November progress?

[vdubya]

The end of the fall season was here:
http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-hitting-technical/11648-last-game-swing-what-work.html

After lots of November swinging, working mostly on the top half she is here:

2swing slowmo - YouTube

Improving extension was fairly easy. She still wants to chicken wing on occasion. The bat wrap thing and keeping the bat more vertical when initiating the swing has been quite a struggle.

Is there a cue other than 'throw the barrel' that would apply and maybe help this swing? "Throw the barrel' cue leads to a pretty dramatic forward lean above the waist for this hitter.

The good news is that she is really starting to rip the ball. Heavy (30 oz) bat work has certainly helped. The Rocketech in the new clip now has a 7" long, wide open crack on the sweet spot :/

Thanks for any help!

 

[RayR]

Oily wrists is one of my favorites....more pre swing barrel movement to play around with - basic flaw is the top hand/wrist allowing barrel to drop behind her....she loses the leverage needed to really be able to throw/turn the barrel. Her back wrist should be bent back more - this allows the wrist to work better - when you bend the wrist forward (as it looks like she does) even a little - it tightens the forearm muscle and limits the wrist movement needed to release the barrel.

So, you typically want to use more of the extension wrist position to allow the forearm to be loose in the context of swinging a bat. If you were bench pressing you would want the forearm tight to support the wrists to lift heavy weight - you wouldn't use the extension wrist position.

 

[redhotcoach]

I bet she hits hard...and keeping the bat vertical etc with the bat path is things that no one was teaching girls a year ago. My dd is not picking it up as easily as other things in the past.
We start each hitting session with top hand only swings with a 17 oz bat. Having her slow mo: load and unload scap, elbow loading up and slotting, "whipping" (que we are using) the bat "short to contact" (another que we are using) to a tee set up a few inches deeper than her belly button. When she gets the path, then she can top hand swing full speed. Everytime she flattens, she has to go back to slow mo. What I tell her is "you need to be able to take that 1% top speed stud pitcher oppo even if your a little late."

Then we go to on back knee, front leg out working the same ideas with 2 hands. Still making sure she is whipping from near vert, short to the zone. With 2 hands on, still make sure a majority of the whip is coming from top hand force, not bottom hand pull. We still use a light bat, 20 oz. Doing the drill with both tee, and toss from 45 degrees, concentrating on throwing at her belly button.

Then we are going to standing with tee, doing "noon time drill" (rear leg turned in, foot up on toe slightly) feeling coil tension in her front pocket area. She takes full swings with 23oz game bat.

On to the "either drill" with game bat. Concentrating on...her made up que...."take the moon to the goon" (butt toward the pitcher)...her brother says "blow a flaming fart at the ss". We are all dorks! Then we go to the 26oz bat with same drill.

Then to full swings with 26 oz bat (we found out the if we go to quick to heavy bat while working on turning the barrel, her wrist get sore, she has broken both in the past). She does full swings with tee, then front toss. Her full swings are much much better when she does what she is calling "flows". A little sway forward then back into load.

At anytime she flattens she has to go back to top hand or one knee drills...so it is tough for her not to get frustrated.

Sorry! Didn't want to make this about me...just thinking that what is working for us on this fairly knew concept might help you and others. Ques...I never ever talk technical wih any of the girls...I try to give them ques and explanations that will help them with coaches in the future. When a coach questions that can show "look coach at how fast I get to the zone with speed in my bat". Also all the while showing them "look, this is what Josh does, (or Ryan or Evan)(cute mlb players work better for the girls to remember, except Yankees don't work).

Dbl ya...you have any tips on fighten the boys off with that bat??? I am betting you are having that trouble too.....pretty dd.

 

[softballphreak]

The end of the fall season was here:
http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-hitting-technical/11648-last-game-swing-what-work.html

After lots of November swinging, working mostly on the top half she is here:

2swing slowmo - YouTube

Improving extension was fairly easy. She still wants to chicken wing on occasion. The bat wrap thing and keeping the bat more vertical when initiating the swing has been quite a struggle.

Is there a cue other than 'throw the barrel' that would apply and maybe help this swing? "Throw the barrel' cue leads to a pretty dramatic forward lean above the waist for this hitter.

The good news is that she is really starting to rip the ball. Heavy (30 oz) bat work has certainly helped. The Rocketech in the new clip now has a 7" long, wide open crack on the sweet spot :/

Thanks for any help!

That appears to be an '04 Rocketech. ouch!

She might benefit from holding a ball in its throwing position and then replacing the ball with a bat before she swings. She appears to be mostly pulling the bat around instead of throwing the barrel.

Have her actively compare her throwing action with a ball to her throwing action with her bat during the same at-bat practice.

 

[redhotcoach]

Also...sorry about spelling and grammer...on my iphone and screen keeps moving so I can't see what I am writing.

And last thought...my dd can not do it well with her rockettech. I know...it creams the ball...hers is 23 oz...but she can not stop flattening it. She has more success with her 26oz balanced bat then her 23 oz end load.

 

[RayR]

video to show back wrist

 

[RichK]

Along with working the top hand the way MTS describes she needs to let her top hand load that back elbow up and jutted back, which will in turn help her increase her stretch, load/use her back more and feel some more resistance in her hands...basically tightening up a bunch of links that will help her launch the barrel even more powerfully...

Also, just noticed: I *think* her top hand thumb is pointing up and laying along the barrel, rather than wrapping it (do others see that)? I think that is causing some of the weakness/floppiness in the top hand wrist that MTS is pointing out..check her grip...

 

[rdbass]

I bet she hits hard...and keeping the bat vertical etc with the bat path is things that no one was teaching girls a year ago. My dd is not picking it up as easily as other things in the past.
We start each hitting session with top hand only swings with a 17 oz bat. Having her slow mo: load and unload scap, elbow loading up and slotting, "whipping" (que we are using) the bat "short to contact" (another que we are using) to a tee set up a few inches deeper than her belly button. When she gets the path, then she can top hand swing full speed. Everytime she flattens, she has to go back to slow mo. What I tell her is "you need to be able to take that 1% top speed stud pitcher oppo even if your a little late."

Then we go to on back knee, front leg out working the same ideas with 2 hands. Still making sure she is whipping from near vert, short to the zone. With 2 hands on, still make sure a majority of the whip is coming from top hand force, not bottom hand pull. We still use a light bat, 20 oz. Doing the drill with both tee, and toss from 45 degrees, concentrating on throwing at her belly button.

Then we are going to standing with tee, doing "noon time drill" (rear leg turned in, foot up on toe slightly) feeling coil tension in her front pocket area. She takes full swings with 23oz game bat.

On to the "either drill" with game bat. Concentrating on...her made up que...."take the moon to the goon" (butt toward the pitcher)...her brother says "blow a flaming fart at the ss". We are all dorks! Then we go to the 26oz bat with same drill.

Then to full swings with 26 oz bat (we found out the if we go to quick to heavy bat while working on turning the barrel, her wrist get sore, she has broken both in the past). She does full swings with tee, then front toss. Her full swings are much much better when she does what she is calling "flows". A little sway forward then back into load.

At anytime she flattens she has to go back to top hand or one knee drills...so it is tough for her not to get frustrated.

Sorry! Didn't want to make this about me...just thinking that what is working for us on this fairly knew concept might help you and others. Ques...I never ever talk technical wih any of the girls...I try to give them ques and explanations that will help them with coaches in the future. When a coach questions that can show "look coach at how fast I get to the zone with speed in my bat". Also all the while showing them "look, this is what Josh does, (or Ryan or Evan)(cute mlb players work better for the girls to remember, except Yankees don't work).

Dbl ya...you have any tips on fighten the boys off with that bat??? I am betting you are having that trouble too.....pretty dd.

Thanks you for sharing your DD's work out or part of it. This helps me alot with my winter workout plans. Sad part is I don't even know if you miss spell words. Haha.

 

[vdubya]

MTS, I think DD flattens the barrel by a 'radial deviation' move, while the AP clip shows she needs to instead do the 'extension' of the wrist without 'deviating' the barrel, yes??

RHC, your post and several of yours to other threads is quite helpful. I think the top hand-only part will be helpful and we did recently buy a $9 walmart bat in 16oz for that purpose. Thanks!

SBPhreak,and all: I whole-heartedly agree with the throwing comparisons you suggest. The hangup here is that she is right handed and bats left. Like you, me, and the rest of the right handed world, throwing left-handed is super-awkward. Some of the stuff we have done this month has had her swing looking like the first day she switched from right to left, lol. She hasn't looked 'un-natural' like that for a couple of years.

MTS said: "basic flaw is the top hand/wrist allowing barrel to drop behind her." Are we talking 'behind her' as in towards the umpire or referring to the posterior side of her body? I think from watching MLB clips that you mean that the barrel should stay on the plate side of her head/body, and not go to the posterior side. Is that correct?

Along those lines, when I watch Siggys fastpitch clips, Benyi and all except Bustos seem to wrap the bat to some degree. Benyi was the model for my DD for a long time. I now see that the majority of females don't treat the barrel/hands like MLB men (and Bustos)do.

Thanks again for the help and Happy Thanksgiving all!

VW

 

[vdubya]

Along with working the top hand the way MTS describes she needs to let her top hand load that back elbow up and jutted back, which will in turn help her increase her stretch, load/use her back more and feel some more resistance in her hands...basically tightening up a bunch of links that will help her launch the barrel even more powerfully...

Also, just noticed: I *think* her top hand thumb is pointing up and laying along the barrel, rather than wrapping it (do others see that)? I think that is causing some of the weakness/floppiness in the top hand wrist that MTS is pointing out..check her grip...

Yes Rich, the thumb is a carry-over from Carrier teachings (hammer) and meant to strengthen/reduce deflection.
RE the back elbow...funny when I was young it was always "get that back elbow up." Then that was shunned in favor of an inverted V with the forearms. Now it seems the highj back elbow is making a dramatic comeback. Lol, I will show her an exaggerated version like Youkilis to try to get hers higher. VW