Hands

[Shawn]

The hands or not the hands that is the question. In younger hitters they tend to try to guide the barrel to the ball with the hands. The heavy bag is good for breaking this habit by not worrying about the ball and just swinging into the bag. This allows you to work on the swing without trying to hit the ball. Then once they get the idea off the bag you work on hitting the ball without trying to guide the bat. You work on trusting your coordination, your tilt, swing plane to hit the ball. It's like in pitching where guiding the ball is harder then when you throw it harder, let it fly.

Now, there is a different way of using the hands as Jack Mankin discovered. Many now talk about the use of the hand in today's instruction.

 

[Eric F]

Hmmm...Seems to me like young players tend to guide the bat with their arms.

 

[Jcuevas]

Hmmm...Seems to me like young players tend to guide the bat with their arms.

Don't you ever work?I agree that the arms are the biggest problem.

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[clemenslee1]

I think I agree with the arms being a big problem. I believe another problem is the way in which youth players tend to think about swinging at a ball. They think of swinging in a circle, instead of in a line through the ball.

 

[Shawn]

The arms are the "means where by" to manipulate the hands. I do understand how you can say the arms are the problem, they are the proximal segment to the hands (hands, distal segment). Although the goal or end gain is to manipulate the hands/barrel.

 

[Eric F]

I think I agree with the arms being a big problem. I believe another problem is the way in which youth players tend to think about swinging at a ball. They think of swinging in a circle, instead of in a line through the ball.

I tend to agree with that. I don't think it stop at youth players, however. This is the misconception of a lot of people.

 

[clemenslee1]

I tend to agree with that. I don't think it stop at youth players, however. This is the misconception of a lot of people.

True, One of DD's coaches drives me insane, in that he tells the girls to swing level. Which they translate as flat and around. Instead of behind and through.

 

[james27503]

To me thinking about using your hands can be the worst thing to do. If you are thinking hands then most the time they move first. It leads to a dropping of the hands and the hands being used to set path instead of posture. Teaching kids early that the hand path needs to be high and consistent avoids most of the problems I have to fix with kids swings. The hand path is actually set by the rear elbow getting down and the front elbow getting up. The hands will follow the path the elbows set. If you go with a hands teach then something like this needs to be used.

 

[Rolling Hard]

True, One of DD's coaches drives me insane, in that he tells the girls to swing level. Which they translate as flat and around. Instead of behind and through.

This puts you in a tough spot. Tell DD to ignore coach or do what he says. I gently confront coach and let the chip fall. Not going to allow DD to be subjected silly talk and pay for it.

 

[Rolling Hard]

I tend to lean towards the "Do you know what the hands do?... They hold the damn bat!"side of the argument.