming underhand and the plane of the ball is likely to be flat (at least once they start throwing with a little speed), then the plane of the swing should be flat as well, and thus the finish is usually below the shoulder.
This type of approach may cause your hitters to have a level swing. Meaning shoulders level. Not perferred. You want a down,through and up swing. I will pot some college girl swings.

 

[rdbass]

 

[rdbass]

Check out:http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-hitting-technical/2785-model-swings.html

 

[coach james]

For me... as long as she has fully extended through contact, she can finish where ever is comfortable to her and her own style. But she MUST finish. I will allow some variations to let them be individuals, as long as the primary fundamentals are solid. Things like the finish, the stride, open or closed stances... etc.

 

[MsDinosaur]

Don't finish with the bat thudding into the shoulder. Finish over it.

 

[stiksdad]

Finish high with about a 8 degree up swing, don't swing down someone said that, do not get in the habit of the hands traveling down, hands forward after they load the barrell, bat head and angle adjust based on location of the pitch. I try to teach my players to keep their hands at or near the top of the strike zone.

 

[rdbass]

 

[David Carter]

Very interesting especially the two first softball swings and the baseball swings at how little the hands drop at all.

I would be curious to post a few more videos it seems the two girls in pink have exaggerated up swings almost golfing at first I thought it was because of reaching for a low pitch but if you look at the girl in the on deck circle swinging at air she is swinging with the same swing. Usually when you see girls warming up they are really concentrating on keeping hands higher I wonder if it was a team hitting coach thing? I would be specifically interested in player hitting a lower pitch and looking at hand location all the baseball swings seem to be high pitches.