I have seen many over the years. Just putting a ball by the back heel so the hitter can see if they kick it out. PLace a bucket or a concrete block by back foot. Heck you can use a cheap door stop.
Sqishing the Bug
- Thread starter Phandle
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- Aug 20, 2013
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Apologies to the pros once again. Just trying to offer a visual for what was meant with the tennis balls.
GG
GG
redhotcoach
Out on good behavior
- May 8, 2009
- 4,698
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I like that vid because it is short, untechnical, and simple to understand.
Bug squishing is free spinning of the rear leg, or basically inefficient use of the rear leg.
Coil like shown in the video and you should feel force across the surface of the ground at your foot. You foot should feel like it wants to spin out (toes spin out toward catcher). Don't let the foot spin out, but let the force be sent back up the leg.
- Jul 17, 2012
- 1,086
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Bahhh Pros? Where? lol I've done more research, reading, watching than any one person should do recently and I'm still clueless...but my head is expoding with a whole lot of info right now, not only to help my DD, but my entire team. Coach a rec team as well as a new travel team.
My daughter (age 10) had the squish the bug disease REALLY bad. We tried everything, but the one thing that helped her the most to move her throwing motion to the bat swing was to actually throw the bat. It took no time before she understood what I wanted to see. Then we could actually start working on the swing from the ground up.
[video=youtube_share;VsI7jYpHqsY]http://youtu.be/VsI7jYpHqsY[/video]
[video=youtube_share;VsI7jYpHqsY]http://youtu.be/VsI7jYpHqsY[/video]
FiveFrameSwing
Banned
Makes sense to me.
No apology necessary. That actually looks like a great drill for girls to understand where the weight and tension should be at load and toe touch. Not sure if it would introduce the issues that frozenrope is raising in his post or not but the concept of where the weigh and tension should be is important and often difficult for younger girls to grasp.
- Feb 7, 2013
- 3,188
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Sometimes I feel "squish the bug" gets a bad rap. When working with beginning hitters, a lot of kids have an all upper body swing and the back foot doesn't move at all. Giving them a simple cue such as squish the bug and turn the hips improves the sequence of the swing by getting the lower body involved and engaged in the swing. Very few young hitters that I have seen actually keep their weight back and just spin on the back foot which I think we all agree is not ideal. My 7YO DS hitting coach will sometimes remind my son to turn the back foot and hips when he forgets to get his lower body involved in the swing. The coach is also My 11 YO DD hitting instructor who never mentions "squish the bug" to her because she already gets off the back foot well so its a no-teach. So if the cue "squish the bug" helps some young hitters start engaging the lower body, so be it.
I will tell you that many team coaches out there still teach keep the weight back on the back foot throughout the whole swing, which I think is worse and precludes the back foot from turning with the hips. Every listen to Michelle Smith analyze the swing? Her mantra is "keep the weight back" and swing "short to the ball".
I will tell you that many team coaches out there still teach keep the weight back on the back foot throughout the whole swing, which I think is worse and precludes the back foot from turning with the hips. Every listen to Michelle Smith analyze the swing? Her mantra is "keep the weight back" and swing "short to the ball".
Do you have any examples of top-level hitters (softball or baseball) who "squish the bug"? IMO, it's time for the damned bug to die.
I agree that there is not one style for everyone, but there are some absolutes that are common with every style.
