Is there such a term as" swinging to hard "

[justwannaplay]

she is 13 going into 8th grade

 

[justwannaplay]

cannon
Thank you for your observation I will definetly try what you are saying. what is neck swings ? sorry for my ignorance.

thanks

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

JWP ... I don’t suppose you live within driving distance of Portland, Oregon … but if so, send me a PM and we can set up some free personalized instruction for your DD.

I’m looking at three basic things …. Her upper body, lower body, and the synchronization of the two.

The upper body could use some improvement. Currently she’s what some refer to as a “barrel yanker” … basically, she pulls the barrel from 'launch' to ‘contact’. She blows by what should be a “tight Hand Pivot Point” (HPP) with an army swing. I believe Cannonball is on the right track in terms of trying to take her arms out of the equation. If I understand his version of the Neck Slot drill, then he’s trying to get your daughter to learn how to power her swing WITHOUT the arms. Right now, she’s generating power with the arms … and that isn’t going to work at the higher levels. I completely agree with Cannonball targeting this area.

Next is the lower body. Personally I consider your DD’s lower body mechanics to be in need of a major overhaul. There is no way you could convince me that this is her natural lower body mechanics. This looks “trained” … perhaps by someone with good intentions … but regardless, someone that harmed your daughter’s swing. Her rotation is actually “spinning”. This is an easy fix with the right instructor … but would be more difficult over the Internet … hence the offer for free instruction if you live nearby. Again, I see Cannonball addressing the lower body … and while I would go about this a different way, I do agree that this area is in need of work.

Next is the synchronization of the upper and lower body. The tee-swing you posted confirmed it for me. Your daughter needs to be introduced to a proper swing sequence and learn to synchronize that sequence.

Personally, given that your daughter is one year away from HS, I’d have her see a private instructor on a regular basis … once/wk for an hour. IMO, your daughter has a lot to catch up on, and a private instructor able to work one-on-one should be able to make progress much faster than what can be accomplished on a hitting message board.

 

[Ken Krause]

Hands to ball?

I was able to pull a still shot of the second swing. Here it is:



Take a look at where her hands are relative to the ball. They are almost on a direct line. Both her hands and the ball are roughly belt high. Yet she has a good bat angle, with her shoulder coming in nicely. Where is the head of the bat? Aimed at a pitch that is just above her knees. Put all of that together and it equals foul tips and swinging under the ball. That's why I really dislike the "take the hands to the ball" cue. She did, and she's out of position to hit it.

Before I did anything else, I would get her to keep her hands more connected to her back shoulder as she rotates, and learn to keep her hands above the ball. I think some of the other advice you received would get her there, and would ultimately improve her swing, but for right now, in-season, this is probably the most critical point.

Have her focus on keeping the hands closer to the back shoulder, and on taking the fat part of the bat to the ball. In my mind, the hands should only be bellybutton high if you are swinging at a pitch around the knees or lower.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Sounds like the feedback being received leans towards making "connected" swings. That's the objective behind having a "tight HPP". That's what Ssarge means when he says to swing with your 'body' and not your 'arms'.

 

[Chris O'Leary]

I was able to pull a still shot of the second swing. Here it is:

View attachment 597

Take a look at where her hands are relative to the ball. They are almost on a direct line. Both her hands and the ball are roughly belt high. Yet she has a good bat angle, with her shoulder coming in nicely. Where is the head of the bat? Aimed at a pitch that is just above her knees. Put all of that together and it equals foul tips and swinging under the ball. That's why I really dislike the "take the hands to the ball" cue. She did, and she's out of position to hit it.

Before I did anything else, I would get her to keep her hands more connected to her back shoulder as she rotates, and learn to keep her hands above the ball. I think some of the other advice you received would get her there, and would ultimately improve her swing, but for right now, in-season, this is probably the most critical point.

Have her focus on keeping the hands closer to the back shoulder, and on taking the fat part of the bat to the ball. In my mind, the hands should only be bellybutton high if you are swinging at a pitch around the knees or lower.

Great stuff.

Some of this is also due to adjusting too much with the hands and not enough with the whole body (which can result from cues like trying to keep the shoulders level and not dropping the back shoulder).

 

[Tewks]

JustWanna - Is her goal to swing hard or to swing fast? To hit bombs, or to be accurate? Ask her what she thought about when she was most successful. (Heads up - she might say she wasn't thinking about anything.) Shift her focus mentally. Focus on seeing the ball better, focus on seeing a specific location on the ball better, focus on seeing the ball for as long as possible, focus on seeing the ball as early as possible, focus on just getting the barrel to the ball - trial and error. (Practice this stuff from the dugout and on deck.) The power will come as a result of a good process. If you take care of the little things in the swing, the big things (results) happen on their own.

 

[justwannaplay]

Hello all :

Had some good progress this weekend it was a great Fathers Day for me. My DD hit a few hard line drives. I viewed Tewks barrel to the ball and showed it to her it was like a light bulb went off she picked it up and translated it into the games.

Tewks:
I like your way of thinking I will use those ideas with her and get her to do those little things better. Thanks for your video.

TO ALL YOU GUYS THANKS FOR HELPING MY LITTLEONE AND MAKING MY FATHERS DAY A GOOD ONE !!!!!

THANKS
Justwannaplay

 

[Ken Krause]

Glad to hear she hit well today. Tell her to keep up the good work!

 

[Tewks]

Hello all :

Had some good progress this weekend it was a great Fathers Day for me. My DD hit a few hard line drives. I viewed Tewks barrel to the ball and showed it to her it was like a light bulb went off she picked it up and translated it into the games.

Tewks:
I like your way of thinking I will use those ideas with her and get her to do those little things better. Thanks for your video.

TO ALL YOU GUYS THANKS FOR HELPING MY LITTLEONE AND MAKING MY FATHERS DAY A GOOD ONE !!!!!

THANKS
Justwannaplay

Great! Let me know if I can help any more. Combining mechanics with the mental approach isn't always easy and confidence can break or grow with a single pitch. Keep working!