Insider Bat

[starsnuffer]

A few of my daughters hitting coaches (including NPF players) have used this in certain drills. It can help when used for the right reasons to teach the right things. Just remember to only use whiffle balls with it, using it on real balls will break it quickly.

-W

 

[Hoover's Dad]

The Univerisity of South Alabama has dozens of them that they use in there drills. We attended a hitting clinic at USA last winter and the Insider Bat and Chuck Its were used at two stations all day long.

 

[CycloneSoftball22]

A few of my daughters hitting coaches (including NPF players) have used this in certain drills. It can help when used for the right reasons to teach the right things. Just remember to only use whiffle balls with it, using it on real balls will break it quickly.

-W

I do agree. If this hitting tool is used correctly , it can be very effective

 

[Jim]

I don't. The brain has to train the hands to start from the inside - this tool helps do that by providing quantative results....I don't use this exclusively, but it is part of the training. It works for our hitters....

I see, thanks.

But I've never seen a hitter's hands travel to the other side of the incoming pitch-line. In other words, I've never seen a hitter's hands travel outside the ball. I've seen the barrel get thrown outside the path of the ball, but never the hands.

Does this tool help with this?

 

[RayR]

Jim, I think you know the answer to this but I will explain anyway....when I say an inside path I mean that the hands stay close to the body and the rear arm will form a tight "V" initially as opposed to a lazy "L" where the hands get away from the body as soon as they make a move.....

If the brain trains the hands to start the swing from the inside they can adjust to any location....the lower body will work harder to accomodate this hand path by clearing more for an inside pitch or by rotating less for an outside pitch.....

As a sidebar - I have just started reading the talent code....It strikes a nerve in a good way that the book mentions that muscles are dumb.....the brain creates movement.....the brain needs to tell the hands to start from the inside....to not drop....to not cast....good swing habits can be built off this simple thought....the insider bat promotes this move.....

 

[Westwind]

Hey all- broke my insider bat out after not using it for a few months. Youngest daughter was hitting, something did not look right and I couldn't figure it out. Happened upon to a post here about using it correctly and was reminded that it is critical to set up the tee at about the hitters belt buckle. I used a sharpie to write a reminder of the correct tee set up directly on the bat.

I'm no expert but I like what I see when using this product as one part of a drill program. I don't think it should be "the" program.

By the way, just ordered two Bat Jacks for my daughters after seeing them mentioned here and elsewhere by SB Family and Hitter. Really looking forward to trying that out too!

I just got my hands on a 18" one hand training bat but I am thinking a bat jack on a 27" wood tee ball bat or a short wood baseball bat might be really good for one hand drills...? ww.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Jim, I think you know the answer to this but I will explain anyway....when I say an inside path I mean that the hands stay close to the body and the rear arm will form a tight "V" initially as opposed to a lazy "L" where the hands get away from the body as soon as they make a move.....

If the brain trains the hands to start the swing from the inside they can adjust to any location....the lower body will work harder to accomodate this hand path by clearing more for an inside pitch or by rotating less for an outside pitch.....

As a sidebar - I have just started reading the talent code....It strikes a nerve in a good way that the book mentions that muscles are dumb.....the brain creates movement.....the brain needs to tell the hands to start from the inside....to not drop....to not cast....good swing habits can be built off this simple thought....the insider bat promotes this move.....

MTS … very good points.

Jim … disagree that this device compromises the top hand action … my hitters actually refer to the device as a ‘swivel stick’ because they feel it discourages the use of the arms to power the top hand forward and instead encourages a more proper use of the top hand.

MTS … on the topic of setting up for an inside pitch … that’s the “up and ‘IN’” setup and it’s the notion behind SITD’s “The Most Powerful Move”. Something to consider here is … the direction of the ‘stretch’ is rotational, ... in the clockwise direction for a right-handed hitter. In terms of the ‘upper body’, the coil action starting in the rear hip area & lower rear back muscles, is continued by the ‘rear upper arm’ (humerus & elbow) moving “backwards” during the coil … this ‘stretch’ “backwards” is not in the direction of the catcher, but more ‘behind you’ (much like our rear butt cheek is ‘behind’ us). It is the rotational ‘stretch’ of the rear arm in this direction (during the forward-by-coiling action) that provides the “up & IN” movement and sets us up for the inside action you speak of. At the same time, this sets up the body for a powerful body torque action … removing slack from the system … sort of like winding the upper body snugly and then opening the lower body against that snug feel (… actually the action can be thought more to be ‘separation’, rag-wring, twisting of the gut out of the way).

 

[Jim]

MTS … very good points.

Jim … disagree that this device compromises the top hand action … my hitters actually refer to the device as a ‘swivel stick’ because they feel it discourages the use of the arms to power the top hand forward and instead encourages a more proper use of the top hand.

MTS … on the topic of setting up for an inside pitch … that’s the “up and ‘IN’” setup and it’s the notion behind SITD’s “The Most Powerful Move”. Something to consider here is … the direction of the ‘stretch’ is rotational, ... in the clockwise direction for a right-handed hitter. In terms of the ‘upper body’, the coil action starting in the rear hip area & lower rear back muscles, is continued by the ‘rear upper arm’ (humerus & elbow) moving “backwards” during the coil … this ‘stretch’ “backwards” is not in the direction of the catcher, but more ‘behind you’ (much like our rear butt cheek is ‘behind’ us). It is the rotational ‘stretch’ of the rear arm in this direction (during the forward-by-coiling action) that provides the “up & IN” movement and sets us up for the inside action you speak of. At the same time, this sets up the body for a powerful body torque action … removing slack from the system … sort of like winding the upper body snugly and then opening the lower body against that snug feel (… actually the action can be thought more to be ‘separation’, rag-wring, twisting of the gut out of the way).

Very interesting.

One thing that is very true, there are so many ways to get hitters to feel different sensations in the swing. Also, different hitters have very different points in there swing that need more focus and attention to get a desired feel. I would concede that this tool may give a feel to a hitter that needs a drastic over-exaggerated adjustment with staying inside the ball. But I would not use this with every hitter as a "must use" tool. I believe it could create a habit of being late with the barrel to the ball. Just my opinion

I'm in favor of any idea to help hitters get a good feel for what coaches try to explain.

 

[Jim]

Jim, I think you know the answer to this but I will explain anyway....when I say an inside path I mean that the hands stay close to the body and the rear arm will form a tight "V" initially as opposed to a lazy "L" where the hands get away from the body as soon as they make a move.....

If the brain trains the hands to start the swing from the inside they can adjust to any location....the lower body will work harder to accomodate this hand path by clearing more for an inside pitch or by rotating less for an outside pitch.....

As a sidebar - I have just started reading the talent code....It strikes a nerve in a good way that the book mentions that muscles are dumb.....the brain creates movement.....the brain needs to tell the hands to start from the inside....to not drop....to not cast....good swing habits can be built off this simple thought....the insider bat promotes this move.....

MTS,

I apologize for being so literal I sometimes like to point out that some hitters listen very closely to what coaches say. (I was one of the those hitters ) I wanted to know exactly what the coach meant when he gave me a cue. Like this.....Coach says, "use your hands"....14 year old me then said "I am, I'm holding the bat with my hands. What do you mean use my hands?". Maybe this is why I really try to be clear with hitters that I teach.

I had one hitter ask me how to hit the inside of the ball without taking the cover off of it He was serious!

 

[softballphreak]

I had a kid throw her glove up at the ball, literally, because I told her to "get under the ball, throw your glove up and catch the ball."