Check Points
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Seeing the ball (focus on the ball and head position before/during/after contact), Balance (set-up, centered and athletic through the swing) Timing/Rhythm (starting the load on time and also having the gears of the swing sequence lined up) The smaller details come after mastering these core fundamentals. There are a million details that we could all come up with but without these core fundamentals, they mean nothing.
As far as ball flight, make sure that the work through the ball with the barrel creating crisp line drives to all fields. Stay away from getting around the ball with the barrel.
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- Oct 25, 2009
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- 48
Jim is right, there are a million details that could be discussed. Set the foundation during the offseason. The following videos should help. They are pretty simple but very important. I like the left-handed video best, even though I'm right=handed. It just seems a little more clear for some reason.
John Mallee 6 Steps of a Major League Swing Hitting Tips - YouTube
John Mallee's 6 Absolutes of a Professional Hitter - YouTube
John Mallee 6 Steps of a Major League Swing Hitting Tips - YouTube
John Mallee's 6 Absolutes of a Professional Hitter - YouTube
I don't agree with absolute #3; "foot, knee, hips". IMO the tiny muscles of the back foot do not reverse the hips and turn them forward. I believe the big muscles in the butt reverse the hips. The back foot's role is to keep the back leg firm to give the hips something to reverse off of.
I would work with the kids in the off season on their;
1 hip coil
2 keeping their hands back as they come forward to maintain balance after they pick up their front foot to coil - Stretch
3. Think hands 100% at "GO" using sidearm throw as the model for how the back arm functions at "GO"
I would work with the kids in the off season on their;
1 hip coil
2 keeping their hands back as they come forward to maintain balance after they pick up their front foot to coil - Stretch
3. Think hands 100% at "GO" using sidearm throw as the model for how the back arm functions at "GO"
- Oct 25, 2009
- 3,335
- 48
I agree mostly. But the video does make it simple. You can get into the details of it all at will. I like to think of the video as the 3 parts you mentioned above. Get those down and the details will make better sense.
Your No. 3, think hands 100%, is the only hesitation I have. I prefer think hip. I also think that Mallee's #3 should think hip first, instead of foot.
Your No. 3, think hands 100%, is the only hesitation I have. I prefer think hip. I also think that Mallee's #3 should think hip first, instead of foot.
- Jan 25, 2011
- 2,280
- 38
now,I have a slight different aspect on how the hips are to uncoil.If it is off the wall then I'am just seeing what the group thinks.When I talk to my dd about uncoiling the hips,I don't want her to think that the front hip should pull the hips open,or the rear hip pushing the hips open with easy,but rather them creating tension between the push and pull of the hips.With the push forward of the hips overcoming the front hip,rather then the front hip just opening up.It's like your front hip is trying to overcome the back hip from pushing the hips open.It just seems that you can make more energy that way.Just throwing that out there,will not take offense to any comments,just seeing if it makes sense to anyone else,or if this idea is all ready out there.
Jim has a good approach. Stance is balanced and athletic. Good grip. And get the setup right. Still see lots of kids, even older ones, who don't setup properly.
Nano we don't really have a good language for using core muscles, at least in the U.S. I am not sure I understand you exactly. Someone with more knowledge of anatomy and physiology could perhaps give a more definitive answer. My guess is that when I unload my hips as a righty I am primarily using my abdominals, right glute and hamstring muscles.
Nano we don't really have a good language for using core muscles, at least in the U.S. I am not sure I understand you exactly. Someone with more knowledge of anatomy and physiology could perhaps give a more definitive answer. My guess is that when I unload my hips as a righty I am primarily using my abdominals, right glute and hamstring muscles.
Jim has a good approach. Stance is balanced and athletic. Good grip. And get the setup right. Still see lots of kids, even older ones, who don't setup properly.
Nano we don't really have a good language for using core muscles, at least in the U.S. I am not sure I understand you exactly. Someone with more knowledge of anatomy and physiology could perhaps give a more definitive answer. My guess is that when I unload my hips as a righty I am primarily using my abdominals, right glute and hamstring muscles.
Nano we don't really have a good language for using core muscles, at least in the U.S. I am not sure I understand you exactly. Someone with more knowledge of anatomy and physiology could perhaps give a more definitive answer. My guess is that when I unload my hips as a righty I am primarily using my abdominals, right glute and hamstring muscles.
Up until recently I used to teach "hips first". The hips would go first, and the hands would get left behind creating bat drag...great separation accompanied with bat drag.
I have since realized that if a hitter coils, they have no choice but to uncoil when they swing. So rather than teach uncoil, I now teach coil, because I know that if the kids coil, they will naturally uncoil.
I have learned that the best way to get kids to lead with their hips, is to teach them how to work the back arm correctly. I no longer ever tell a player to lead with their hips. I teach them to coil and to work the back arm correctly. The correct back arm action is what allows the hips to get out front of the hands.
If the kids coil and go all out with their hands at "GO" using the correct back arm action, the hips will lead and the hands will keep up with the back shoulder and not get left behind. If the hands are going at 85% and the hips and shoulders are going at 85%the hands will get left behind because they are further away from the center of axis than the hips and shoulders. I believe Ted understood this which is why he wanted the hips and shoulders turning at 80 -85%, and the hands going all out at 100%.
When you skip a rock or throw sidearm, do you think about the hips leading? Or, does it just happen automatically when your throwing hand stays even with your back shoulder as your throwing arm elbow works underneath your throwing hand? IOW, the external rotation of the rear upper arm is what allows the hips to get out in front. If you take that ER out, you are left with ADduction of the back arm, meaning the hands will go straight towards the ball as the back elbow lowers to slot.
Yes you can hit that way, however it is not as efficient as keeping the hands at the back shoulder as the back elbow lowers, giving the hips time to get out in front.
My daughter's High School JV coaches are working hard on hitting change-ups during batting practice. The varsity team came up against a pitcher with a really good change-up, and she made our varsity hitters look really bad. Final score 11-0.
My daughter gets her turn in the cage and the coach makes a comment that no one was hitting the change well, and that my daughter was going to struggle even more because she has a stride. Go figure. To make a long story short, after practice the coach calls my daughter into his office and asked her if she works on hitting change-ups with me? She says yeah sometimes, and he says to tell your dad he's doing a good job. The coach knows a good swing when he sees it because he also coaches boys baseball. But he has no idea why my daughter did so well in the cage hitting change-ups. The secret is her hands stay back when her back elbow lowers because she lowers it the way you do when you throw sidearm, via a combination of ER and adduction. Most of the other girls lower their elbow via adduction, so by the time they see that the pitch is a change-up rather than a fastball, their hands are already moving away from the back shoulder and forward towards the ball. The only choice at that point is to pause and then flail at the pitch. Which is what the coaches said the varsity girls were doing.
Fascinating Wellphyte. I believe this is sort of what I was trying to discuss in the bat speed thread. I mentioned your name, as I believe I still adhere to a conventional approach of "rock-skipping".
To me this means the back arm externally rotates as you point out. This is the cue that I hear that says point the knob towards the catcher. This is where the bat will wrap slightly and point back towards the pitcher. I believe that is what Pujols looked like in the clip in the bat speed thread.
Yet I am very interested in (and in no way discounting) the more direct approach. That was illustrated by Bell in the bat speed thread. I believe, but don't want to put words in people's mouths, that when Tewks or FFS talk about a "barrel to the ball" approach, what they are saying is basically adduction of the rear elbow. And they and you are making interesting comments about the timing concerning whether the hips really fire first.
To me this means the back arm externally rotates as you point out. This is the cue that I hear that says point the knob towards the catcher. This is where the bat will wrap slightly and point back towards the pitcher. I believe that is what Pujols looked like in the clip in the bat speed thread.
Yet I am very interested in (and in no way discounting) the more direct approach. That was illustrated by Bell in the bat speed thread. I believe, but don't want to put words in people's mouths, that when Tewks or FFS talk about a "barrel to the ball" approach, what they are saying is basically adduction of the rear elbow. And they and you are making interesting comments about the timing concerning whether the hips really fire first.
