What does she need to work on

[Greenmonsters]

As long as the kid is being instructed to avoid lateral tilt, lead shoulder elevation and/or rear shoulder lowering … the kid will be restricted from following the proper path. You would be hard pressed to find worse instruction.

Find the nearest exit and run, don’t walk, but run to the nearest exit.

Leave the gun, take the cannoli.

 

[RichK]

Good discussion.

FFS, I wonder how much (if at all) you talk about how the hands work within the turn the barrel framework you describe. As the last link in the chain, working the barrel between the hands (forward pressure at tip and rapid reversed pressure at what some call uptick) is a valuable piece of the overall puzzle, IMO. Giving a hitter "live and independent hands" -- per another camp -- also plays a key role in finding and squaring up balls rather than slicing through them. So just curious about the language you use with hitters re: hands, or be so kind as to provide the answer to what you said earlier:

The hands/wrists are certainly involved in a good swing ... but their role is much different than that of "turning the barrel".

TKS

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Live and independent hands was never intended to mean that the 'hands' turn the barrel ... but more a throwing-like mentality.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

I speak of the importance of the hands/wrists in virtually every hitting session.

Hand/wrist looseness is key. It is key for barrel acceleration going into impact.

Just as one would throw the water out of a bucket, with the lower body pulsing to offer resistance ... the hands/wrists become thrown in a similar manner and with a similar pulse of the lower body (... or cracking of a walnut). The wrists should become 'whipped' in a path of ulnar deviation from this energy flow.

The barrel should continue working around the hands ... yet there should be a squaring of the barrel/ball at impact ... without a forced/muscled fixed angle of the barrel ... while the lead arm is key in 'finding the ball', the energy flow that has the top hand/wrist becoming 'unbent' is what is responsible for 'unhinging' and 'squaring' the barrel/ball. It is this 'throw', through an upright vee, into and through the ball, that squares the ball where ever it is thrown. The throw has 'direction' ... and it is this 'direction' that I consider the fourth most important portion of the swing.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

What do you do with an object that you want to get rid of quickly? You throw it.

 

[_MIA_]

What do you do with an object that you want to get rid of quickly? You throw it.

Wish this was a socially acceptable solution for every aspect of life ..

 

[Eric F]

I speak of the importance of the hands/wrists in virtually every hitting session.

Hand/wrist looseness is key. It is key for barrel acceleration going into impact.

Just as one would throw the water out of a bucket, with the lower body pulsing to offer resistance ... the hands/wrists become thrown in a similar manner and with a similar pulse of the lower body (... or cracking of a walnut). The wrists should become 'whipped' in a path of ulnar deviation from this energy flow.

The barrel should continue working around the hands ... yet there should be a squaring of the barrel/ball at impact ... without a forced/muscled fixed angle of the barrel ... while the lead arm is key in 'finding the ball', the energy flow that has the top hand/wrist becoming 'unbent' is what is responsible for 'unhinging' and 'squaring' the barrel/ball. It is this 'throw', through an upright vee, into and through the ball, that squares the ball where ever it is thrown. The throw has 'direction' ... and it is this 'direction' that I consider the fourth most important portion of the swing.

Looseness in the wrists/hands into and through contact is definitely important. "Throw the barrel through contact" is an approach I use regularly with hitters who struggle with tenseness in their wrists (I've got one girl on the team right now who is very limited by this issue at the moment).

 

[Greenmonsters]

As long as it's not gamers, bat throwing is an under rated practice drill.

 

[Buttermaker]

As long as it's not gamers, bat throwing is an under rated practice drill.

Throwing the bat straight down at the catcher. Would not advise with an actual catcher there.

 

[rdbass]

Throwing the bat straight down at the catcher. Would not advise with an actual catcher there.

Not following you here Butter.

I thought the 'object' of the throwing/releasing the bat drill was at contact(where gif stops)or at 'extension'. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Are you saying a hitter should be throwing/releasing the bat here:

Again I could be wrong on the intent of the drill because it's been awhile since I had DD throw her bats.