Arm extension after POC

[Mark H]

I emailed him a video clip of his own swing (including slo-mo), links to a few pertinent MLB swings, and some information on specific areas he should be looking at while making a comparison.

Attaway. .

 

[sbcowboy]

I'd suggest not thinking about extension but rather whip. The bat should go from pointing back at the catchers inside shoulder to lined with the lead arm forearm as quickly/fast as possible.


The arm extension I think you may be looking for will vary with pitch location and hitter. If the bat is roughly in line with the lead forearm at contact you may be closer than you think.

Mark, is the whip and turning the corner the same thing? I like the cue of lining up the bat with the lead forearm.

Thanks for your input.

 

[Mark H]

Whip is the bat going from roughly 90 degrees to the lead arm forearm to roughly parallel to the lead arm forearm (hopefully very quickly). The forces causing this are the topic of many internet squabbles. That term, whip, is, I think, largely settled as to definition though I won't be surprised when someone tries to redefine it. Seems every new guru muddles existing terms or invents new ones.

As to turning the corner, the definition on that term could have almost as many definitions as people you ask but yes, I'd say the two terms are at least in the neighborhood of each other depending on who you are talking to at the time.

Cues are things like "keep the hands inside the ball" or "turning the corner" or "throw the hands" which are clearly fuzzy feel type terms which, while often useful, can mean many different things. Bat "lined up/parallel with the lead forearm at contact" would be a measurable metric (in degrees-not that measuring it that exactly would be useful) rather than a cue. I'm delighted if it helps your coaching, training or understanding.

 

[Mark H]

In other words, "uptick"? Ie, top-hand tip-and-rip-driven uptick plus overlap-driven lower body rotation=whip. In slow motion, that's Tewks' old "turn the barrel" video that shows the swing over in the instant it takes to turn the barrel behind him, everything else is aftermath.

Not sure I follow you here but I don't think we are talking about the same thing.

 

[sbcowboy]

I had a first session with a HS baseball player this past weekend. His swing is a big stack of some pretty significant flaws. Among them is an improper understanding of extension through and after contact (he keeps his lead elbow pinned to his torso). IMO, getting him to understand how to get proper extension after contact will open the pathway to improved action into contact.

Eric, this is a exactly what my dd is doing. I am sure it is my fault for not explaining it completely through extension. I think as FFF explain her quality of impact has been reduce.

 

[Eric F]

Eric, this is a exactly what my dd is doing. I am sure it is my fault for not explaining it completely through extension. I think as FFF explain her quality of impact has been reduce.

Take a look at what is happening with her front arm through and after contact. I see quite a few young hitters who fold their elbow down against their torso, and it stays pinned there after contact, which can cause issues with proper action at contact and through to extension.

We want to see the elbow staying up (not an excessive "chicken wing", though), allowing the bat to line up properly with the lead forearm through contact, which also allows the lead wrist to unhinge correctly.

 

[shaker1]

Take a look at what is happening with her front arm through and after contact. I see quite a few young hitters who fold their elbow down against their torso, and it stays pinned there after contact, which can cause issues with proper action at contact and through to extension.

We want to see the elbow staying up (not an excessive "chicken wing", though), allowing the bat to line up properly with the lead forearm through contact, which also allows the lead wrist to unhinge correctly.

This swing has me thinking of what's suppose to be happening with the hands, arms. The whipping action occurring is a result of pulling the knob through the zone. If it's more of a pulling action the bat will automatically line up with the lead arm through extension. Thoughts?

 

[Mark H]

You are on the right track. It can be screwed up but yes, you are on the right track

 

[rdbass]

The whipping action occurring is a result of pulling the knob through the zone

The barrel is 'turned foward towards the ball':

I don't see the knob being 'pulled through the zone'. JMHO.

This is 'pulling the knob through the zone'.

This is 'turning the barrel forward':

 

[Mark H]

At some point "always compare anything anyone says about hitting to slow motion video of the best in the world" fails to be enough. As Nyman said, "we can only see what we CAN see limited by our education, our existing paradigms, what can't be seen etc". Momentum can't be seen but only inferred and is thus poorly understood. At this point some understanding of angular momentum and the double pendulum is needed.