Finish flat or finish high?

[FiveFrameSwing]

I'm not FFS but, a few examples while he is enjoying his free morning coffee. One is different which one?

One of these is very different!

p.s.
I do pay for the coffee I enjoy at home.

 

[Osric]

Both of these swings are what I would consider "finishing flat". No, they aren't completely flat, but the hands are even with the shoulder, not in that exaggerated swing above the shoulder like the girl in the pink on the first page.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

5FS I've heard you mention this before. In the first page of this thread on the gifs. Are any of those guys
turning the barrel? IF not could you show a clip of it and explain? Also as I watched the gifs in my brain I heard softball coaches saying
dont dip the shoulder...
Thanks

 

[rdbass]

While I appreciate the gifs, I'm not sold on the thought of a softball swing being the same as a baseball swing. The reason the baseball swing has a steep upward arc is because of the physics involved in the pitching process. A pitcher, standing on a mound (which is 10" higher than the playing field), throws the ball overhand (approximately 2.5' higher than a softball pitcher throws) and the ball has a downward trajectory. Furthermore, offspeed pitches in baseball break down, increasing the degree of slope the batter is facing. Softball's offspeed pitches may break down, but may also rise, but in any case the ball is coming from about 3.5" lower than a pitched baseball. Using the same swing in both instances just doesn't make any sense.

I took my daughter to a hitting clinic at our university a couple years ago and the coaches were telling her things a little different than I had been teaching, so afterwards I asked the coach about what she was teaching and told her what I had been teaching at the time (essentially rotational hitting which I learned from a baseball coach). She looked at me with a pained expression when I said "squash the bug" and said, "umm...ya....don't do that. Baseball and softball swings are different."

About that time, I bought a couple books on softball. To make sure I wasn't mixing things up, I just pulled out Michelle Smith's "Coaches guide to Game Winning Softball Drills." Pg. 103: "Youth softball coaches often admonish their players to make a level swing when hitting the ball. A level swing starts with the bat in the proper launch mode (above the strike zone_ and is executed by swinging the bat down so that the bat is parallel to the ground and on the same plane as the ball. However, to compensate for the upward trajectory of most underhand pitches, the plane of the swing as the bat hits the ball is slightly downward. Keeping the bat in this power plane will help generate line drives. The downward power plane for fast-pitch softball contrasts with the slight upward motion for baseball; baseball's slightly upward power plane compensates fo the generally downward trajectory of a hardball dealt from a raised pitching mound."

I know this may come off as snippy, but it isn't meant to be.

Please read through some of the posts on the tech. hitting thread. I thought alot of what you are/maybe thinking. My views are very different now.Also view these:http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-hitting-technical/2785-model-swings.html

 

[redhotcoach]

Both of these swings are what I would consider "finishing flat". No, they aren't completely flat, but the hands are even with the shoulder, not in that exaggerated swing above the shoulder like the girl in the pink on the first page.

Who cares where they finish. The ball is already out of the infield by then.

 

[rdbass]

bat hits the ball is slightly downward. are groundballs. Pitchers and infielders luv groundballs. Infielders eat groundballs for lunch, dinner & snacks. Pitchers want the hitters to hit the ball is slightly downward.

 

[rdbass]

Thats going to take a longgggggggggg time to fix. I couldn't resist.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Thats going to take a longgggggggggg time to fix. I couldn't resist.

LOL ... yeah, could take a portion of a hitting session, or it could take years ... depends on the road traveled.

 

[redhotcoach]

LOL ... yeah, could take a portion of a hitting session, or it could take years ... depends on the road traveled.

Not if she buys an ebook.

 

[rdbass]

Not if she buys an ebook.

I know a hitting instuctor if you buy him a cup a coffee he can fix it in one session. Just saying. It's not me I hate coffee, diet pepsi drinker I am.