Pure barrels or cut!

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BigSkyHi

All I know is I don't know
Jan 13, 2020
1,385
113
Gotta be patient all. Your 'personal elite' swing is going to change with time. Resist the urge to teach them what you want them to be rather than teach them what they are.

 
May 23, 2015
999
63
Gotta be patient all. Your 'personal elite' swing is going to change with time. Resist the urge to teach them what you want them to be rather than teach them what they are.

This is a difficult concept for "coaches" and "gurus" to understand. Barry Bonds children will not swing like him despite having his DNA and direction. Surprisingly people try to coach their children to be someone or something they cant be. It leads to frustration for both parties and a lost interest in athletics
 
Sep 29, 2008
1,401
63
Northeast Ohio
This is a difficult concept for "coaches" and "gurus" to understand. Barry Bonds children will not swing like him despite having his DNA and direction. Surprisingly people try to coach their children to be someone or something they cant be. It leads to frustration for both parties and a lost interest in athletics

This has not been my experience. My two daughters played at a high level and are very accomplished hitters. I have always been their hitting coach. We have had very few issues. I have also coached dozens of young women to various levels of improvement. There has always been a joy in the journey as they improve while trying to learn new concepts. NOW...when a parent shows frustration that will cause a player to shut down. They need to understand you have THEIR interest and not YOUR interest in mind.
 
May 21, 2018
567
93
it's been awhile since I watched it, but as I recall in that video that she is indeed thinking chop down on the ball to create backspin, which is what she demonstrates.
 
Sep 29, 2008
1,401
63
Northeast Ohio
James -

Not wanting to highjack the thread and steer it off course. I think this is on point. I have really been a big TTB advocate for a long time BECAUSE so many in our circle taught HANDS TO THE BALL which I found very ineffective as a cue for most. Recently I ran across this. It has helped me and I think it reflects LC and SR's swing paths to some extent.

 
Nov 16, 2017
406
63
Check this out. Softball Rebellion has got it all wrong. She is doing exactly what she says she is doing. It is optimal contact. Start at 7:15. She cuts the ball by swinging down and getting backspin. It is her intent, and the execution is flawless.

Start at 7:15.

 
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
If you want a down and across path. Work from a closed off position. It will make the path ‘up and towards the center of the field’. It works. It’s short. If your dd is having a hard time getting to the inside when training then probably work from a closer to square stance.

Maybe LC had hyper mobility issues In her lead hip or she was dumping the barrel. Her front hip looks super mobile. Maybe why this exaggerated style worked for her.
 
Sep 29, 2008
1,401
63
Northeast Ohio
Check this out. Softball Rebellion has got it all wrong. She is doing exactly what she says she is doing. It is optimal contact. Start at 7:15. She cuts the ball by swinging down and getting backspin. It is her intent, and the execution is flawless.

Start at 7:15.



There is no question she cuts the ball AND there is no question that is the path she intends. You see it too often with her swings to draw any other conclusion. The result is deep bombs. For sure the two greatest HR hitters in NCAA history go at it that way intentionally LC and SR. I would conclude it is one of two ways to go at it. Allyssa DiCarlo and Aaron Judge DO NOT do that and they hit many bombs and for average as well.

Does she do " exactly what she says she is doing"? Absolutely not. At least not in the teaching demo that I posted. Her instruction is not good...look at the path of her lead arm in her instruction. Her hand chopped down from her chest steeply across her body down to her front pocket. It is not what she does. If a kid went home and tried that it would be a disaster.

I think your conclusion about the cut is accurate. The two greatest homerun hitters in NCAA history attack more with a path parallel to the ground and sometimes slightly down. Others focus on turning the barrel deep with the idea of getting the bat barrel on the path of the pitch as early and as long as possible and have great success as well. Game videos back up both.

But that chopping demo by LC is misleading. No one including her does that.



The other approach that Judge uses seems more like the technique taught by Snap Man who is often a source of great discussion on this site

 
Last edited:
May 12, 2016
4,338
113
There is no question she cuts the ball AND there is no question that is the path she intends. You see it too often with her swings to draw any other conclusion. The result is deep bombs. For sure the two greatest HR hitters in NCAA history go at it that way intentionally LC and SR. I would conclude it is one of two ways to go at it. Allyssa DiCarlo and Aaron Judge DO NOT do that and they hit many bombs and for average as well.

Does she do " exactly what she says she is doing"? Absolutely not. At least not in the teaching demo that I posted. Her instruction is not good...look at the path of her lead arm in her instruction. Her hand chopped down from her chest steeply across her body down to her front pocket. It is not what she does. If a kid went home and tried that it would be a disaster.

I think your conclusion about the cut is accurate. The two greatest homerun hitters in NCAA history attack more with a path parallel to the ground and sometimes slightly down. Others focus on turning the barrel deep with the idea of getting the bat barrel on the path of the pitch as early and as long as possible and have great success as well. Game videos back up both.

But that chopping demo by LC is misleading. No one including her does that.



The other approach that Judge uses seems more like the technique taught by Snap Man who is often a source of great discussion on this site


Already been explained in detail... LC demo vs LC game swing. She does what she does with her hands in both situations ... demo isolates hands, game swing has all the components combined resulting in a different barrel path
 
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May 15, 2008
1,913
113
Cape Cod Mass.
Gotta be patient all. Your 'personal elite' swing is going to change with time. Resist the urge to teach them what you want them to be rather than teach them what they are.



This video gives a very interesting view of bat trajectory through contact. If you stop the video at 33 seconds and again at 41 and play with the pause you can catch a frame with the blurred bat going right through the ball. It doesn't look to me like the barrel is on a downward path.

I take a lot of video and look at a lot of it online. I have always valued high shutter speed and high def for getting a clear look at a swing or a pitching motion. Looking at this video makes me realize that there is value in slow shutter speed video because, going frame by frame, it shows continued or blurred motion. You can get a good look at the trajectory of the bat in this video. You can see about 18" of bat travel into contact. It's fascinating.
 

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