Pure barrels or cut!

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Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania
Seeing spin and adjusting is certainly something I did (or tried to at least) but the adjustment is a reactionary one based upon past experience of seeing curves..your brain extrapolates based upon previous experience to try and determine where the ball is going to end up and you (reactively) adjust your swing accordingly. I see that as being different than attempting to hit a certain part of the ball.

I view it as a function of smooth pursuit eye movement. While watching the ball move you are also unknowingly watching other stimuli around the ball in the background. The combination allows your eyes to track the path the ball is traveling. This is why pitchers focus so much on making pitches look alike. The further the ball travels before the hitter sees a recognizable difference, the harder it is to adjust.
 
Nov 16, 2017
406
63
Let me redirect the way this is going, if I may. It is not the fact the SR is aiming for the bottom 3rd, I don't believe she is. I believe that fact the she is getting the bottom 3rd is a result of approach. LC and SR are both swinging down to create backspin. Is that not exactly what she is doing in the 13 HR video? Is that not exactly what LC says changed her career?

The pitcher is throwing biscuits at her. Instead of barreling it up to lift it up, she cuts right through it. It is OBVIOUS her intent is NOT to lift the ball. She is hitting straight through the ball.

My DD went to a camp at IMO the best DII school for softball (at least in my region). The coach of this school is one of the coolest and most wonderful person coaching I have ever met. I have a friend who's daughter is a monster. She is big and strong just like her dad who I played high level competitive slow pitch with. This guy mashed moon shots in slow pitch. She (like her dad) barrels balls and hits them 250+. She hit a bunch of HRs at the clinic. Her approach was pure barrel and muscle and for her it was no problem. She is 5'10"\5'11" and strong!!!.

I wrote all this to say there was a girl there half her size, who didn't hit as many out, but hit a bunch out with the same swing you see in SR. SR is not a big girl. She does not pure barrel muscle the ball. She cuts that bad boy with a down to approach.

So as we get a little side tracked on the idea of going after the bottom 3rd, I think it is the swing down to create backspin that has a great result in a bottom 3rd shot that rises and gets out.

Intent of swinging down = bottom 3rd and out, vs pure barrel and muscle.

I just don't see SR grunting and coming out of her shoes. She is smooth almost effortless. I want my DD to emulate a SR swing.
 
Feb 16, 2015
933
43
South East
Let me redirect the way this is going, if I may. It is not the fact the SR is aiming for the bottom 3rd, I don't believe she is. I believe that fact the she is getting the bottom 3rd is a result of approach. LC and SR are both swinging down to create backspin. Is that not exactly what she is doing in the 13 HR video? Is that not exactly what LC says changed her career?

The pitcher is throwing biscuits at her. Instead of barreling it up to lift it up, she cuts right through it. It is OBVIOUS her intent is NOT to lift the ball. She is hitting straight through the ball.

My DD went to a camp at IMO the best DII school for softball (at least in my region). The coach of this school is one of the coolest and most wonderful person coaching I have ever met. I have a friend who's daughter is a monster. She is big and strong just like her dad who I played high level competitive slow pitch with. This guy mashed moon shots in slow pitch. She (like her dad) barrels balls and hits them 250+. She hit a bunch of HRs at the clinic. Her approach was pure barrel and muscle and for her it was no problem. She is 5'10"\5'11" and strong!!!.

I wrote all this to say there was a girl there half her size, who didn't hit as many out, but hit a bunch out with the same swing you see in SR. SR is not a big girl. She does not pure barrel muscle the ball. She cuts that bad boy with a down to approach.

So as we get a little side tracked on the idea of going after the bottom 3rd, I think it is the swing down to create backspin that has a great result in a bottom 3rd shot that rises and gets out.

Intent of swinging down = bottom 3rd and out, vs pure barrel and muscle.

I just don't see SR grunting and coming out of her shoes. She is smooth almost effortless. I want my DD to emulate a SR swing.

Do you believe it is her bat path that is making her swing look effortless?

Justin Stone tweeted about SR having the most efficient swing that he has ever recorded on Kvest...... men or women.


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BigSkyHi

All I know is I don't know
Jan 13, 2020
1,385
113
Let me redirect the way this is going, if I may. It is not the fact the SR is aiming for the bottom 3rd, I don't believe she is. I believe that fact the she is getting the bottom 3rd is a result of approach. LC and SR are both swinging down to create backspin. Is that not exactly what she is doing in the 13 HR video? Is that not exactly what LC says changed her career?

The pitcher is throwing biscuits at her. Instead of barreling it up to lift it up, she cuts right through it. It is OBVIOUS her intent is NOT to lift the ball. She is hitting straight through the ball.

My DD went to a camp at IMO the best DII school for softball (at least in my region). The coach of this school is one of the coolest and most wonderful person coaching I have ever met. I have a friend who's daughter is a monster. She is big and strong just like her dad who I played high level competitive slow pitch with. This guy mashed moon shots in slow pitch. She (like her dad) barrels balls and hits them 250+. She hit a bunch of HRs at the clinic. Her approach was pure barrel and muscle and for her it was no problem. She is 5'10"\5'11" and strong!!!.

I wrote all this to say there was a girl there half her size, who didn't hit as many out, but hit a bunch out with the same swing you see in SR. SR is not a big girl. She does not pure barrel muscle the ball. She cuts that bad boy with a down to approach.

So as we get a little side tracked on the idea of going after the bottom 3rd, I think it is the swing down to create backspin that has a great result in a bottom 3rd shot that rises and gets out.

Intent of swinging down = bottom 3rd and out, vs pure barrel and muscle.

I just don't see SR grunting and coming out of her shoes. She is smooth almost effortless. I want my DD to emulate a SR swing.
Foremost, congratulations to your DD. (y) Go for it!
 
Nov 16, 2017
406
63
Do you believe it is her bat path that is making her swing look effortless?

Justin Stone tweeted about SR having the most efficient swing that he has ever recorded on Kvest...... men or women.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

She does a couple of things that really put a damper on a lot theories.

Anchored back foot or the idea of keeping your back foot anchored: For the rear leg driver crowd, SR demolishes that narrative. If you watch Justin's video on her, her anchored rear leg helps decelerate hips way faster and energy is passed up the kinetic chain more efficiently. She is not leaking power. She doesn't anchor her back foot completely to the ground on every swing but you can tell that she is not trying to drive with her back leg.

Her extension through the ball: She has focused on extension and she says she does and she says it is the most important to her. If you have an extension focus, then you start eliminating things that get in the way of getting extending. I have heard a lot of baseball and softball coaches say don't worry about extension, it is the result of good mechanics early in the chain. Even Justin Stone has said this. However the part about "result of good mechanics earlier in the chain" is right, however focusing on that extension help her correct and definitely made her swing more efficient.

We see a lot of baseball guys not getting extending and clobbering an inside pitch. I believe that this is an adjustment or a reaction and not intention. So you can hold the video of Trout doing that. That ball looked inside about 4" and he still hit it haha.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
I want my DD to emulate a SR swing.
That is a good goal to have...Not coincidentally you could probably say that about any of the SRs (even the youngest although admittedly I have not seen her swing but she plays for OC Batbusters) and also her brother MR ;). They must have a really good hitting coach :rolleyes:
 
Feb 16, 2015
933
43
South East
She does a couple of things that really put a damper on a lot theories.

Anchored back foot or the idea of keeping your back foot anchored: For the rear leg driver crowd, SR demolishes that narrative. If you watch Justin's video on her, her anchored rear leg helps decelerate hips way faster and energy is passed up the kinetic chain more efficiently. She is not leaking power. She doesn't anchor her back foot completely to the ground on every swing but you can tell that she is not trying to drive with her back leg.

Her extension through the ball: She has focused on extension and she says she does and she says it is the most important to her. If you have an extension focus, then you start eliminating things that get in the way of getting extending. I have heard a lot of baseball and softball coaches say don't worry about extension, it is the result of good mechanics early in the chain. Even Justin Stone has said this. However the part about "result of good mechanics earlier in the chain" is right, however focusing on that extension help her correct and definitely made her swing more efficient.

We see a lot of baseball guys not getting extending and clobbering an inside pitch. I believe that this is an adjustment or a reaction and not intention. So you can hold the video of Trout doing that. That ball looked inside about 4" and he still hit it haha.

Theories aside...... Her movement pattern is what makes her swing efficient, which I believe you agree with.

Has your DD attempted to add or focus on some of SR swing thoughts and if so do you guys feel it helped her?


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May 12, 2016
4,338
113
Let me redirect the way this is going, if I may. It is not the fact the SR is aiming for the bottom 3rd, I don't believe she is. I believe that fact the she is getting the bottom 3rd is a result of approach. LC and SR are both swinging down to create backspin. Is that not exactly what she is doing in the 13 HR video? Is that not exactly what LC says changed her career?

The pitcher is throwing biscuits at her. Instead of barreling it up to lift it up, she cuts right through it. It is OBVIOUS her intent is NOT to lift the ball. She is hitting straight through the ball.

My DD went to a camp at IMO the best DII school for softball (at least in my region). The coach of this school is one of the coolest and most wonderful person coaching I have ever met. I have a friend who's daughter is a monster. She is big and strong just like her dad who I played high level competitive slow pitch with. This guy mashed moon shots in slow pitch. She (like her dad) barrels balls and hits them 250+. She hit a bunch of HRs at the clinic. Her approach was pure barrel and muscle and for her it was no problem. She is 5'10"\5'11" and strong!!!.

I wrote all this to say there was a girl there half her size, who didn't hit as many out, but hit a bunch out with the same swing you see in SR. SR is not a big girl. She does not pure barrel muscle the ball. She cuts that bad boy with a down to approach.

So as we get a little side tracked on the idea of going after the bottom 3rd, I think it is the swing down to create backspin that has a great result in a bottom 3rd shot that rises and gets out.

Intent of swinging down = bottom 3rd and out, vs pure barrel and muscle.

I just don't see SR grunting and coming out of her shoes. She is smooth almost effortless. I want my DD to emulate a SR swing.


I agree James, I’ve said many times it looks like Romero is just “clipping” those balls and they travel on a straight line for miles. Romero “strikes” the ball. Of course Romero is not just clipping the ball, but her barrel path certainly makes it look that way.

Yes I remember LC saying in a clinic that after a very successful game at the plate her hurting coach said if she corrected her path(Swing down) those Doubles would of been HRs. LC changed her approach at that point in her career and the rest is history.
 

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