Bat Speed -- Baseball Hitting Forum Someone you follow Jack Mankin, He doesn't like it. You post on his site , so I'm sure you already know this.
Purpose of One Hand Drill?
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FiveFrameSwing
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This is a good point. The IB does have a guide for the index finger, ... but that guide for the index finger isn't nearly as effective as a Bat Jack would likely be. That is because the guide for the index finger on the IB does not result in raising the index finger off of the barrel, and the result is that one will not learn to place control in the gripper fingers with this product.
While I do like the intent of the Bat Jack ... I have the same sort of comment. I obtain the same benefit by simply have hitters place cut-off pencils between their index and middle fingers. I note that many of the hitters that I performed this with, will still have the index finger off of their bat barrel when performing normal swings ... one year after being given a series of drills over a 3-wk period (once/wk) that involved performing swings with what the Bat Jack attempts to accomplish. It's another example of once you 'feel the benefit', you tend to keep it ... you don't need to keep learning to ride that particular bike.
This is why I tend to believe there is no need to use a Bat Jack during games ... because, IMO, it should be relatively easy to use such a gadget and transfer the feel to a normal swing.
- Jan 24, 2011
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I used the Insider Bat quite a bit with a 10u and a first year 12u team. We didnt use it every practice or hitting session , but we did use it periodically in hitting stations. It really helped these younger girls get the feeling of getting inside the ball. We dont use it that much anymore with the 14u team. Their hand path has kind of become just a natural thing after so many reps , so it isnt as necessary as with the younger girls. But , we do break it out every now and then if needed.
FiveFrameSwing
Banned
My visits to Jack's website are infrequent.
The post you highlighted wasn't largely informative IMO. It does refer to testimonials to the IB … which is true. The list of testimonials for the IB is fairly impressive. After working with it I could see why it was liked … I just didn’t feel it necessary to use the product on a regular basis. I have to chuckle here … because some of the kids I work with refer to the IB as the “swivel stick” … and they call it that because they credit the IB for being what taught them to use their top hand. My personal opinion is that they learned to use their top hand within a more proper sequence.
My dd doesn't use it during games, but many young kids do. If you work with young kids you find out no matter how much you drill them and teach, they resort back to old habits. During a game with pressure on watch how they perform. This like any tool forces them to perform a task a selected way. I know you have read the book " The talent Code" It discusssed how we train and perform. That is why I have no issue with a kid using this device during a game, if it is legal. Do to repetition of this task, you hope they no longer need this device. That is what teaching and practice is all about. I use many different tools to solve issues with a swing. Kids can see and feel what you are teaching. Then they must practice what they have learned. This is the number one failure, I see.
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FiveFrameSwing
Banned
I hear you SBF. There was a time when I used to use a ton of tools, gadgets and a large array of drills. Then Doc (Chris Yeager) set me up with a sequence of drills ... and I quickly learned that it didn't require a lot of drills to teach the swing.
I would be interested to know what those drills are.
FiveFrameSwing
Banned
I personally found Doc to be extremely sharing with information. I studied what he had available in considerable detail ... and then followed up with him over the phone, email, PMs, conference. He ended up sending a good deal of information, including a recommended series of drills to perform. I can't stress the following enough ... the sequence of drills that he recommends works well, because basically, virtually any "point-of-emphasis" can be focused on from the beginning and brought forward into a full swing sequence. Simply select the "point-of-emphasis" that the particular hitter needs, and then focus on that "point-of-emphasis". Use the same sequence of drills, with different "points-of-emphasis" as needed, and you'll build hitters.
I should state ... that for me ... during a 1 hour hitting session, my intent is to have a plan for particular "points-of-emphasis" and to focus mainly on those particular "points-of-emphasis" during the first 20-min. From drill #1 through to the complete swing, I focus on particular "points-of-emphasis". From there, the expectation is that hitters will continue to focus on those particular "points-of-emphasis" for their BP and other work ... and I feel it is my job to 'bark' a bit to help keep hitters honest in terms of continuing to stress that day's "points-of-emphasis".
Basically what I'm saying is ... that it helps to be focused, and not drifting all over the place in terms of what is trying to be accomplished.
Go to Baseball Fever. Those drills are discussed. FFS and others are on that site along with Dr Chris Yeager. He has a set of DVD on training.
- Jul 26, 2010
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I use the insider bat for one hand drills, both top and bottom hand. Just remember you can't use it with real softballs. We use whiffels from the T and tennis balls (bouncing them in a modified sort of side toss) with the insider bat and it works good. Don't use it against a wall, use it where the kid can actually see the ball hit up the middle for a line drive or not, that's the whole point of the insider bat. If she's hitting them against a wall or a backstop it isn't enough room to tell if she's doing it "right" or not.
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