swing repair kit

[FiveFrameSwing]

Turning2, assume for a moment that you are dealing with a 'bat dragger'.

As you are pitching to the kid you observe that they respond to seeing the ball in flight by getting the barrel on-plane early with the pitched ball. That's what kids with ‘bat drag’ tend to do ... they get on-plane early.

One of the mental images of the swing for a 'bat dragger' is to get on-plane with the ball early. It is a mental image that makes perfect sense to them ... and it is a mental image that you'll want to clear up ... because until that's cleared up it will be difficult to make notable progress with them.

When you give a 'bat dragger' a goal of swinging down to/towards & through, then they can’t possibly maintain their pre-conceived goal of getting the barrel on-plane with the ball early … a goal that makes perfect sense to them, yet hinders them badly. For many, the concept of “swing down to/towards” is at odds with the concept of “get on plane early”. It may seem strange to some ... but the concept of getting on plane early is a goal that should be tossed and replaced.

If you Attack from the top, then you can “swing down to/towards” and “shallow-out long through”. If you first 'level to the ball' (i.e., get on-plane early), then it can be fairly difficult to attack from the top. That is, it is difficult to "attack from the top" when you are not on top. Said differently ... You can't swing down towards an oncoming ball if you are already at the height of the ball.

Attack from the top!

 

[mann]

Ok, i worked with this 13yo yesterday. we worked on sequence, while we threw bats. I removed some tilt also.

What is the Goal with the bat in flight? should the bat whirl rapidly? What the result was she threw the bat where i asked her to. it traveled in a line drive, and we worked right center and up the middle.

we worked on that front side (shoulder down and in) (attack position), because it seems she was letting it go, and dipping in her videos.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Whirling is good.

Did you pay attention to the flexion in the front leg? Did having a throwing oriented goal remove this here?

Was there an improved sequence? Did she do a better job of preparing to throw? Did she sequence her body better in performing the throw? Did she get through the ball better with direction?

She also had a front-leg disconnect issue ... moving this forward prior to her COM. Did this correct as well?

 

[mann]

I should have recorded the session.

 

[turnin2]

Yes, I understand your replies #31 & #32. I hate the swing level queue. Makes them drop their hands. They just don't understand what a true "swing plane" is.

I wanted clarification because I don't really like the phrase "leveling out through the ball." That's all.

Coach[/B]: I want your swing to pass through an up-right power-vee like this [… coach performs a demo], and then have the top-hand work down towards the ball, before leveling out through the ball.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Turnin2, think in terms of the path of the top-hand. As it passes through an up-right vee it swings 'down' ... and then pretty much 'levels off' through impact.