back foot help

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coachtucc

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May 7, 2008
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I have a girl who when she swings the back foot doesn't pivot thereby she doesn't use her hips. Does anyone have a drill I can use to help with this?
 

rdbass

It wasn't me.
Jun 5, 2010
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Not here.
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The question is not does it pivot but does it bear any weight. If she has any kind of quality swing at all the back foot might be off the ground at which point not really worried about it pivoting. I think rdbass might have some interesting video which demonstrate what I'm talking about. I think you will always gets some natural pivot but it might not be as much as you think.

Now if we are talking about someone new to the game who is literally just standing there with her feet planted in the ground swinging with her arms then you need to start from the beginning

edit: wow rd you are quick...I was thinking of some MLB swings where back foot basically just comes off the ground during swing then you see their foot come back down. I just don't want OP to think only rotationally
 
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redhotcoach

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May 8, 2009
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I don't use or look at the back foot. I think it is an inconsistent indicator of what is going on. Jim Thome had 600+ home runs and barely ever got up on his rear toe, sometimes his rear heel hardly left the ground.
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Jan 13, 2012
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I have a girl who when she swings the back foot doesn't pivot thereby she doesn't use her hips. Does anyone have a drill I can use to help with this?

Back foot doesn't matter. Hamilton won't get to his toe sometimes. Let the leg drive dictate what the foot does.
 
Jun 17, 2009
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Portland, OR
I have a girl who when she swings the back foot doesn't pivot thereby she doesn't use her hips. Does anyone have a drill I can use to help with this?

Video would help pin-point the issue.

Your daughter may be powering her swing with her arms. A swing powered by the arms doesn't make proper use of the lower body ... and for some hitters it can leave them with an effectively dead lower body.

A focus on having the rear foot pivot action cause the hip action 'can' lead to spin-induced issues, which would further encourage an arm powered swing .... and basically fool her into thinking she is using her lower body when in fact she would not be.

Describe your daughter's swing sequence. Does she have a lower body running start? If so ... describe it. Better yet ... post a swing clip.
 

redhotcoach

Out on good behavior
May 8, 2009
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Yes he doesn't but his back foot doesn't stay planted and his hips turn...my girl does neither
Gotcha!

With all the kids, I have them do some kind of hitting front toss in a modified snf drill/noontime drill/open stance type swing. Hitting from a position that their lower is already ahead. Each kid seems to benefit a little different and with a little different position.
I would start with her (and all) about 45 degrees open from the plate. Toes pointed at right field. Have her get her weight over the center of her thigh bone. Then have her pull back AROUND with her back muscles, loading and stretching AROUND her hip socket while keeping her feet and knees pointing still toward right field. Just doing that correct gets a bit frustrating with 75% of the kids. It should be a tight stretch in the hip socket, "not loose, not sloppy" (words I use a lot with them). Girls will bend their knees too much, get their weight on their front too much, put their weight back behind their rear hip too much, rotate around their spine instead of their rear femur....if they can spin their top half clear around, that is sloppy, not tight, they are not stretching correctly. Spend enough time working with them and talking with them about getting that stretch, and about the feel. The feel of the lower getting a running start and pulling on the upper before throwing one pitch.
Then front toss to them...keep talking about getting the stretch, tight, no slop, lower turning, upper pulling back. I promise you, money back guarantee, if you spend a couple hours with the team doing this one at a time....with front toss, not tee (get behind a screen), at least a few will hit the ball harder, faster, and with a sound you have never heard from their bats...having you duckin behind that screen! MOST important thing I think there is though is talking to them about it, talk to them like they are 18 years old and understand...even the ones that clearly don't...you will find down the road that some of your smarter girls will be analysing the other girls swings and more importantly their own, pretty accurately.

Then lesson #2 is sending the barrel...the sweet spot... AWAY from the pitch.........
 
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