quote:After that I'll go with hitting the outside of the ball.
Trojan Skipper could you explain this a little bit more? I'm pretty sure I know what you're talking about but want to make sure - thanks.
Great stuff here and I'm not sure there is just one common hitting flaw.
1. Dropping the hands (not getting them back up quick enough)
2. Dead backside - when the back foot doesn't turn / open in order for the hips to open for power
3. Slow front foot - not getting it down quick enough to start the swing before the pitch is on you
4. Long swing / casting the bat
5. Not separating the stride and swing - to me if you do this right then it looks like there really isn't a separation but when someone is too slow / too quick with some aspect it looks bad. I probably did a very bad job explaining this.
As for the private hitting instructor I think it's important to find someone who will work with good high school coaches. They know which coaches have a clue and which don't but they don't want to teach something that is entirely opposite of what the high school coach wants. Now if the coach is clueless then the private instructor can teach whatever because it probably won't matter. I know I get into it with the private guys in the hitting forum but I have nothing against these guys if they are teaching something that will help the players. A good coach won't micromanage a swing and this is what allows the private instructor to be helpful but the instructor and coach need to be in the same ballpark in terms of philosophy.
I can't tell you how many times my guys go to a private guy and come back telling me how we both do the same thing, teach same thing, use same hitting drills and all that. That is what seals the deal in having the light come on in terms of understanding what is being taught.
As for the opening post maybe if you back off some (not that I'm saying you are on him because I don't know) and let him figure this out on his own. Coming back from an ACL injury is as tough mentally as it is physically. He's probably a little scared that he will hurt himself again and that's why his mechanics are out of whack. Once he gets that confidence back then the mechanics hopefully will follow. I had a knee injury back in the day and I was horrible when I came back because I truly was scared to get hurt again. Everyone was coming to me with advice for what I needed to do but all I needed to do was get some confidence back in my knee. When that happened my mechanics got better and my swing came back.