Some good college swings Baylor versus Red Raiders

[Screwball]

In young players, I see a lot of "golf" swings, weak shoulders, leaning and twisting posture, bats hitting the back or shoulder in warm up swings, and lack of extension.

I just watch the boys at the facility and they get their shoulders through better. I think the girls use their legs and the arms may be a bit out of control or behind.

This is not a gender thing, as evidenced by the college players below. Baylor is one fantastic hitting team, not to mention the team they are playing.I thought these were "model" swings, although I am not a hitting expert.

Baylor Bears sweep Red Raiders in double-header - YouTube

 

[Steve Huff]

I think there are links on this site that reflect Texas Tech's hitting style. They are a bit more linear and have the lean or "tilt" that forms the straight line, chest through front leg. Baylor is a bit more rotational in style. There were two hitters each, and both hitters for each team had exactly the same mechanics as their teammate at contact.

HOLLY H - YouTube
Front Side - YouTube

This is Dr.Yeager's hitting analysis. The girl he is analyzing in fact is very late on the swing, so I can't judge her arm mechanics from one swing. It would be easier off a tee. But you can see the Texas Tech (backward) tilt shown in Screwball's posted video in this girl's swing that Dr. Yeager promotes. But I don't believe in it. It makes a batter more vulnerable to off-speed and outside pitches since the bat head is returning to shoulder level earlier. If as in true linear hitting the bat does not maintain the same angle as the front forearm, the the bat head rises earlier than in a more level swing. A true linear swing should give a little advantage on outside pitches. This backward tilt that Texas Tech may promote does give "lift" to the ball, or upper-cut. I would be throwing these girls riseballs out of the zone, and drop-balls and changeups for strikes all day long! The girl in the video would be very vulnerable to riseballs up and in, and screwballs as well. I threw that in for Screwball

The girl in the video has a lot of "bat-drag" and it appears her knuckles are over rotated making her too top-hand dependent, creating the bat-drag and a straight front arm. So unlike true linear hitting, she does not project the bat knob toward the hitting plane.

Except for this girls back-knee projection, I like the "old" girl's swing better! And you might guess, I like Baylor's swings better. They have their chests upright, and have more rotational technique. The first Texas Tech girl drags the bat and has a straight front arm. I couldn't freeze it well enough to see the second Tech hitter very well.

I think both teams look good, but I don't like the backward tilt. If you can freeze the second Baylor hitter's swing at 0:49, her arms are in very good hitting position; in fact her mevhanics POC looks very clean. I think the team that was trying to hit 100 homeruns was Tech, and Baylor can get the best of them "clogging up the bases". Baylor's mechanics are simpler or shall I say, cleaner!