TTB and the Fastpitch Swing

[FP26]

Yes everybody agrees they are important in a swing. But I believe these larger muscles are equally important in making the barrel turn specifically, correction, not making, resulting in TTB

Many of the hitters I work with initially have a poor barrel path. So our focus initially is to focus on TTB. Does it fix everything? No. Sometimes we need to work on something else; separation, timing, etc. But the focus on TTB, when done properly, seems to fix some of the other issues as well, so that is where we start. Unfortunately I do not know any cue, catch phrase, or drill that has a 100% success rate. It requires some work on my end to determine what step will help each specific hitter the most. If I could simply walk into a cage, say "turn the barrel", and walk away, life would sure be easy

 

[julray]

Many of the hitters I work with initially have a poor barrel path. So our focus initially is to focus on TTB. Does it fix everything? No. Sometimes we need to work on something else; separation, timing, etc. But the focus on TTB, when done properly, seems to fix some of the other issues as well, so that is where we start. Unfortunately I do not know any cue, catch phrase, or drill that has a 100% success rate. It requires some work on my end to determine what step will help each specific hitter the most. If I could simply walk into a cage, say "turn the barrel", and walk away, life would sure be easy

My DD has poor barrel path. Focusing on TTB, if you don't mind telling me what would you have her do, drills, cues etc? Not a challenge, seriously I want to try with my DD. And I understand it's not a one fix all, but you just never know. PM if you want, doesn't have to be communicated in public.

 

[julray]

Never said that. What I am saying is if you don't use your hands forearms properly in concert with your core your barrel is just going to follow (at best) your body rotation, (e.g. hands "along for the ride") sort of like this (Torres..from that old BBF discussion FP26 mentioned previously):

Right, I agree, like I said forearms/hands can be a deterrent.. but why so much focus on TTB with hands and forearms, like you said, other larger/stronger muscles are involved as well.

 

[_MIA_]

Right, I agree, like I said forearms/hands can be a deterrent.. but why so much focus on TTB with hands and forearms, like you said, other larger/stronger muscles are involved as well.

Everything has to be "right" to have a good barrel path. What you focus on first is going to dependent on the hitter and/or the instructor's philosophy. Like I just said above about my DD, at the moment I don't have my DD worry about what she is doing with her hands/forearms at all. Once she fixes her core/balance issues then I will evaluate where she is in terms of her hands/forearm usage.

 

[julray]

Everything has to be "right" to have a good barrel path. What you focus on first is going to dependent on the hitter and/or the instructor's philosophy. Like I just said above about my DD, at the moment I don't have my DD worry about what she is doing with her hands/forearms at all. Once she fixes her core/balance issues then I will evaluate where she is in terms of her hands/forearm usage.

95% of people that speak TTB, talk about TTB with the hands and forearms with very little mention of any other body part. They talk about the forearms and hands snapping the barrel rearward. They are hands/forearms centric. That is the point I am making. I believe that can be misleading.

 

[EcoT]

 

[_MIA_]

95% of people that speak TTB, talk about TTB with the hands and forearms with very little mention of any other body part. They talk about the forearms and hands snapping the barrel rearward. They are hands/forearms centric. That is the point I am making. I believe that can be misleading.

If that is what you see then now you know better.. . TBH TM talks about 2 engines and the drills he uses, from what I can tell, always have a preset coil/stretch involved, e.g. using your core.

 

[julray]

If that is what you see then now you know better.. . TBH TM talks about 2 engines and the drills he uses, from what I can tell, always have a preset coil/stretch involved, e.g. using your core.

I am not saying that people don't talk about other body parts when describing a good swing.. but when it comes to specifically TTB, they talk about hands and forearms. This includes TM who has many drills that promote/isolate that as well.

 

[FP26]

My DD has poor barrel path. Focusing on TTB, if you don't mind telling me what would you have her do, drills, cues etc? Not a challenge, seriously I want to try with my DD. And I understand it's not a one fix all, but you just never know. PM if you want, doesn't have to be communicated in public.

Are you familiar with the laser drill? I use a somewhat modified version of that. I start by using the standard laser drill as demonstrated by the HI people (I'm sure you can find a good example on Soriano's twitter feed). Then I ask the hitter to get in a normal stance. I place a ball on a tee in a spot that would be low and outside. I get in a position to side toss to the hitter. I tell the hitter that if I toss the ball, I want them to hit the ball by lasering the ball in half first. If I don't toss the ball, I want the hitter to hit the ball on the tee. Again, by lasering it in half first. It takes a little while. And to be honest, some of the early swings look really bad. But in most cases it helps the hitter find the right mix between body movement and hand/forearm movement in order to accomplish the task.

I also really like the neck slot (George Brett) drill. There are other drills I use, but these are good starters for your specific question.

 

[_MIA_]

This includes TM who has many drills that promote/isolate that as well.

Which drills? Most of the ones I have seen him use are versions of SNF..

Edit: If you instead said his drills didn't have any focus on front leg usage that would perhaps be more accurate imo.