Analyze Swing Please

What part of NYC are you in? I left Staten Island about 32 years ago. LOL.

One thing that stands out to me in both of your videos is that your front foot plants substantially before you make contact with your bat. To me this timing issue is sapping a tremendous amount of power from your swing. Your forward momentum with the weight shift as indicated by your stride, stops, then your bat comes through the zone. This is using pretty much all upper body strength, and none of you lower body power, which is where the bulk of your power should come from.

I live in Brooklyn, but go to school in upper Manhattan.

I forgot to mention that during the ofer I popped up a tremendous amount...and not just any popups, towering ones,

You're reaching way out front for contact.

As florida fan noted, your swing is all arms.

try to set your contact point right about your front knee and work the ball the other way.

This will get you accustomed to staying back on a pitch and getting more body into your swing.

Is the contact point too far forward because I swung early or because of something I'm doing wrong? What can I fix? Thanks.

You're doing a formula swing rather than staying relaxed and just swinging.

If you keep your weight back and drive your swing into contact approx at the front of the plate, you'll feel that you have it.

You'll be putting balls on the Concourse, or at least 170th.

Catch43, What you are doing wrong is your front foot is planting way ahead of your bathead making contact. You are all arms as Quincy said. Try to get the bathead to make contact while you are still shifting your weight forward, not after your weight has already shifted.

Read the "Load" thread. If you can emulate what is being taught there by Sandman, you will fix your problem.

Catch,

Here is a drill for you to try. Off of a tee, take your normal stance and put the bat between your feet (touching the instep on each foot), set tee just inside your front hip for a pitch right down the middle and mark the front foot position with tape if inside or on a pad, if outside, just mark it with your cleats. Now, step back with your front foot until your feet are together, push yourself forward using the ball of your back foot and big toe to do the pushing and stride back to your original front foot placement. Do that a few times to get used to it. Now, try to land as softly as possible on the inside of your foot with a slightly bent front knee and repeat a few times until you get comfortable doing it. Next, get in the original position with feet apart, knees bent like you are about to sit on a stool (not like you are sitting on a stool, just like you are on your way down). With the bat straight up and down, grip the bat with your bottom hand facing th Catcher like you were going to punch him in the mask. Take your top hand and match the knocking knuckles with the big knuckles of the bottom hand (bat in fingers). Now pull the bat back with your top hand like you were pulling the string of a bow until your front elbow is past your belly button (this is upper body stretch point). Now, as you step back with your front foot, pull the bat with your bottom hand to just in front of your front hip. Try to get the timing down where your feet touch as you get the hands in front of the front hip.

Now you are ready to do the drill! From the last position you were in, stride out to the tape as above while pulling your hands back with the top hand like a bow string. Try to make the timing where your foot touches down as your hands get all the way back. Once you get that timing down, swing as you get fully separated (hands back, toe down).

Try this drill for a few days and see how it feels. Let me know how it works out and we can add another piece to the puzzle.

One note, the back heel should come off of the ground slightly as you stride out at a certain point.

Catch43,
Looks like you are striding to hit the ball (bad) versus striding to see the ball. Swing/hands have started forward before the front foot/heel is down. This puts the hands too far in front of the hips, essentially causing you to lock up your hip rotation (look at back front in video rolling over)until momentum causes rotation after contact. Right now you are pretty much all upper body. Shoulder drops because of hand action at start of swing is poor...shoulder works down during the swing but doesn't collapse at the beginning.

Stride to see the ball. Hands back or at least stationary as you stride. Smooth,quiet stride. Watch the MLB players....swing never starts until stride foot is down; better early than late if you want to be able to hit a good fastball or adjust to a change.

Catch 43,
I'm seeing the same things these guys have posted above. Some really good observations.
Your first swing looks like your standing straight up. It's hard to make any adjustments until you get into a better setup/tilt over the plate. In your second swing you tilt over a little bit and have a better rotation (see power's reference of 'about to sit' in his drill). Much nicer swing.
Your first move on both swings is to drop your hands and flatten your bat (S. Abrams...'hand action at start of swing is poor'). Your rear elbow slightly leads your hands causing a late swing. These two things are related to each other and are causing the popups.
I know, Barry and Ted 'drop' their hands, but they keep their bat in the shoulder plane by lifting the box/triangle as they sit. When you drop the bat it stays there and takes longer to get into the hitting zone...making you late to the ball causing popups and K's.
Get out of that slump, bud!!!!

I video taped some swings today working on the mechanics. It was very tough to time the machine. So please let me know if I'm correcting the stuff, what is good, and the not good. Thanks again for everything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUUSJtt0C_0

I see a big difference for the better. If you work a little bit on the load by rotating your hips as well as your arms and shoulders it may help in the explosion.

quote:

Originally posted by Ozone:
I see a big difference for the better. If you work a little bit on the load by rotating your hips as well as your arms and shoulders it may help in the explosion.

Catch,
Lookin' better! Even though you had a problem timing the machine deliveries, you're now sitting on the pitch and can adjust to speed changes. Ozone sees poor rotation and so do I. Your spinning a bit on some swings instead of rotating your hips. Not bad though.
Also, try not to extend the lead arm too soon. It causes you to disconnect from your rotation. Great progress! How's your BA? Hope this helps.

Its been the same as before. Next game is a DH this Sunday. I'll keep you posted. I have 6 days to get these mechanics ingrained in me.

How much can one think about mechanics when in the box? I really don't want to go back to my old ways but I'm afraid if I don't remind myself of mechanics, I'll just keep doing it.

You can't think about mechanics at the plate. Visualize your mechanics in the batters box and then forget them. You should be thinking about the ball rotation,the count and location. Think of some key triggers while in the cage. load - stay back - explode this mind set will carry over to live at bats without you realizing it over time.

You're opening up far too much with your front foot...this pulls you off the ball. This isn't allowing you to hit through the ball well, keep your hands through the ball when it's middle to away. Your timing is fine in both these swings, but until you fix that foot, your upper body cannot do what it needs to...in other words, your feet are sabotaging your swing. Fix them, and your hands will be just fine, and your head will stay on the ball and you'll stop swing at the slider that breaks into the dirt away...you didn't post anything about that, but i'm willing to bet good money that that was a major problem for you when you were slumping...am I right,or no?

Also...watch some video of Pujols...pay particular attention to his feet...the best in baseball.

Not at all. I haven't been chasing pitches out of the zone. Obviously once in a while everyone does, but it has not been a problem.

As an update, I did start driving the ball much better, including a ball off center field wall, and one ball that hung up too much I guess and the CF caught it over the shoulder by the wall.

I can feel good things about to happen. Thanks for your help everyone, I appreciate it a lot.

That ride off the wall would have made good video.

The reaction would have been fun as well.