I hate side toss, do you?

[00fpdaddy]

What does everyone's dd team do pregame hitting warm ups? If I remember dd does about 15 side toss to get loose, then 15 bunts, then 10 tcb. Last station is tcb wiffles or mojo (Anywhere)ball about 20. Also sometimes they do tee work, set up inside and or outside.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Yes, excellent for pregame warm-ups in small areas where wiffles just are not practical because they travel too far. On windy days wiffles can be problematic, not the case with TCB balls.

They are convenient for a "warm-up" when space-restricted. Don't recommend them for swing development.

Injuries caused by TCB use is a myth. And 15 swings using them is not going to destroy someone's swing mechanics when combined with all the other hitting drills and stations most players use.

I have seen players complain of wrist pain first hand from using TCB balls. Not a myth at all.

What I see often is that many players use the warm-up period to go beyond "warming up" and use the time to further develop their swings. They literally are attempting to improve, and when using the TCB balls often their measurement is how far they can drive the balls ... and many times this comes down to them pushing harder .... and this activity can, and does, follow them into their games.

IME, the best hitters on the team with solid mechanics are also the same hitters who perform well using TCB balls. To this end, these balls are a nice complement to all the other hitting devices and tools in the market.

Let me supply a different data point. Best hitter on our team ... a hitting phenom catching a lot of college interest .... began seeing the TCB balls as a challenge. She would kill the ball ... coach throwing front toss would praise the big hits ... players would chime in with positive comments of her killing the ball. Kid's swing went south during games .... but boy could she kill those TCB balls.

True story ... lived it first hand. Point being, hitting TCB balls is very different, and success there doesn't necessarily translate to success at the plate ... and in this case a kid that was having success at the plate stopped having success at the plate as she learned to tar TCB balls.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Let me pose the question this way. Can TCB balls be used successfully for warm-up purposes? The answer is yes.

Let’s go a step further and ask the next logical question.

How can TCB balls be used successfully during warm-ups?

Given a player with a properly developed swing, do not change your swing to adapt to a ball that exhibits a considerably longer bat/ball collision time. Attempt to drive the ball using proper pre-contact mechanics, and ignore the feedback from the long bat/ball collision times.

Given a player with a mental swing model that doesn’t understand the ‘release’ process of a proper swing, and IMO that would include a good percentage of readers here at DFP, then these swings should be performed with the brain NOT actively engaged … as in perform the swings, but do not attempt to extract anything specific from the swings.

Given a player that is working on developing their swing, take note that this warm-up activity is highly focused on convenience and ignore the distorted bat/ball collision process associated with TCB balls.

TCB balls are best suited for players that truly understand the release process through contact and know to ignore the false feedback that these balls provide.

With the above said, what I often see are players attempting to continue developing their swing during warm-ups and the feedback provided by these balls is not overly helpful … and often hurtful.

 

[Rocketech1]

Honestly, I don't allow my hitters to use the excuse of limited space or equipment for not developing their swing between lessons. Don't overlook the value of performing dry swings. Not uncommon for me to assign homework that is 100% performed via dry swings. The excuse of limited space and equipment just doesn't work with me when it comes to swing development.

Interesting. I don't look at TCB ball use as an excuse but as an additional hitting station to help prepare players before a game. Certainly if you don't feel they add any value and/or cause injury then by all means sit use them bun that's just not my experience using them for the last 5 years.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

TCB balls are convenient. What makes them convenient is that they do not replicate the bat/ball collision process. Understand that characteristic and don’t fall victim to it. Don’t use these balls with a mental approach to maximize driving the ball via turning on improper mechanics going through contact.

Hitters need to take ownership of their development. TCB balls represent a convenient approach to warming up. Knowledge of how to warm-up with them, without negatively impacting their swing, is their responsibility.

You can blame the coaches for supplying positive feedback for pushing forcefully through contact …. But that excuse isn’t worth jack spit. It isn’t like there is a place in the stats sheet to record poor training as an excuse for sub-par performance. At the end of the day, the player is responsible for not being lured in by the false feedback that these balls provide.

Educate your kids. Make sure they understand the release process going into/through contact. Then hold them accountable.

 

[Greenmonsters]

...Educate your kids. Make sure they understand the release process going into/through contact. Then hold them accountable.

The same as you should any other drill or tool.

 

[Rocketech1]

What does everyone's dd team do pregame hitting warm ups? If I remember dd does about 15 side toss to get loose, then 15 bunts, then 10 tcb. Last station is tcb wiffles or mojo (Anywhere)ball about 20. Also sometimes they do tee work, set up inside and or outside.

In general the players rotate though the following hitting stations.

Tee work
Side toss
TCB balls
Bunt station
Wiffles (if enough room)

Pretty much every team DD has been on has done a variation of the above for pregame hitting warmeups. Pretty standard for all of her opponents teams as well.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

...Educate your kids. Make sure they understand the release process going into/through contact. Then hold them accountable.

The same as you should any other drill or tool.

And especially when using a gadget that significantly lengthens the duration of the collision process.

For whatever reason, I observed a lot of uneducated players using TCB balls this past summer.

 

[redhotcoach]

Not saying good, bad, or other wise. I was just looking for softball swings to gif and saw this.

 

[Doug Romrell]

Not saying good, bad, or other wise. I was just looking for softball swings to gif and saw this.

Interesting!