Fly outs and pop ups

Hi

My son had this issue crop up over the summer, we did not know what it was until we got several Pro evaluatons saying it a very slight drop of his back shoulder. A couple of tweaks and it has gone away. Good Luck !

quote:

Originally posted by StyleMismatch:
Lately my son (13) has had way more than his share of pop ups and fly outs. I've watched him swing in the cage and frankly I can't see much that he's doing wrong. He's in a good athletic position in his stance, his head stays still, his hip rotation looks good, etc. So... any thoughts on common hitting flaws that I am overlooking (and keep it simple please, I don't have a phD in swingology). I don't have a current video of him, but should be able to come up with one in a few days.

Watch his head position. Make sure he's seeing the ball with both eyes, not just the front one. Watch for a late slide of the head forward. Could be you'll need to spread him out and eliminate his stride for a while if he is sliding.

I hadn't thought about being able to see the ball with both eyes, not sure if that's the case but I'll look.

His head is not moving at all, that's something we've worked a lot on. Before, from time to time, his head would move backward (toward the catcher) a few inches but right now his head is steady as a rock.

I'm not seeing the rear shoulder dropping either, but I'll have to shoot some video to be able to really tell.


What about hand position? I read in an old thread where someone had mentioned improper hand position as a possible problem, but I never did see any mention of what was proper vs. improper as far as hand position.

quote:

Originally posted by StyleMismatch:
I hadn't thought about being able to see the ball with both eyes, not sure if that's the case but I'll look.

His head is not moving at all, that's something we've worked a lot on. Before, from time to time, his head would move backward (toward the catcher) a few inches but right now his head is steady as a rock.

I'm not seeing the rear shoulder dropping either, but I'll have to shoot some video to be able to really tell.


What about hand position? I read in an old thread where someone had mentioned improper hand position as a possible problem, but I never did see any mention of what was proper vs. improper as far as hand position.

You can put a patch over his front eye and do front toss and move to normal BP. I would suggest a machine to begin with. Take two or three rounds with the patch, then one or two without. Take note of his head position on both.

The shoulders have to tilt on almost every strike, so I wouldn't see that as a problem. If the above drill doesn't help, I would have his eyes checked. If it's not that, it's probably just a concentration problem.

First off, I would say you are doing the right thing by asking in a forum like this with the wealth of knowledge that is here rather than overreact like most people would do. Most novices would immediately respond with "he's dipping his back shoulder". This, of course, more times than not would be the incorrect assessment. Unless, he is combining an A to C downswing combined with a rear shoulder dip. This is a bad combination.

IF he is making the attempt to match his swing plane with the pitch plane, then it is simply a timing issue. He is late getting up to the ball. When he is really late he is hitting the bottom tip of the ball and that is when he is experiencing a "pop up". When just a little late, this is when he is he is flying out.

Coach T, thanks for the response.

I've got to remember to take my comcorder next time we go to the cage. I won't say for sure that he's not swinging late, but in a way it doesn't add up because for the most part he'll either pull a ball for a solid line drive or else hit a lazy fly ball up the middle. It'll be far easier to see in slow motion.

By the way, I bought Epstein's DVD around a year ago and my son spent a lot of time doing those drills. In my opinion his swing is much better now. Not perfect, but definitely improved. And as many times as I've watched that DVD I feel like I've gained a fair understanding of what should happen (but obviously I don't have all the answers).

Don't worry about his swing not being "perfect" after a lot of work. Neither was ARod's prior to this most current season. That is why he had his swing rebuilt in the offseason And look what a great year he had.

Hitting is a lifelong pursuit. It must be continually worked on. NO ONE ever "has it" permanently. After, look at the greatest hitters in the world(Major League Players). How often do they take batting practice??? EVERYDAY! I'm not saying kids need to practice everyday, but the more the better to be the best and BE at their best when it counts the most(game time!).

He may be on time in terms of getting around on the ball, but still below the ball on his swing plane. Too far on pop ups. That is what I am meaning by being late.

Was soft tossing with son tonight and I now think I see what's happening, tell me if this makes sense. Before, I'd been watching his head, feet, and hips and they all looked like they were doing what they were supposed to. Tonight I concentrated on his hands and bat and finally saw something, looked like his swing was level - to the ground (i.e. not matching the plane of the ball). It seems that if he's a little out in front on his timing (which I think still happens a lot) that the bat will end up being ever so slightly low when it makes contact with the ball.

quote:

Originally posted by StyleMismatch:
Was soft tossing with son tonight and I now think I see what's happening, tell me if this makes sense. Before, I'd been watching his head, feet, and hips and they all looked like they were doing what they were supposed to. Tonight I concentrated on his hands and bat and finally saw something, looked like his swing was level - to the ground (i.e. not matching the plane of the ball). It seems that if he's a little out in front on his timing (which I think still happens a lot) that the bat will end up being ever so slightly low when it makes contact with the ball.

Could be! Finish high!