radial deviation

[tom.guerry]

SB -

Thanks very much for the detail.

When teaching in person, I use the Epstein system and supplement it with arm action drills based on mankin's swing info and Hodge's throwing info.

More recently I have been doing almost exclusively analysis and teaching over that system of tubes called the internets.

The Epstein system is overall an excellent extension of the Williams SCIENCE OF HITTING approach which was the guide I used from1970 on playing wood bat into college and then coaching metal bat in college. I tried a lot of things with fastpitch in the 90's and then found Epstein to be the best overall additional info about 10 years ago, but it needs to be supplemented:

1- with Williams foundation -cock hips,cock hands,hips lead, hit with unbroken top hand wrist or definitely before wrists "roll", hips at 80-85%, hands at 100%

then epstein has excellent drills for core of swing, wind rubberband, drop and tilt.

put these together and you get:

cock hips, cock hands, wind rubberband, drop and tilt, swing.

2- arm/forearm action -The limitations here are the arm action when you do the drill progression with bat off deltoid which is what the mankin/Hodge info supplements, and

3- weight shift action - the last piece is the weight shift info which more recently has been supplemented very well (along with additional arm/forearm action info) at hittingillustrated.com.

here are some arm action drills which I use and which have helped others who I have worked with via the internet:

One arm back arm tip and rip/heavy bag:

Adding second arm, this is soft toss, but self toss can work too, ideally with emphasis on hitting hard OPPO:

Teacherman's HittingIllustrated.com

and for weight shift and arm action/synch, here is karaoke walkup:

http://www.hittingillustrated.com/library/mini4.gif

This last hitter was named best hitter/slugger at recent 14U world championships.





More recently, much more info and drills have been developed at hittingillustrated as shown here, for example:

- HI Atlanta Clinic Videos

These clips from youtube feature teacherman and swingbuilder who post at H-I and baseballdebate.

More about grip/roll to follow.

 

[RayR]

Here is a comparison video of Megan Bush alongside Puhols the difference in swings appears to be Bush's hips are slower and her shoulders over rotate. The slower hips will make it more difficult for her on a knee high pitch because of the angle of attack her body will allow. The second part where her shoulders over rotate limits her to a strict pull hitter. She can not hit it hard to the opposite field.High Definition Swing Analysis - Comparison of Pujols and Bush

Looks like an inside pitch that Bush adjusted to.

 

[Jeff_H]

Scott at the Pam AM games while playing Team Canada I think, she put one on the roof of the building across the street and the front of the building was 450 feet from home plate. The Team Canada catcher told Stacy Neuvemen if you put it out of the park it is only a run....on top of the building and its a home run!

In OKC in 2008 she hit the light pole which is for the other field about 75 foot up the pole. The light pole is 396 feet from home plate and the calculation was 464 to 465 feet splash down if it had not hit the pole.

At the Canada Cup the 300 foot fence has a clearing of about another 60 feet beyond the fence and she was putting them into the trees (forest) beyond the clearing. These are tall pine trees!!! Her 300 to 350 shots are more common however she has done it.

I am with you all the way that focusing on what is done right by the elite females hitters is more productive than comparing their swings to an elite MLB player and makes sense.

Crystl talks about the differences on female verses male at her clinics and what she has had to do to get her hamstrings stronger and get the flex in her front knee so her weight shifts like water flowing forward by landing on the inside edge of her lead foot and driving off the big toe on the back foot so the calf muscle, ham string and glutes are all engaged. She said Coach Enquist calls it the Elvis move now...plant the heel and lift the back foot heel and turn to get that driving force forward inside the back leg. She also stresses a lot on the elbows clearing the body and working as a unit with the knob leading the elbows and releasing the barrel of the bat to the ball.
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We play in the HOF complex 3-4 times a year, just played in the state tournament in mid-october (3A State Champs BTW). That is just impossible in that complex. The only field situated where that could happen is the stadium field. Field 2 is at the same level as the press box, so it would have had to hit the pole about 125' above home plate. It would have also have to made it through the trees.

If your refering to the hit where Bustos baited, the chinese pitcher if I remember, into throwing her inside by crowding the plate then opening up as she went into her motion. The ball was about 60' up the light pole right behind the 300' slow pitch fence. Still very impressive, not only for the hit, but the overall mental approach to the at bat!!

 

[Mark H]

Looks like an inside pitch that Bush adjusted to.

Sure does. Not recognizing this could lead to some very poor assumptions about swing mechanics among those predisposed to the hands to the ball type thinking. People need to understand what she is doing is completely different from this. http://imageevent.com/siggy/hitting/analysis?p=17&n=1&m=20&c=4&l=0&w=4&s=0&z=9

 

[HittingGuru]

she always crowds the plate. for the most part is pitched inside. Hey she is a great athlete. Just not living up to her potential.

 

[HittingGuru]

Second thing I don't teach what you think. I teach something very different. You want to assume you already know. I teach for high average ,great power that almost seems effortless swing.

 

[tom.guerry]

In the Pujols v Bush clips, notice how much more the hips lead the hands in Pujols (separation/body torque).

Is that due more to location or basic difference in mechanics ?

Addendum for SB:

How much is difference due to male v female difference as described in post #20:

SB: The differences in the male to female body are enough to warrant the swing being achieved differently as to male verses female... hips wider, Q angle knee to hip, glutes fire the male knee before landing and does not on the female, spine is more erect on the female verse male changes their balance point, quads are more balanced as to hamstring and quads on a male and the quads are more pronounced on the female and the hamstring is not usually as well balanced on females, flexing of the lead foot knee must be taught to the female more so than the male and it shows especially when they throw as the back leg does not release or follow around and the weight does not shift or transfer. This is why some say they throw like a girl because they use their upper body verses using the lower body and we the male coaches can not explain why or how this happens....

 

[tom.guerry]

SB asked:

Could you answer any of the questions please as to how the bat transitions forward please?

Here is a start using your post #20 and a Bustos clip:

SB-

Given your familiarity with Bustos, maybe you could use he as a reference clip. Here is the one from Siggy's site

http://photos.imageevent.com/siggy/hitting/olympic//CrystalBustos_Olympics.gif

now, from

Softball Forum - softball hitting, softball pitching, coaching softball, softball drills, softball tips, and more. - View Single Post - radial deviation

SB: Simply the hands went back and separated some where between the top of the shoulder and ear hole on the helmet and you can choose the hitter to illustrate your point.

Comment: She seems to keep the hands lower than the shoulder, does she change to a higher handset or loading position sometimes ? IS this lower hand position unusual in your opinion ?

SB: When the back elbow is lowered or some say slot, isn't the action of the elbows working together as a unit and staying connected or linked happening?

Comment: Can this elbow action be described the way Epstein does as back elbow down/front elbow up ?



SB:As the knob of the bat is being moved forward does this not cause the bat to transition forward causing the bat to move from the action of the elbows working as a unit and directing the hands to change planes and direction?

Comment: can you see the back forearm roll while bat is still back.no coming forward at frame #15 ? at this point the bathed has started rearward but the knob has not started forward and the shoulders have not started to tilt yet. this action seems to involve arms/elbows/forearms, not shoulders.

 

[HittingGuru]

In the Pujols v Busch clips, notice how much more the hips lead the hands in Pujols (separation/body torque).

Is that due more to location or basic difference in mechanics ?

Most of the great baseball hitters have hip hand seperation for two basic reasons 1st is body torque which helps generate initial bat speed and 2nd it allows the hitter to attack the ball farther back and not be chopping down on the ball. Notice Puhols hits the ball at his front hip which also allows him to apply more linear energy to the ball. Bush is hitting way out front. The very reason she fouls off so many balls.

 

[ifubuildit]

We play in the HOF complex 3-4 times a year, just played in the state tournament in mid-october (3A State Champs BTW). That is just impossible in that complex. The only field situated where that could happen is the stadium field. Field 2 is at the same level as the press box, so it would have had to hit the pole about 125' above home plate. It would have also have to made it through the trees.

If your refering to the hit where Bustos baited, the chinese pitcher if I remember, into throwing her inside by crowding the plate then opening up as she went into her motion. The ball was about 60' up the light pole right behind the 300' slow pitch fence. Still very impressive, not only for the hit, but the overall mental approach to the at bat!!

It was on the main field. It was down the 3rd base line. It went over the trees and hit the pole. There is a 65' to 75' Oak in front of the pole. It cleared the Oak and hit the pole.

I was not there but I was told about it.

Amazing shot.