Dropping Hands before swinging

[ifubuildit]

Mts

Chris only said that they don't generate power. And OK, the hands don't (generate power) but that is where everything is felt and really needs to be taught to most players. There is an awareness of the hands that absolutely has to be a big part of hitting lessons...

While I do agree with your statement that hitters do "Feel" with there hands I would disagree that everything is felt there. Often if a hitter hits the sweet spot of the bat you feel nothing in the hands. You cannot be thinking of hand movement during the swing. That sounds what your implying with your statement. To do so IMO is going to take your focus away from the objective. Hit it hard.

Dana.

 

[RayR]

While I do agree with your statement that hitters do "Feel" with there hands I would disagree that everything is felt there. Often if a hitter hits the sweet spot of the bat you feel nothing in the hands. You cannot be thinking of hand movement during the swing. That sounds what your implying with your statement. To do so IMO is going to take your focus away from the objective. Hit it hard.

Dana.

Dana, I disagree - somewhat. Yes - when you put together a good swing it seems effortless and there isn't an "awareness" of what the hands are feeling. But, to get there -

There is an awareness of the hands that absolutely has to be a big part of hitting lessons...

there needs to be an emphasis on what the hands are doing (dropping, casting, etc).

How can you realistically get a hitter to make a change if he or she isn't aware of hand path? Even if you connect the hands to the shoulder you are still changing the hand path and IMO - there needs to be an awareness of this - otherwise once put in front of a live ball (machine or pitched) and free of constraints the hitter will usually just regress back to what they have always done.

For instance, to train a hitter to hit an inside pitch - they must pull the hands inside their normal hand path. You feel it in the hands (and elsewhere) becuase the hands hold the bat and must steer the barrel to contact. Are the arms moving the hands - absolutely. But, the hands hold the bat.

Dana, I do not disagree that the swing is driven by a series of body actions, but in the end a player uses their eyes and hands as their primary sensory driver. IMO, there needs to be a good part of training dedicated to making them understand that this hand path is better then that handpath because their eyes are telling the brain otherwise. Once, they hit a few balls on the screws their eyes will start to believe in the new hand path...Wow, I didn't drop my hands and I hit the ball hard!

Hand path and focusing on the hands is not dangerous as some people want others to believe.

 

[Chris O'Leary]

We seem to be looking at the same thing, but seeing it differently.

You're not thinking three-dimensionally.

That angle isn't changing.

 

[Chris O'Leary]

The swing is a whip-like action … inclusive of the torso being rotated.

Now who is speaking “crazy talk”? Certainly not those speaking of the actions of the “hands/forearms”. They are explaining the actions clearly. You on the other hand wish to attribute 50% of the swing to something you aren’t defining.

Read Yeager … the swing is a whip action.

Which is what I said.

What's your point?

Mine is that shoulder rotation rotates the bat 90 degrees to the lag position. Then a combination of hand path and momentum tranfer (aka whip) causes the second 90 degrees of rotation.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Which is what I said.

What's your point?

Mine is that shoulder rotation rotates the bat 90 degrees to the lag position. Then a combination of hand path and momentum tranfer (aka whip) causes the second 90 degrees of rotation.

I'll use the rear forearm/hand as an example.

If you restrict rear forearm/hand supination, then the barrel will not arrive at contact.

Another way to view this is that the rear forearm/hand is "used" ... which is a good thing, because then there is a need to "connect" it ... which is part of what leads to a "connected swing".

 

[Jeff Kneiert]

FFS,
I'm having a hard time seeing the bottom hand "flat with the swing plane". Does that mean that if you opened the bottom hand the palm would be face down?

 

[Chris O'Leary]

If you restrict rear forearm/hand supination, then the barrel will not arrive at contact.

Another way to view this is that the rear forearm/hand is "used" ... which is a good thing, because then there is a need to "connect" it ... which is part of what leads to a "connected swing".

Nobody ever said you restrict supination forever.

You hold the hinge angle through the start of the swing and then release the barrel into contact (and let the back forearm supinate).

However, if you try to supinate from the start, you will sweep the bat head which is both long and slow (and ultimately arm-y).

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

FFS,
I'm having a hard time seeing the bottom hand "flat with the swing plane". Does that mean that if you opened the bottom hand the palm would be face down?

Almost ... the palm of the bottom hand faces 'down', not parallel to the ground, but parallel to the swing plane.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Nobody ever said you restrict supination forever.

You hold the hinge angle through the start of the swing and then release the barrel into contact (and let the back forearm supinate).

However, if you try to supinate from the start, you will sweep the bat head which is both long and slow (and ultimately arm-y).

IMO, the application of force to supinate the rear hand/forearm exists at swing initiation. One does not, or should not IMO, apply a force on the bat handle to "pull" or "push" the barrel with the top hand towards contact, but to instead turn the barrel.

 

[lhowser]

turn the barrel.

How do you describe how to turn the barrel?