barrel/hand pivot point, a.k.a TTB

[TDS]

Sure, if that's what Tewks is really trying to do there. But his barrel path is incorrect going "down to" the ball, and the result I'd expect from someone with that path...myself included if that was what I was trying to do.

My understanding thats why he struggled with swinging down and hitting top of the ball... Guessing he was never coached or understood getting into a good hitting position before swinging down to..

 

[Mudders Brudder]

So its mid game and no video what then ?

C'mon now TDS, you really didn't just ask me that did you? Maybe the pitcher is just on his game today, and it has nothing to do with the hitter's swing?

Seriously, "mid game" is never the time be trying to change a hitter's anything. The only thing I might tell him as an encouraging reminder is "See the ball, hit the ball".

Btw, you never let me know what you'd say to a hitter who said that, "they..."feel" that they're swinging "down to" the ball, "but continue to swing and miss or have inconsistent contact?" during lessons....and then "mid game" if you regularly do that.

 

[Mudders Brudder]

Regardless.. you promote matching the plane of the pitch.. correct? "To and through" or "To and up through"?

Yes, "Behind and through" is my terminology.

 

[Mudders Brudder]

My understanding thats why he struggled with swinging down and hitting top of the ball... Guessing he was never coached or understood getting into a good hitting position before swinging down to..

That's very possible (probably?). When Bobby first showed up at BBF years ago, he stated on more than one occasion that he wished he had learned what was being taught there at the time...when he was still playing the game.

That's more or less how/why he got Colabello to try it for him (and who fought him on the beginning also), and "the rest is history" as they say.

 

[TDS]

C'mon now TDS, you really didn't just ask me that did you? Maybe the pitcher is just on his game today, and it has nothing to do with the hitter's swing?

Seriously, "mid game" is never the time be trying to change a hitter's anything. The only thing I might tell him as an encouraging reminder is "See the ball, hit the ball".

As a coach I am always looking but not talking during the ab... I will look and see if there late getting into the hitting position first and then review the barrel path.. If all looks good and swinging and missing I will have them aim higher on the ball since 95% swing and misses are under the ball..

 

[Mudders Brudder]

As a coach I am always looking but not talking during the ab... I will look and see if there late getting into the hitting position first and then review the barrel path.. If all looks good and swinging and missing I will have them aim higher on the ball since 95% swing and misses are under the ball..

Fair enough. I have no disagreement with that answer at all...very good.

Sorry, I misunderstood your initial question, I thought you were asking about how I'd make swing changes in the situation, when that wasn't at all what you were asking. My bad.

 

[Shawn]

What you see as propaganda, I understand very clearly and believe it to be the truth. Something I never thought about/had to worry about before.. "being to short I mean".

I don't think I can give you a measurement, how am I supposed to quantify that ? I can give you an example.. JD Martinez previous swing was too steep/short. Getting to a FYB position took care of that.. add in the improved posture and he's a superstar.

But this seems like something you want to comment on, I'm all ears. Maybe after we can talk about what makes a swing too loopy

Julray,

Being too short to the ball is cutting out the back swing which affects your ability to get on plane early.

You guys are taking hitters posing while getting the hands in front of the body, creating a steep barrel path to contact. You are talking about pushing the hands.

Then there is this which you said you can’t explain it any better.

The down to is the action of getting the knob to forward to bat lag position as fast as possible. Down to creates the shortest path to the bat lag position. It also keeps you inside the ball so you are not hitting around it. This is accomplished not by turning the barrel but by pulling with the lead arm using the core. The top hands job is direction and a stop to dumping the barrel.

Get to bat lag and then chop chop chop. Takes the loop out. Makes you direct.

Everything mentioned is about pushing the hand and barrel forward.

As Hank Aaron said in his book you don’t want to completely take away the back swing.

What you are saying if you believe in the above description is your taking away the ability to get on plane early.

Once again if you take Altuve’s swing in the very first post of this thread, he isn’t doing what is said in the above statement.

 

[Shawn]

This was a HR that sent the Astro's to the WS. This was a pitch on the outside coming from a lefty (Chapman). It was hit over the LC fence. You can pull an outside pitch if it's up a little, doesn't work so well if the pitch is down.

Is there early TTB or just a deeper HPP (hand pivot point)?

For you Julray

 

[fanboi22]

Cool thanks, now I will happily discuss these questions with you!

I don't necessarily teach my student TTB directly. What I do instead, is talk/show them the barrel path I'm look for from them. This is oftentimes done with a simple procedure (drill?) of having them get to a "perfect" contact position, and then back-chain their movements back to their already learned starting "PoP" ("FYB", leveraged") position.

Wrt using an "over exaggerated" movement while teaching? Yes, I will use the "SnF" drill, and sometimes a "one-leg" drill (not as often though) to help them learn how "the hips lead the hands" (Williams)...and forcing the barrel to come from behind the ball vs on top of it (or really under it for that matter).

I think the above things can also be considered "isolation drills" at least as how I see them, but if you have something more specific wrt them, need a more in depth explanation, or just my questions...please ask.

Hey Mud, thanks for contributing again. I had a thread a while ago asking what the bold above was. What is your definition of the 'perfect' contact position? If you have photos that would help me, thanks.

 

[Mudders Brudder]

Hey Mud, thanks for contributing again. I had a thread a while ago asking what the bold above was. What is your definition of the 'perfect' contact position? If you have photos that would help me, thanks.

I'm glad you kept the quotation marks around "perfect", because I know that what's perfect to me, might not be exactly perfect to someone else. Not to mention, what I find perfect for one particular pitch, might not be the same perfect for another one (if that makes any sense).

So for the most part, I believe that the perfect "contact point/location" is when/where the ball is somewhere between the hitter's front foot, and front knee, and the perfect hitting position is where the hitter is just finishing shifting their weight into the ball, their hands/arms still flexed (some call it the "Power L" with the rear arm/elbow), with the elbows still relatively close to the body (but not stuck to it or on it)....

Note: Correa (in the middle) might be just a tad too far out front (in front of his foot), with his arm/elbows just a tad bit too far from his body as his timing is off just a bit being a skosh early...but I think this shows just how important timing can be, because if he'd been exactly on time, and everything was pushed to the left a little bit, he'd be in just about the "perfect" contact position as there could be.

Hope that helps.

PS. If we're splitting hairs, Albert (on the left) might be just a millisecond to early, as his rear arm/elbow seem a little stuck to his body, but that might just be the pitch or the camera angle, and Josh has shifted his weight just a tad bit too much compared to the extent he's turned/opened his hips into the pitch at that contact point....but like I said, "if we're splitting hairs".