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Hitting Instruction & Speed, strength & agility

by Mark H » Wed Apr 13, 2016 7:57 pm

Found a quick one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO0_Wo0zvBM Didn't listen to the commentary but I assume it's goofy. Definitely had a weight shift and an eccentric stretch with a pelvis first rotation.
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by slapperdad » Thu Apr 14, 2016 1:24 am

I can't disagree C77. Seeing the ball is the single biggest link in the chain. We can talk hitting minutia all day, but at the end of the day you're hitting a ball with a stick. I see issues with this from 8U to college players. We have been hitting the ball pretty well this year, putting up some decent offensive numbers, yet this remains the single biggest issue for us this spring.

Mark, you are correct, I watched the vid on my iPad in non-full screen, I could not see his feet. Upon further review, you are correct. I should also point out, said instructor in my previous post is a bug squisher, doesn't transfer.
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by slapperdad » Fri Apr 15, 2016 5:12 am

"Baseball is 90% mental, and the other half is physical"
Yogi Berra

Truer words were never spoken.
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by Mark H » Fri Apr 15, 2016 7:21 am

A lack of either will limit your success. You start coaching up a young kid with a typical youth swing it becomes pretty obvious when the mental side is the limiting factor. You work on both but first you spend more time fixing mechanics and a little time on the mental game. As she progresses, that ratio begins to flip.
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by tbjd33 » Fri Apr 15, 2016 10:23 am

slapperdad wrote:
jtat32 wrote:From this view it certainly looks like Pete Rose rotates into the ball (Note: I didn't listen to the analysis):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzjxqs3pApI

If using the big muscles of the hips and torso are the quickest and most efficient way to get the bat into the zone, that would indicate that rotation would be even more important for weaker players.

A key point in making this efficient and reducing drag, I believe, is setting up so that the weight of the barrel is in line with the axis of rotation to reduce the inertia of the bat. My DDs' HS coach didn't get this concept at all and tried to enforce a set-up with the bat pointing at the catcher. :roll:


Early in my career as a coach, I studied this video ad nauseum. I know a hitting coach that utilizes this approach. One thing that jumps out at me in this vid is his hands never get extended. Pete Rose was a very impressive physical specimen, he had freakishly large forearms and legs. What I see produced by said instructor are students that are:
Pull hitters
Goes without saying a lot of foul balls
They're pretty easy to pitch to, i.e. setup and sit down
Weaker girls typically produce weak ground balls
Kids who attempt to employee this technique and don't use their bottom half

There is no weight transfer in this vid, the bat is simply rotating on an axis. Again, when you have the physical attributes Rose had, it probably didn't matter how he swung the bat. As I've been around and seen some things I've become more convinced that younger, weaker, female athletes need a weight transfer and they hands need to get extended, something along these lines:
http://youtu.be/DzJms7RW02A

Lastly EVERY kid is different and brings different tools and baggage with them. A good instructor will work with the assets and try minimize the liabilities.


Absolutely there is weight transfer in Pete's swing. But, with the many different terms in hitting we may be looking at two different things.

Some believe weight transfer as negative movement (away from pitcher) or load towards the front side (towards the pitcher). I don't believe that but have heard that many times! If that is your view than Pete has that. Slight but it's there.

The other is weight transfer is hip rotation. Some feel can only have it if the back heal is pointed at the sky or back knee drops. Both are correct but both do different things. Pete's back heal doesn't rotate but pay attention he has knee pinch and his hip does rotate right before contact a la Luaren Chamberlain. She used her great size to power the ball out of parks but not necessarily a swing you want to teach DD's. The most important thing concerning weight transfer is that it happens before contact. All great hitters have it.

The swing is both linear and rotational so there is no one way... This can go on all day.

Btw... Bryce Harper especially early days is a poor example of a good swing. He maxed out both linear principles and rotational. Take a look a Andrew McCutchen he is a great example of a swing using both principles. He's a big guy but his swing works well for girls cause it's technically sound. Especially his 2013 swing.
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by fastpitchdad05 » Sat Apr 16, 2016 11:03 am

C77fastpitch wrote:A hitter in fast-pitch softball with solid hitting mechanics has a better chance at hitting the ball than a player with unstable mechanics. However, sometimes even the best mechanics won't help a player with poor hand eye coordination., or lack of hitting experience. A lot of players simply don't play enough against hard throwing pitchers enabling them to acquire experience and make some improvement in general reflexes. Sometimes nothing helps, but playing against the best will make you better. A lot parents don't understand why their child is not hitting, even though her smaller teammates are hitting well. The simple truth is, some kids can't hit really fast pitchers and never will be able to, such is life! Harvard, Cornell, and Stanford are full of kids that can't hit the fastball, I'll bet there is even a few at Yale.


Don't say it, ATWT...don't you do it! :lol: :roll: :lol:

On another note...I can't begin to tell you how pleasant it is to hear your insights C77 without all the fighting and insults being hurled. Carry on please as I am learning a lot here.
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by slapperdad » Sat Apr 16, 2016 2:27 pm

I'll stake Stanford's hitters any day.
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by Tyler Durden » Sat Apr 16, 2016 4:42 pm

The kids at Williams can't hit sh*t either.
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by Mark H » Tue Apr 19, 2016 7:08 am

Williams coach is one of the few I'd trust with my kid's swing. Trouble is lack of time for development in the fall.

I'm all about swinging, fielding and throwing mechanics but the truth is, team culture and individual character are more important. She's way ahead of me there.
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