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I was hitting with a minor league player last week and he taught me, in my opinion, the simplest, yet most effective drill I have ever done. Hit off the tee, but focus on keeping your head perfectly still. Don't even look up to see where you hit the ball - just look straight at the hole in the tee. This has helped me tremedously and all the mechanics seem to fall into place when your head is still. Aside from that, I noticed that everything was smoothed out and felt almost effortless.
No separation....No torque.......

No torque, no ability to adjust.....

Anybody can hit the same speed all the time....

Adjusting to faster and/or slower is what it's all about........

The hips need to open in the stride........And, the weight needs to stay back......

The front foot should reach out and the back hip should load in the stride.....

The hands should load against the front hip opening.........
Last edited by BlueDog
I see so many hitters over the course of a year. From the hs season through the summer and into the fall and winter. What I constantly see is dead body hitters. Their swing has no life in it. The hips stayed closed way too long , the feet are dead , they have no torque in the swing. They think they are mashing because they are swinging a metal bat and hitting bp (same speed over and over). They think they have done something when they hit a ball '350.

You put a wood bat in their hands and they cant hit it '300 and they get destroyed on change of speeds. Man get some clips of ml hitters and see what they do. Get some instruction. You have to be able to make adjustments. Ive worked with 2 kids since they were 7 years old. They can hit. But I got them some quality instruction and I went to school myself. They do naturally now what others do not even understand. Very frustrating , very frustrating.
quote:
Dog what your talking about is a dead swing. It has no life. Look at the feet. Notice the lack of torque. The kid does appear to have some bat speed. I hope he gets some good instruction. He will never develop serious power and he will be destroyed by change of speed.


Notice the request for help was from a kid. Not from BlueDog. Generally, it's better to take a little softer approach with a "kid". While I greatly respect your knowledge from reading this board, this post gives you a bit of a negative tone. Actually, more than a bit, because it was enough for me to actually respond to. I'd be interested to know what kind of response you get from kids when you combine so many negative things with the only positive of..."Good batspeed".

I know you're great at what you do, but words like "NEVER" and "WILL BE" can come back and bite you.

Otherwise, I love your posts. But this post is the exact reason I'll never subject my "Kid" to having a video reviewed on this board.

Thanks for reading!!
quote:
Originally posted by Coach May:
I see so many hitters over the course of a year. From the hs season through the summer and into the fall and winter. What I constantly see is dead body hitters. Their swing has no life in it. The hips stayed closed way too long , the feet are dead , they have no torque in the swing. They think they are mashing because they are swinging a metal bat and hitting bp (same speed over and over). They think they have done something when they hit a ball '350.

You put a wood bat in their hands and they cant hit it '300 and they get destroyed on change of speeds. Man get some clips of ml hitters and see what they do. Get some instruction. You have to be able to make adjustments. Ive worked with 2 kids since they were 7 years old. They can hit. But I got them some quality instruction and I went to school myself. They do naturally now what others do not even understand. Very frustrating , very frustrating.



maybe the "walk up" drill will help this kid get off his back side??
quote:
Originally posted by 1BDad:
quote:
Dog what your talking about is a dead swing. It has no life. Look at the feet. Notice the lack of torque. The kid does appear to have some bat speed. I hope he gets some good instruction. He will never develop serious power and he will be destroyed by change of speed.


Notice the request for help was from a kid. Not from BlueDog. Generally, it's better to take a little softer approach with a "kid". While I greatly respect your knowledge from reading this board, this post gives you a bit of a negative tone. Actually, more than a bit, because it was enough for me to actually respond to. I'd be interested to know what kind of response you get from kids when you combine so many negative things with the only positive of..."Good batspeed".

I know you're great at what you do, but words like "NEVER" and "WILL BE" can come back and bite you.

Otherwise, I love your posts. But this post is the exact reason I'll never subject my "Kid" to having a video reviewed on this board.

Thanks for reading!!



hes giving an opinion like the kid wanted although the wording may "seem" offensive ,,hes telling the kid he needs some instruction...probably like 99 percent of us...
Not gonna change much upstairs intially but bottom half is stiff. Get some flex in the knees and weight back a bit and stick the butt out some.

Really basically a no-stride hitter...might help him you to actually stride.
Understand a stride is not a step forward but a reach with the front foot...weight isn't transferred. Think smooth reach. Front side (stride leg) is collapsing because weight/torso is moving forward; front side isn't firm and there's nothing to hit against. Hip rotation is finished by recoiling back after contact. Hips are sliding forward and not rotating properly. Not getting any real power from the torso. In essence, a linear hitter.

Personally, would like to see a wider stance (4-6")if no-stride is method; that and keep weight back. If you stick no-stride, a higher knee lift will help get weight back somewhat; just don't go to crazy with it. Careful with hips "opening in the stride"...front heel hitting ground intiates hip opening otherwise you will be a sucker for offspeed balls in the lower part of the strike zone.

Way too many hitters get the "stand tall" message with actually standing tall with straight legs.

Strong kid that with a bit of improvement in posture will improve..has decent batspeed already without using his lower body. Good instructor and a few sessions/reps would fix this pretty quick. More good than bad stuff. Hang in there. Takes guts to let faceless people take potshots at your swing without them giving corrective advice in return.

Ever practice hitting a heavy bag? You'll feel what I'm talking about with a front side collapse....the bat stops and you'll feel the front side/leg breaking down. An Army duffle bag filled with rags/newspapers works fine; just hook it to a fence at the field and take some swings. Easy to check body position at impact. Similar to hitting a tire but better for checking impact as there is no recoil.
The walk up drill would definitely be a good drill. Also go back and look at the video. Watch the feet- look at them during the set up and throughout the swing. What do you see? Bluedog as usual made a great point about torque and stretch.

When you put your swing out there for others to critique you need to hear what they think. There are alot of kids out there than need to hear the truth and not what they want to hear. I dont see it as negative I see it as positive. Now at least it gives him something to think about. Now he can say "Maybe I need to go get some serious instruction".

When you go to showcase after showcase and tryout after tryout and you continually see the same things in young hitters you start to wonder. Who the hell is teaching these guys?

Then you see the guys with proper swing mechanics and you say "If I were a kid standing here and I saw a kid mash like that I would want to know why he can I can not." Maybe its time someone told it like it is instead of sugar coating it all the time.
Here are some past posts by "mylizardsketchi"

quote:
Can anyone tell me why im always getting injured.i have hamstring problems on and off since sophmore, strained lower back since december, had shoulder surgery sphmore year and it didnt do anything. i just graduated highschool and was supposed to start varsity all four years but due to injuries i missed my last three. now im in college and i might miss this year too. i eat very healthy, i lift with good form, i stretch alot.... WHAT GIVES!!


quote:
ive been having lower back pain since december 06 and getting it adjusted by a doctor every couple weeks or so but still the pain is there. i hurt it while maxing on squats and it cracks and pops all the time. so ive been reading on the forum about it and think it might be a stress fracture on the spine or sumthing. if this is the case what would the pain be like?


And of course this one who can forget... Big Grin

quote:
anyone on here ever experience pain in their nuts after swinging? cuz ever now and then during a game ill swing and my nuts start aching like hell, to the point i need to call time out.what the hell is that about?
thanks


My question...
Are you completely healthy when swinging in that video?
quote:
Very frustrating , very frustrating.


Coach May, I share your frustration......The percentage of kids who can hit is very low.......

quote:
They think they are mashing because they are swinging a metal bat and hitting bp (same speed over and over). They think they have done something when they hit a ball '350.


You are describing a very high percentage of players.....Telling this player he can't hit worth a darn is almost always a lost cause.....He won't believe you........


quote:
Then you see the guys with proper swing mechanics and you say "If I were a kid standing here and I saw a kid mash like that I would want to know why he can I can not."


Coach, I can see it bugs you and it bugs me, too.......I'm like you, I don't understand it....But, I'm convinced, it will always be that way.........


quote:
What I constantly see is dead body hitters. Their swing has no life in it. The hips stayed closed way too long , the feet are dead , they have no torque in the swing.


What amazes me is, you see it and I see it, but, why don't more see it?...Why is it so accepted?....It is frustrating, indeed....
Last edited by BlueDog
Balance, control and drive all look good.

What I see is that by keeping your arms bent through the swing, your hands are out in front. It gives the appearance of the bat dragging behind you.

There is the appearance that the stride starts, then the hips, then the swing. Try to tighten the three actions together.

If you can make contact with this swing, you will be hitting some hot shots.

In my days, guys with this swing had a tendency to swing over the ball, especially on breaking stuff.

In my mind's eye, you could improve by straightening your arms during the down swing at the start.

Same applies from both sides of the plate.
Last edited by Quincy
quote:
Originally posted by Emanski's Heroes:
quote:
Originally posted by Quincy:
Listen to the advice in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0TLUN7KRBI&feature=related

Pay no attention to the product endorsed.


What kind of tee is being used in this video? I think the product you're referring to is the bat, correct?




I can't say much for this teacher. The kid is sliding forward and he really never tells him why. Maybe he doesn't know, maybe he wants him to keep coming back???? He is sliding forward because his hands and hips are going at the same time. If his hips opened first, then this instructor's que of, getting more flex in his knees would work.
quote:
Originally posted by Quincy:
A guy goes to the doctor and says,

"Doctor, my arm hurts when I do this."

Doctor says,

"Don't do it."

Moral of the story

He doesn't care why he's doing it, he wants him to do something else.




A guy goes to the Doctor for a bad knee, Doctor gives him a prescription for sleeping pills. His knee won't hurt while he's sleeping, but did it fix the problem??? He did something different, but the problem is still there.
The coach has had success not complicating his explanations in this simple game.

Here is the coach's resume

Jobs in Baseball

1977 Bellingham Nwest Coach
1978 Stockton Calif Coach
1979 UNLV NCAA Coach
1980 UNLV NCAA Coach
1981 UNLV NCAA Coach
1982 UNLV NCAA Coach
1983 UNLV NCAA Coach
1984 UNLV NCAA Coach
1985 California Angels MLB Roving Hitting Instructor
1986 California Angels MLB Roving Hitting Instructor
1987 California Angels MLB Roving Hitting Instructor
1988 California Angels MLB Roving Hitting Instructor
1989 New York Yankees MLB Roving Minor League Hitting Instructor
1989 Columbus IL Manager
1990 Columbus IL Manager
1990 Albany Eastern League Manager
1991 Columbus IL Manager
1992 Columbus IL Manager
1993 New York Yankees MLB Hitting Coach
1994 New York Yankees MLB Hitting Coach
1995 New York Yankees MLB Hitting Coach
1996 Baltimore Orioles MLB Hitting Coach
1997 Baltimore Orioles MLB Hitting Coach
1998 Baltimore Orioles MLB Hitting Coach
1999 Los Angeles Dodgers MLB Hitting Coach
2000 Los Angeles Dodgers MLB Hitting Coach
2001 Boston Red Sox MLB Hitting Coach
2002 New York Yankees MLB Hitting Coach
2003 New York Yankees MLB Hitting Coach
2004 New York Yankees MLB Coordinator of Instruction
2005 New York Mets MLB Hitting Coach
2006 New York Mets MLB Hitting Coach
2007 New York Mets MLB Hitting Coach
Last edited by Quincy
quote:
Originally posted by Quincy:
The coach has had success not complicating his explanations in this simple game.

Here is the coach's resume

Jobs in Baseball

1977 Bellingham Nwest Coach
1978 Stockton Calif Coach
1979 UNLV NCAA Coach
1980 UNLV NCAA Coach
1981 UNLV NCAA Coach
1982 UNLV NCAA Coach
1983 UNLV NCAA Coach
1984 UNLV NCAA Coach
1985 California Angels MLB Roving Hitting Instructor
1986 California Angels MLB Roving Hitting Instructor
1987 California Angels MLB Roving Hitting Instructor
1988 California Angels MLB Roving Hitting Instructor
1989 New York Yankees MLB Roving Minor League Hitting Instructor
1989 Columbus IL Manager
1990 Columbus IL Manager
1990 Albany Eastern League Manager
1991 Columbus IL Manager
1992 Columbus IL Manager
1993 New York Yankees MLB Hitting Coach
1994 New York Yankees MLB Hitting Coach
1995 New York Yankees MLB Hitting Coach
1996 Baltimore Orioles MLB Hitting Coach
1997 Baltimore Orioles MLB Hitting Coach
1998 Baltimore Orioles MLB Hitting Coach
1999 Los Angeles Dodgers MLB Hitting Coach
2000 Los Angeles Dodgers MLB Hitting Coach
2001 Boston Red Sox MLB Hitting Coach
2002 New York Yankees MLB Hitting Coach
2003 New York Yankees MLB Hitting Coach
2004 New York Yankees MLB Coordinator of Instruction
2005 New York Mets MLB Hitting Coach
2006 New York Mets MLB Hitting Coach
2007 New York Mets MLB Hitting Coach




Why so many different jobs???

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