Hitting Analysis of 2 Different Players

[SnocatzDad]

Girl #2. This is my impression and I'm not a professional hitting instructor, I'm posting this to see if others are seeing what I'm seeing and get feedback on my opinion. If I was working with Girl #2 I would talk to her about trying to keep her hips and shoulders aligned. Her negative move has an ok hip cock, but her shoulders are way over rotated backwards IMO. When she starts to unload, if you freeze her at the point that her hips are facing the ball and a line through her hips would go to CF, at that point a line through her shoulders almost points at the ball. Probably an indication that she is flexible, but weak in her core. She is trying to generate torgue by rotationally loading her shoulders relative to her hips.

 

[Ken Krause]

I also agree with what's been said here pretty much. The first girl seems to stand up taller as she goes into contact. She starts out good, but has a tendency to come up out of the ball a little bit as she moves into contact. Could be a bit of a problem on drop balls, or other pitches that are losing altitude. Does she tend to hit a lot of ground balls? Overall, though, that's a darned good swing.

With the second girl there's definitely work to be done. I see major bat drag as someone else said, which could be her hands getting disconnected from her back shoulder as part of her negative move. She pushes them back, which a lot of girls tend to do. She then leaves them back as the elbow starts heading for the slot, so naturally the elbow gets ahead.

I wouldn't have spotted it myself, but I think SnocatzDad is right about the shoulder turn too. She's sort of out of synch.

Agree with Wellphyt -- show the second girl what the first girl is doing.

 

[Ken Krause]

Second girl is also doing that "stop after contact" thing we talk about in another thread. Once she hits the ball, instead of extending through her arms and hands seem in a hurry to get behind her.

 

[Chris O'Leary]

Second girl is also doing that "stop after contact" thing we talk about in another thread. Once she hits the ball, instead of extending through her arms and hands seem in a hurry to get behind her.

In #2's case, it looks like some of what's going on (the video is pretty blurry) is that she is adjusting by dropping her hands rather than by tilting.

That's one reason why she finishes low and her hands get bound up.

A one-handed finish would help with the appearance of this, but not the root cause of the problem (which is the incorrect adjustment mechanism).

If I ran the zoo, I'd have her work on her posture at set-up first.

I think that would work because she looks like a decent athlete who either doesn't know what to do, who has been told at some point to keep her shoulders level, and/or has some problems due to Howard's posture/anatomy/learning stuff.

 

[Mark H]

In #2's case, it looks like some of what's going on (the video is pretty blurry) is that she is adjusting by dropping her hands rather than by tilting.

If I ran the zoo, I'd have her work on her posture at set-up first.

Yep.


.

 

[softballphreak]

Sarah (girl #1) is disconnecting with her arms because the tee (point of contact) is too far out front. If she brings the tee in to just inside her front foot I believe she would stay connected.

At the poc instead of keeping her head down on the ball she stands straight up away from the poc and her head turns away. She needs to "smell the ball". In other words, keep your head down on the ball. The hips should pull the back foot rather than the back leg straightening so much; causing her to stand to upright.

She also needs to keep the bat in the path of the ball longer. This can be accomplished by letting the top hand slide off of the bat as she extends the bat toward the path of the ball.

Now, for Chasity, get her to do what Sarah does. Sarah has a more aggressive swing.

 

[Mark H]

Sarah (girl #1) is disconnecting with her arms because the tee (point of contact) is too far out front. If she brings the tee in to just inside her front foot I believe she would stay connected.

Or she would think you are crazy for not giving her enough room to swing. One reaction is progress. The other reaction you can use to move toward progress. Just make sure you can put a good swing on a ball that deep in case she challenges you to show her. IOW, I agree with moving the tee deeper.

At the poc instead of keeping her head down on the ball she stands straight up away from the poc and her head turns away. She needs to "smell the ball". In other words, keep your head down on the ball. The hips should pull the back foot rather than the back leg straightening so much; causing her to stand to upright.

I would have said a hitter needs to keep her spine angle through contact and she needs to quite straightening her back leg late but I think you are seeing the same thing and I agree. Again. On this particular hitter I'd have to see her from a different angle before I said she was not keeping her spine angle through contact for sure. She may be.