Preventing Bat Drag

[coach D'E]

After reviewing pictures of some of our players hitting during a recent game, I have discovered many girls elbows are far ahead of the bat barrel at point of contact. Can I get some suggestions on drills to use to prevent this.
Thanks, D'E

 

[softballphreak]

I'll leave it to the experts to give the drills but I suggest taking a look at their bats and make sure they are not so heavy for them that they are having to pull it along as they swing. When working on the drills it might even be a good idea to use a light bat,

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

SBP nails it IMO.

"Bat drag", IMO, is a 'bat' that is being 'dragged' ... or as SBP states, being "pulled".

I also agree with SBP that too heavy a bat can tend to encourage a hitter to "pull" versus "turn" the barrel towards contact. If I've got a kid that has "bat drag", even if they pass the test of not having their rear elbow lead their hands past the "RVP connection point", then I will still "encourage" the hitter to drop down to a balanced bat ... as opposed to using an end-loaded bat. In fact, if I don't see the "reverse C", as in the clips below, then I don't want the hitter using an end-loaded bat until they can make a habit of making better use of their hands.

Tewks gives a pretty good description of a decent swing in his "Barrel to the Ball" video. He also put out a decent video breaking the swing into two segments that helps a hitter learn to use their hands. If you frequent HI, then take a look at their frisbee drill, as I've had some noteworthy success getting draggers to feel how to begin using their hands with that drill.

Many people have said it before ... from the PCR 'camp', you have Ssarge recommending that hitters learn to swing with their body and not their arms ... to the HI 'camp' in which there is the addition of this concept ("tight HPP") in terms of using the hands to 'turn' the barrel instead of 'drag' the barrel. Either way you look at it, you need to stop using the 'arms' in terms of pulling the barrel to contact, and instead use the body ... and I include in that 'active hands' ... not 'hands' that have a goal to move 'linearly' towards 'contact', but 'hands' that have a goal to 'rotate' the barrel ... or as Epstein puts it, have the hands get palm-up/palm-down as quickly as they can. Look at Tewks' two videos on the topic and see if it doesn't help. If you visit the HI website then look at the frisebee drill and see if that doesn't get you the feel.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

DE ... Drills are of little use if you don’t first have the correct mindset, or mental image, of the 'swing'. Take a look at Tewks’ two video presentations below.

Duplicate what Tewks is doing in the first video. Understand the difference between “Barrel to the Ball” versus “Hands to the Ball”. You want “Barrel to the Ball”. You want a “tight Hand Pivot Point (HPP)” … or as Ssarge says, you want to swing with your body and not with your arms.

If you are someone that has been taught to use the hands & arms to “pull” the barrel to contact, … i.e., someone that resembles the “Hands to the Ball” concept in Tewks’ video, … then this may enlighten you.

Next view the second video. Duplicate what Tewks is doing with his ‘hands’ in terms of getting to “palm-up/palm-down”. Add this “palm-up/palm-down” objective to the sequence you practiced in the first video and merge the two concepts.

 

[sru]

I am certainly no hitting expert, but what worked for my 13YO DD was the fence drill. She was dropping her hands and pulling the bat through the zone with her elbows leading the way. The fence drill encourages a tight swing, it is almost impossible for her to get her rear elbow out front of her hands with a tight swing. Showing her the video of her game swing hit home with her to. She could see with her own eyes what she was doing wrong.

We viewed Tewks videos as well. She has been swinging this way for a few years now, and is working on correcting it, the fence drill had the biggest impact on her.

 

[lhowser]

FiveFrameSwing,

Excellent posts. Thanks for the clips and explaination. If dads and coaches with pay attendtion there is much to learn with what you have posted on this thread.

 

[SBFAMILY]

I was at N Ridgeville Ohio this weekend and watched some coaches having girls warm up. One of the drills that they were doing was soft tossing a ball to the kids and having them take the knob to the ball and hit it. Hands to the ball drill. Then you wonder why kids have bat drag. I had to turn and walk away.

 

[RichK]

FFS, so the difference between getting to palm-up/palm-down early and what is traditionally thought of as a barrel dump is the tight (and high?) hand pivot point.

Is that correct?

For a girl who is barrel dumping to get what she feels to be "on plane" early, how do you take that swing and correct it? It would seem working on Tewk's second video demo of the combo of early palm-up/palm-down combined with barrel to the ball would give them the correct feel, right?

Then finally, it is tilt taking the early palm-up/palm-down to the correct plane, as I understand it.

I agree strongly on the need for a good mental image and how challenging that actually is for girls who unlike boys don't emulate major league swings "for fun"....tks.

 

[Chris O'Leary]

I also agree with SBP that too heavy a bat can tend to encourage a hitter to "pull" versus "turn" the barrel towards contact.

Bat is weight is part of it, but some of it is technique (e.g. how they move).

If I've got a kid that has "bat drag", even if they pass the test of not having their rear elbow lead their hands past the "RVP connection point", then I will still "encourage" the hitter to drop down to a balanced bat ... as opposed to using an end-loaded bat. In fact, if I don't see the "reverse C", as in the clips below, then I don't want the hitter using an end-loaded bat until they can make a habit of making better use of their hands.

The Reverse C is NOT a good diagnostic. You see it in most swings, including those with bat drag.

I'm hard pressed to think when you wouldn't see it.

Many people have said it before ... from the PCR 'camp', you have Ssarge recommending that hitters learn to swing with their body and not their arms ... to the HI 'camp' in which there is the addition of this concept ("tight HPP") in terms of using the hands to 'turn' the barrel instead of 'drag' the barrel.

Tight HPP is just a rehash of connection.

Either way you look at it, you need to stop using the 'arms' in terms of pulling the barrel to contact, and instead use the body ... and I include in that 'active hands' ... not 'hands' that have a goal to move 'linearly' towards 'contact', but 'hands' that have a goal to 'rotate' the barrel ... or as Epstein puts it, have the hands get palm-up/palm-down as quickly as they can. Look at Tewks' two videos on the topic and see if it doesn't help. If you visit the HI website then look at the frisebee drill and see if that doesn't get you the feel.

This is problematic advice.

The hands have to be active but not too active.

 

[Chris O'Leary]

I am certainly no hitting expert, but what worked for my 13YO DD was the fence drill. She was dropping her hands and pulling the bat through the zone with her elbows leading the way. The fence drill encourages a tight swing, it is almost impossible for her to get her rear elbow out front of her hands with a tight swing. Showing her the video of her game swing hit home with her to. She could see with her own eyes what she was doing wrong.

The problem with the fence drill is that you can fix the back elbow but break the front elbow.