The Swing I Teach - 32U Dad Swinging

[CobraAssist]

Video of ME swinging a bat (ignore the headset, I'm at work) from the left and right side. Please read below either before or after you view.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCUqR68M1J0&edit=vd

So, I was in the middle of a discussion with another coach about a week ago. We have 2 new girls on our team, and he doesn't want me touching either of their swings, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE WORKING (as in, they're getting on base). He's often questioned my knowledge (since joining this site, I have spent countless hours reading and learning), and points out that I often have mentioned that I was no more than a DECENT hitter when I was younger (if I only knew then what I know now...). I have gotten permission from their parents to work with them starting this week.

One is left handed. She looks great in the box, but her first move is to drop her hands well below her shoulder level. At that point, her swing is a dramatic uppercut. Every ball she's hit has been a ground ball to the left side, and weakly hit. Now, she's fast, so she's been getting on. But, she's also very strong and I envision her also driving the ball into the gaps and being a run producer.

The second girl is a monster. She's the biggest girls we've ever had. She's CRAZY strong. She has yet to learn anything in regards to using her lower half and is a BONAFIDE, wrist rolling, back slapper. In the first tournament she played with us, she got a few good hits against some pretty weak pitching. However, we went very deep in a tournament last week, and she only had one hit in 17-18 AB's.

We have practice Wednesday. It is going to be a Hitting Heavy practice as we are playing in a tournament next weekend where we will see a large variety of pitching (slow, fast, wild, girls that pump strikes). I am going to show up to this practice with a gameplan on how to help these girls improve. I have a list of different analogies that I'm going to use so they don't need a Thesaurus to learn what I'm trying to teach (which is very FEEL based. I don't use a lot of static positions).

I'm looking for feedback on my own swing. I teach what I've learned, but a lot of the time, we both have a bat in our hands. I don't want to teach these girls the wrong thing. So, if there are movements in my swing that are HORRIBLY WRONG, the last thing I need is them replicating bad stuff.

ANY and ALL feedback is appreciated. I'm a grown man, so be as brutally honest as you see fit. I think I can handle it.

Thank you in advance.

Josh (the fat guy in the video)

 

[redhotcoach]

Big props for swinging to teach the swing CA.
I just left these gifs off at HI. Teach wants to do his blog post with them today. I am sure he will have some good advice.

 

[CobraAssist]

Was going to post them over there too. Can't because I didn't pay to subscribe (softball's do expensive). I'd love to see what he has to say. The bat I was using felt like a toothpick in my hand (29/17). Need to post something with an actual bat that fits me. Probably get a TON more feedback personally by doing so.

Josh

 

[RayR]

It is a huge difference swinging a real bat compared to the lighter ones - gives you a real perspective in what you are asking your girls to do....

Was going to post them over there too. Can't because I didn't pay to subscribe (softball's do expensive). I'd love to see what he has to say. The bat I was using felt like a toothpick in my hand (29/17). Need to post something with an actual bat that fits me. Probably get a TON more feedback personally by doing so.

Josh

 

[Immortal1]

Your swing looks remarkably like my DD's swing. Will have to get some better video of her than what I just posted in the Megan 1-tee thread. I am going to guess your swing is a little more "linear" than hers but it is hard to tell from her video. Will be interesting to see how this thread goes as I am sure it will be put to use on my end.

 

[David Carter]

I am not an expert by any means but at the follow through it does look like you are leaning forward a lot. Of course you can lean forward because you are not keeping back enough since there is weight on your back toe as it spins a little. Can't remember whether it was video from this site or a hit from the Oklahoma game I just watched but when contact was made her back foot was literally 3 or 4 inches off the ground the after contact nice and easy came back down.

Any way all in all nothing terrible although the top video you seem a little out of sequence reaching back and starting your tilt and coil during what is normally load then just continuing back more as you stride forward not a big deal in my book as long as at toe touch you are in the correct position which it looks like you are.

I'll let the experts get on and give yu real advice just letting you know what I saw.

I'm doing the same thing with pitching but am not even close to brave enough to post it on here, of course, unlike hitting, I never pitched fastpitch as a kid so I have zero reference except the month or two I have been throwing in my back yard (maybe 20 minutes a week).

 

[CobraAssist]

Immortal - I posted a long time ago that I've had to UNLEARN everything I've ever heard about hitting in order to be able to teach. I'm guessing that the Linear Style of hitting is how I used to hit. I'm trying to teach the Rotational Swing, but like so many, it seems that what I teach, and some of what I do are not the same thing. This was my reason for posting the video in the first place. As I continue to learn and teach, I want to make sure that what I am saying and what I am doing are the same (for the most part). I know plenty of people that are REALLY good at doing certain things, but can't teach it to save their life. I stated in a previous post that I was an average hitter, but have learned that I am actually really good at diagnosing swing flaws and helping get them corrected. As far as technical speak, I'm really not that good at it. Which is why I don't post a lot of responses on here to people wanting help. There are far more experienced people on here that can do that stuff, and in the mean time, I'll just smile and nod.

DC - I think I made 2 big errors in making that video.

1. I used a very small bat. ZERO resitance and I think that made it really fake.

2. I really didn't GO AT IT. Going to get an old bat of mine and hit some balls off the tee and compare the two videos.

I see video (DD has some) where the back foot is off the ground. Bryce Harper hit an opposite field shot the other night. The Slo-Mo clip really shows a lot of cool stuff, including his foot being about 2-3 inches off the ground at impact.

Josh

 

[David Carter]

Immortal - I posted a long time ago that I've had to UNLEARN everything I've ever heard about hitting in order to be able to teach. I'm guessing that the Linear Style of hitting is how I used to hit. I'm trying to teach the Rotational Swing, but like so many, it seems that what I teach, and some of what I do are not the same thing. This was my reason for posting the video in the first place. As I continue to learn and teach, I want to make sure that what I am saying and what I am doing are the same (for the most part). I know plenty of people that are REALLY good at doing certain things, but can't teach it to save their life. I stated in a previous post that I was an average hitter, but have learned that I am actually really good at diagnosing swing flaws and helping get them corrected. As far as technical speak, I'm really not that good at it. Which is why I don't post a lot of responses on here to people wanting help. There are far more experienced people on here that can do that stuff, and in the mean time, I'll just smile and nod.

DC - I think I made 2 big errors in making that video.

1. I used a very small bat. ZERO resitance and I think that made it really fake.

2. I really didn't GO AT IT. Going to get an old bat of mine and hit some balls off the tee and compare the two videos.

I see video (DD has some) where the back foot is off the ground. Bryce Harper hit an opposite field shot the other night. The Slo-Mo clip really shows a lot of cool stuff, including his foot being about 2-3 inches off the ground at impact.

Josh

The small light bat might explain some of it as well as swinging at air versus a ball. I found the video I was watching it was Chamberlin? I think from the Oklahoma v Baylor game.

This clearly demonstrates what I was talking about along with another thing I am constantly trying to correct attacking the low pitch with bat angle not hand dropping or knee bending

 

[CobraAssist]

Pic of DD doing what you're talking about. This was a Foul Ball. DD does not CRUSH every pitch ya know.

Josh

 

[RayR]

Sometimes you get a false positive in terms of weight transfer from looking at a still shot - her upper body was probably responsible (in a lunge type fashion) for the back foot being airborne.

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