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TDS

Mar 11, 2010
2,924
113
I have seen a lot of players lately with too vertical of a bat path. They aren't popping up, but they are hitting towering fly balls as easy outs to the outfield, because if the timing is not perfect they catch it a bit out front and up, up and away for an out. Some players need to take a flatter hand path which is usually achieved by the front arm. Hank's swing shows this. Pop ups result mainly in hitting the very bottom of the ball. If your path is too vertical, you can forget about a high strike or riseball.

I know everyone is jacked now on hitting homers and getting the ball in the air but I would take less homes for a lot higher average.

For the girls I have worked with with too vertical of a bat path I tell them to think down and across.

I prefer this over the above bat path.

View attachment 24658

More down and across

Sierra Romero "13 Homeruns in 60 Seconds" with ProSwings - YouTube
I agree down and across as long as the hitter gets leveraged fyb.. From that position barrel depth and staying on plane is easy to achieve and not pulling off the ball.
 
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
I have seen a lot of players lately with too vertical of a bat path. They aren't popping up, but they are hitting towering fly balls as easy outs to the outfield, because if the timing is not perfect they catch it a bit out front and up, up and away for an out. Some players need to take a flatter hand path which is usually achieved by the front arm. Hank's swing shows this. Pop ups result mainly in hitting the very bottom of the ball. If your path is too vertical, you can forget about a high strike or riseball.

I know everyone is jacked now on hitting homers and getting the ball in the air but I would take less homes for a lot higher average.

For the girls I have worked with with too vertical of a bat path I tell them to think down and across.

I prefer this over the above bat path.

View attachment 24658

More down and across

Sierra Romero "13 Homeruns in 60 Seconds" with ProSwings - YouTube

if the posture is angled, down and across will be the hand path. Which at an angle or w side bend is up and through the middle of the field. Flat hips aren’t good. If your down and across w flat hips, that’s around the ball all day long.

edit: see how the left hip is much higher than the right hip? Side bend. If your gonna use the ground correctly, front hip needs to be higher during the finish. No level hips. Wherever the hips are the hands will follow.
 
Last edited:
Dec 17, 2021
10
3
I'm new here, but have over 30 years experience working with hitters. Along the way, I've studied Ted William's, Charlie Lau, Right View Pro, and Bobby Tewksbary.

You're correct that Cameron's front elbow is dropping at or just past contact and hands are turning over too early. Although it may appear to be a single issue, it involves a number components in the swing sequence. I'll focus first on a possible "quick fix".

When her stride foot plants (toe-heel), I suggest that she point the knob of her bat, which was pointing towards the catcher, towards the pitch by rotating her front elbow up to the top of the strikezone and her back elbow under her top hand while her front leg and hip begin to pivot open and her back hip and knee start to center up with the knee eventually moving under the back hip. The back elbow and knee should start forward at the same time. The barrel should now be on plane behind the back shoulder with her lead arm across her torso. Right angles should exist with both the front and back forearms and the bat.

This creates a "hips first, hands follow" swing sequence as the forward movement of the hands is delayed until the back elbow "catches up" to the hands during its rotation. This sequence is used by the best hitters in baseball and softball.

As her hip rotation continues, you can check "connection" when the hands begin to pass her back shoulder going forward. Her top hand, back elbow, and "stripe of her pants" should align vertically at this point, looking from across the plate. Her belly button and knob of her bat should point towards the pitcher, looking from the pitcher's view. The barrel of the bat is level with the ground at connection.

So now, we want the knob and her hands to move up and inside the ball to adjust to the location of the pitch. She does this by transitioning from using the rotation of the elbows to point the knob forward to now rotating her upper body to face the pitch to move her hands inside the ball in time with the pitch. She should feel like she is opening her body behind her lead arm. Her back elbow is positioned so it can launch with the hands away from the shoulder with the bottom hand "palm down" in relation to the plane (keeping the front shoulder in), and the top hand "palm up" so the back elbow can help the hands follow the ball following the hit. The hands should extend out and rotate to an "handshake" position (power V) before the hands rotate over and elbow drops. At contact, looking from the pitcher's view, there should be a straight line from lead shoulder through the end of the bat at contact.

There are other potential issues that may need to be looked at before planting the stride foot occurs, but try this and see if it helps. Any questions, please let me know.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
I'm new here, but have over 30 years experience working with hitters. Along the way, I've studied Ted William's, Charlie Lau, Right View Pro, and Bobby Tewksbary.

You're correct that Cameron's front elbow is dropping at or just past contact and hands are turning over too early. Although it may appear to be a single issue, it involves a number components in the swing sequence. I'll focus first on a possible "quick fix".

When her stride foot plants (toe-heel), I suggest that she point the knob of her bat, which was pointing towards the catcher, towards the pitch by rotating her front elbow up to the top of the strikezone and her back elbow under her top hand while her front leg and hip begin to pivot open and her back hip and knee start to center up with the knee eventually moving under the back hip. The back elbow and knee should start forward at the same time. The barrel should now be on plane behind the back shoulder with her lead arm across her torso. Right angles should exist with both the front and back forearms and the bat.

This creates a "hips first, hands follow" swing sequence as the forward movement of the hands is delayed until the back elbow "catches up" to the hands during its rotation. This sequence is used by the best hitters in baseball and softball.

As her hip rotation continues, you can check "connection" when the hands begin to pass her back shoulder going forward. Her top hand, back elbow, and "stripe of her pants" should align vertically at this point, looking from across the plate. Her belly button and knob of her bat should point towards the pitcher, looking from the pitcher's view. The barrel of the bat is level with the ground at connection.

So now, we want the knob and her hands to move up and inside the ball to adjust to the location of the pitch. She does this by transitioning from using the rotation of the elbows to point the knob forward to now rotating her upper body to face the pitch to move her hands inside the ball in time with the pitch. She should feel like she is opening her body behind her lead arm. Her back elbow is positioned so it can launch with the hands away from the shoulder with the bottom hand "palm down" in relation to the plane (keeping the front shoulder in), and the top hand "palm up" so the back elbow can help the hands follow the ball following the hit. The hands should extend out and rotate to an "handshake" position (power V) before the hands rotate over and elbow drops. At contact, looking from the pitcher's view, there should be a straight line from lead shoulder through the end of the bat at contact.

There are other potential issues that may need to be looked at before planting the stride foot occurs, but try this and see if it helps. Any questions, please let me know.
Welcome and good luck 😉
 

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