terminal velocity hitting
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New hitting theory
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I watched the first one, nothing new I haven't heard before. Mankin said the same thing years ago. The only difference might be about the barrel arcing backwards.
Some interesting stuff in the second one. Interesting way to disprove Richard, not to bad.
As straightleg posted I have know Howard for a long time. I thought the broom example by BM was kind of interesting. We did a coaches clinic this spring and I was showing the broom that Howard and Bustos have been using for roughly 4 years. It teaches extension and shows the wrist roller when it changes color. Not sure I agree this is new information that BM is presenting, because Howard and Crystl have been teaching this in clinics for years. So kind of confused when we post New hitting theory. I do like any of the things BM points out in terms of the lead arm position and how important it is in the swing. Howard states that in every clinic we conduct. Just curious Tom what are your feelings in what BM is teaching?
SB-
My opinion needs top be put in context.
What hitters learn is organized by one of several available inborn patterns which are virtually the same in males and females.
Coaching will select or deselct a pattern to dominate the process.
Howard's approach and BM's approach both favor the MLB or high level pattern that is similar to the good/high level overhand throwing pattern.
So are many other approach such as Enquist/Candrea/Slaught,Lau, LauJR, Dusty Baker,etc,etc.
My preferred apporach is the Williams/Epstein combo. Nothing else comes close to this in teaching the MLB pattern. The details of mechanics are incomplete here, but they are not in conflict with then pattern and the additional info is very rich, such as starting on time, getting a good pitch to hit, looking in or out adjusting up/down on the fly, sitting to adjust offspeed,etc. The mechanical drill encourage the quickest/bellyup version of the MLB swing (Bonds) as opposed to the Lau weight shift and extension, front foot hitting/top hand release./land with closed front foot type approach which encourages a longe off the plate swing (Brett).
There are other approaches which encourage an entirely different pattern which is the PCR/gate swing pattern as taught by Nymna/Englishbey and their followers. This is not like overhand throw.
BM's method includes focus on arm action/release which is good, but the way he does things produces a longer swing with later batspeed than the MLB version of the high level swing which has much earlier batspeed and later adjustability via setting a longer contact zone as Williams described it.
The pattern that virtually all proficent MLB hitters use allows the hitter to stay back and read the pitch longer, then swing more quickly wityh square contact and low timing error. The swing puts the front foot down as as opposed to getting the front foot down with shoyulder pulling lead arm.
Here are some recent threads that describe the experience of an ex pro "tewks" who had a similar pattern to BM but has found out the details that allow a quick jump to the MLB version/earlier/quicker swing:
Tewks:
Updates... Yeah. My players are feeling it. I am feeling it. Teaching this is so much fun. I started doing exit interviews after the kids get it and I'll get them on youtube soon. Pretty entertaining. "Effortless" has been the word that keeps coming up.
I didn't understand the S&F drill until this past Sunday. I hadn't felt it. I was in front of a mirror thrusting for about 5 min when some players were in the cage. Then BAM. Kicked the kid out of the cage, took one swing and walked out of the cage and made a call to SB. It was an AHA.
One of the biggest challenges my players have is understanding thrust. All of my players are going to be able to dance after working with me because they are learning how to move their hips. I have developed the following routine to get them to feel the rear hip thrusting. (I will take formal video of this very soon.)
Get the player into their stance and have them turn the triangle. Grab onto the bat and ask them to create as much rearward resistance on the bat as possible. Most pull with their arms, turn their knee but not their hip, or just wind up and tug with the whole body. The rear hip can move about 2 inches and get tremendous force on the bat. If you supinate the top have simultaneously, you can pull somebody off balance by moving 2 inches.
If they can't create the correct pull on their own, I create the rearward for by pull the bat - I ask them to resist with the rear hip only. This helps them. Overall, once they get the proper thrust direction, I release the bat... and it should whip to contact while they stay balanced. Then they say "Ohhhhh."
Student:
In my career, hitting was one of my strong-suits. It never came easy, but the hard work I put in certainly paid off throughout my playing days. As I think back over the tens-of-thousands of swings I took, a few really stick out in my mind. So much so, that I cannot seem to remember what I did, only that I had never hit a ball harder or further.
I can think of a swing against Timberlane High School (Plaistow, NH) my senior year. Their stud sophomore starter grooved an 85 MPH fastball and I launched the ball over the tennis courts (450ft+?) down the left field line. The ball was unfairly ruled foul, but the effect was the same.
I can remember feeling the same thing after a swing I took during my freshman year in college. Playing against St. Anselm's (Manchester, NH) at home, I got a soft breaking ball on the outer half of the plate. From there my mind goes blank, only to remember the ball caroming off the top of the right-center field fence (420ft) for a triple.
Lastly, there was the swing during my first professional spring training. I had never been much of a home run hitter during my career, but during the very first batting practice session after we got down to Florida, that all changed. I can remember just trying to stay patient, keep my hands inside the ball and get my lower half into the swing. The next thing I remember is the ball traveling over the batter's eye in center field (415ft out, 25ft up). I wish I could have duplicated those swings for my entire playing career, but I had no idea what happened, or how to get myself to feel "it" again. That is until two weeks ago.
After hearing how excited Bobby was about his new-found approach to hitting, I took him up on an offer to join one of his weekly hitting groups to see it for myself. I'll leave the instruction aspect of this to Bobby, but after going through some of the simple drills to start to develop the muscle memory required, I started to take some live cuts. I can honestly say that I have never hit a ball harder in my entire life with such minimal effort. After I jumped out of the cage, Bobby stepped in to show us all what it should look like when it is done right. As someone who has watched Tewks hit for over 12 years, I can honestly say that I have never seen a ball come off his bat as hard as it did that night.
The process of learning a swing that will generate so much power with minimal effort is addictive, and the simplicity of the technique is profound. I challenge anyone who is serious about taking their swing to the next level to get into a cage with Bobby. The results will speak for themselves if you are willing to put in the time. I only wish someone would have taught me this swing before the window of my playing career closed.
See also hsbbweb:
Bat speed - Topic Powered by Social Strata
My opinion needs top be put in context.
What hitters learn is organized by one of several available inborn patterns which are virtually the same in males and females.
Coaching will select or deselct a pattern to dominate the process.
Howard's approach and BM's approach both favor the MLB or high level pattern that is similar to the good/high level overhand throwing pattern.
So are many other approach such as Enquist/Candrea/Slaught,Lau, LauJR, Dusty Baker,etc,etc.
My preferred apporach is the Williams/Epstein combo. Nothing else comes close to this in teaching the MLB pattern. The details of mechanics are incomplete here, but they are not in conflict with then pattern and the additional info is very rich, such as starting on time, getting a good pitch to hit, looking in or out adjusting up/down on the fly, sitting to adjust offspeed,etc. The mechanical drill encourage the quickest/bellyup version of the MLB swing (Bonds) as opposed to the Lau weight shift and extension, front foot hitting/top hand release./land with closed front foot type approach which encourages a longe off the plate swing (Brett).
There are other approaches which encourage an entirely different pattern which is the PCR/gate swing pattern as taught by Nymna/Englishbey and their followers. This is not like overhand throw.
BM's method includes focus on arm action/release which is good, but the way he does things produces a longer swing with later batspeed than the MLB version of the high level swing which has much earlier batspeed and later adjustability via setting a longer contact zone as Williams described it.
The pattern that virtually all proficent MLB hitters use allows the hitter to stay back and read the pitch longer, then swing more quickly wityh square contact and low timing error. The swing puts the front foot down as as opposed to getting the front foot down with shoyulder pulling lead arm.
Here are some recent threads that describe the experience of an ex pro "tewks" who had a similar pattern to BM but has found out the details that allow a quick jump to the MLB version/earlier/quicker swing:
Tewks:
Updates... Yeah. My players are feeling it. I am feeling it. Teaching this is so much fun. I started doing exit interviews after the kids get it and I'll get them on youtube soon. Pretty entertaining. "Effortless" has been the word that keeps coming up.
I didn't understand the S&F drill until this past Sunday. I hadn't felt it. I was in front of a mirror thrusting for about 5 min when some players were in the cage. Then BAM. Kicked the kid out of the cage, took one swing and walked out of the cage and made a call to SB. It was an AHA.
One of the biggest challenges my players have is understanding thrust. All of my players are going to be able to dance after working with me because they are learning how to move their hips. I have developed the following routine to get them to feel the rear hip thrusting. (I will take formal video of this very soon.)
Get the player into their stance and have them turn the triangle. Grab onto the bat and ask them to create as much rearward resistance on the bat as possible. Most pull with their arms, turn their knee but not their hip, or just wind up and tug with the whole body. The rear hip can move about 2 inches and get tremendous force on the bat. If you supinate the top have simultaneously, you can pull somebody off balance by moving 2 inches.
If they can't create the correct pull on their own, I create the rearward for by pull the bat - I ask them to resist with the rear hip only. This helps them. Overall, once they get the proper thrust direction, I release the bat... and it should whip to contact while they stay balanced. Then they say "Ohhhhh."
Student:
In my career, hitting was one of my strong-suits. It never came easy, but the hard work I put in certainly paid off throughout my playing days. As I think back over the tens-of-thousands of swings I took, a few really stick out in my mind. So much so, that I cannot seem to remember what I did, only that I had never hit a ball harder or further.
I can think of a swing against Timberlane High School (Plaistow, NH) my senior year. Their stud sophomore starter grooved an 85 MPH fastball and I launched the ball over the tennis courts (450ft+?) down the left field line. The ball was unfairly ruled foul, but the effect was the same.
I can remember feeling the same thing after a swing I took during my freshman year in college. Playing against St. Anselm's (Manchester, NH) at home, I got a soft breaking ball on the outer half of the plate. From there my mind goes blank, only to remember the ball caroming off the top of the right-center field fence (420ft) for a triple.
Lastly, there was the swing during my first professional spring training. I had never been much of a home run hitter during my career, but during the very first batting practice session after we got down to Florida, that all changed. I can remember just trying to stay patient, keep my hands inside the ball and get my lower half into the swing. The next thing I remember is the ball traveling over the batter's eye in center field (415ft out, 25ft up). I wish I could have duplicated those swings for my entire playing career, but I had no idea what happened, or how to get myself to feel "it" again. That is until two weeks ago.
After hearing how excited Bobby was about his new-found approach to hitting, I took him up on an offer to join one of his weekly hitting groups to see it for myself. I'll leave the instruction aspect of this to Bobby, but after going through some of the simple drills to start to develop the muscle memory required, I started to take some live cuts. I can honestly say that I have never hit a ball harder in my entire life with such minimal effort. After I jumped out of the cage, Bobby stepped in to show us all what it should look like when it is done right. As someone who has watched Tewks hit for over 12 years, I can honestly say that I have never seen a ball come off his bat as hard as it did that night.
The process of learning a swing that will generate so much power with minimal effort is addictive, and the simplicity of the technique is profound. I challenge anyone who is serious about taking their swing to the next level to get into a cage with Bobby. The results will speak for themselves if you are willing to put in the time. I only wish someone would have taught me this swing before the window of my playing career closed.
See also hsbbweb:
Bat speed - Topic Powered by Social Strata
Mark
Where BM has his lead elbow is where we start, now use the picture in your mind and place your top hand palm down so the lead elbow would rest on it. Now move the elbow forward and do not loose contact with the lead hand ( drag it across the top hand and never loose contact) and the lead elbow will go forward and then the wrist and forearm will remain in contact with the top hand. Where my elbow was resting, my hand will now be. The elbow went forward and up like it was going up a ramp. This was the motion of a good first move I was describing to you. When we decide to swing this moves about 2 to 4 inches forward and up as our tilt and turn commence allowing us to adjust to any pitch as we were never too high with the elbow.
Thanks Howard
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I think the Nyman/Englishbey/PCR/gate swing is fine for girls who are unable to lear the high level/total body whipping overhand throw pattern. Many girls still have the upper body/arm thriow type pattern as in:
http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-hitting/2368-10u-hitter-swing-progression.html#post20463
Try teaching throw and swing together and if they can not get the whip throw pattern, then the PCR (turn bat in shoulder plane by active shoulder turn, avoid live and independent hands) may be a reasonable alternative.
http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-hitting/2368-10u-hitter-swing-progression.html#post20463
Try teaching throw and swing together and if they can not get the whip throw pattern, then the PCR (turn bat in shoulder plane by active shoulder turn, avoid live and independent hands) may be a reasonable alternative.
Right click and save them. you need to download Quicktime to play them. It's safe. It's an Apple thing.
- Jul 14, 2008
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JC, you can view them HERE.
I see my clips made their way to this site via Tom G. Thanks Tom.
His title "New Hitting Theory" was meant to draw attention and criticism.
I made those video's because I kept receiving inquiries into the function of the lead arm. They were never meant to suggest anything "new".......
I was also asked several times to show how the Hitting Illustrated "hand pivot" drill was creating a bind in the swings of MANY MANY young hitters........So I included some comment on what I feel is a hugely detramental drill to be teaching young hitters.
Here is what they are teaching young hitters. You can draw your own conclusions.
This is a young hitter being forced by the instructor to dump the barrel under the rear arm as a method of starting the swing.
Here is my analysis of his swing based on his instruction:
Now you can see why I made the terminal velocity videos........
I plan to add to the collection as people continue to look for answers to swing flaws that exist.......
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