What powers the barrel turn?

[FiveFrameSwing]

One of these hitters is applying torque to work the barrel. One of these hitters is not.

One of these hitters is applying pressure perpendicular to the bat handle. One is these hitters is not.

 

[Buttermaker]

One of those hitters is sequencing correctly above. The other is not. Loads easier to get the barrel turned if the hitter move in a good sequence. Loads easier if the hitter can move their weight forward yet get the hands back.

just saw GM's post. He beat me to it.

 

[CoogansBluff]

Proper sequencing turns the barrel. The difference between "educated" and "dumb" hands is not in what they do, but whether they get to the right place at the right time to enable the bat to complete the sequence.

This is insightful to me.

I think it explains why turning the barrel is so elusive despite the simplicity of the momentary action of it. It's pretty easy to demonstrate the difference between dragging the barrel and turning it, yet I don't see many hitters in travel ball who don't have at least a little drag or unhealthy push in their swings. My DD can demonstrate turn the barrel like a pro, yet she struggles to execute it, especially under the pressure of live pitching.

I'm beginning to see that turn-the-barrel can be executed well only if the preceding motions are firing, and firing on time. Perhaps it's better to see turn-the-barrel not as a motion, but the culmination of motions. So if you really want to teach or learn turn-the-barrel, you might want to start at the moment you unweight the front foot.

 

[redhotcoach]

Drill I have added to every bp that produced good results.

...and hands. Hands torquing and understanding the hpp is of highest importance imo.

 

[sbcowboy]

Drill I have added to every bp that produced good results.

...and hands. Hands torquing and understanding the hpp is of highest importance imo.

Redhot, what do you instruct them to do when doing this drill? What do you want them to feel?

 

[CoogansBluff]

Drill I have added to every bp that produced good results.

...and hands. Hands torquing and understanding the hpp is of highest importance imo.

What is HPP?

 

[redhotcoach]

Redhot, what do you instruct them to do when doing this drill? What do you want them to feel?

Hitting the ball into the upper corner of the net opposite field. Imagine hitting the fence halfway between rf and cf. First with just hands. Tipping the barrel quite a bit and the hands "getting the barrel behind the ball." Second, doing same, but hitting the ball and allowing the body to flow. Not pull/power the barrel yet, but just flow, and "get the barrel behind the ball". Third, hit regular. Hands back, rear leg/hip pulling/powering the hand pivot point, hands "getting the barrel behind the ball".
We hit in a long cage, so hitting upper corner is about a 15 degree trajectory.

If they don't turn the barrel, and "get the barrel behind the ball", they will typically not get a nice oppo line drive trajectory, so they can see results and self correct.

 

[redhotcoach]

What is HPP?

Hand Pivot Point.

 

[RichK]

How would teaching sequence *guarantee* proper hand action? IMO, it won't. Educated, live-and-independent or simply just "good" hands (or as FFS pics demonstrated and RHC said, proper hand torquing and tight hand pivot point) are crucial, and WON'T come naturally to most hitters.

I know most instructors/coaches talk about working from the ground up, but when starting from scratch with a hitter I teach hands first. Show them how to work the barrel with the hands. Explain what a hand pivot point is (the old Tewks video of how turn-the-barrel-at-the-shoulder essentially *IS* the swing). Let them feel what an arm swing feels like and what it feels like to take the arms out of the equation (as active movers). Demonstrate how the hands are the ends of the whip (and the body's big muscles and movements are the engine, not the arms). THEN (and yes...this is the harder, more important part) build the platform and sequence on top of which the hands work and get optimized.

My two cents...

 

[RichK]

Hitting the ball into the upper corner of the net opposite field. Imagine hitting the fence halfway between rf and cf. First with just hands. Tipping the barrel quite a bit and the hands "getting the barrel behind the ball." Second, doing same, but hitting the ball and allowing the body to flow. Not pull/power the barrel yet, but just flow, and "get the barrel behind the ball". Third, hit regular. Hands back, rear leg/hip pulling/powering the hand pivot point, hands "getting the barrel behind the ball".
We hit in a long cage, so hitting upper corner is about a 15 degree trajectory.

If they don't turn the barrel, and "get the barrel behind the ball", they will typically not get a nice oppo line drive trajectory, so they can see results and self correct.

We do much the same thing every hitting session, hitting in a long cage is crucial too I agree, a Bownet doesn't give the hitter meaningful feedback...

When they are starting with this, though, you have to be careful. Their first thought will be to guide the ball this way or that way with the hands. Basically being a "hands-only hitter" -- which is fine when it's the hands-only part of RHCs demo drill there, but not good when it gets to full-swing actions. At that point, the body is setting up the whipping action, pitch (or tee) location, ie, deep/outside, medium/middle, out-front/inside is determining where the line drive goes and the hands are making fine adjustments as they turn/torque the barrel to get behind the ball, NOT just "flicking" the ball to the opposite field...