Help correcting hitting flaw

we have worked on this through using tennis balls and tossing them at my son middle in and him taking the nob straight to the ball and trying to meet the nob directly/flat on the tennis ball over the plate which should almost seem like he is punching the nob/ball at you - toss from 12-15 feet away directly in front

a lot of times, when a batter leaves his front shoulder behind, as in not keeping them even with the lead hip during the step, the back shoulder and/or hands drop and flattens the bat out.

You don’t say how old he is, but a good drill for this is a quick soft toss drill. Get a pile of balls and get slightly in front and to the side (you can also do this sitting 5-10’in front behind a L screen tossing underhand) and quickly throw him balls to hit giving him just enough time to get his hands back and then to come through and hit the ball. He will not have time to drop his hands or do any other gyrations, just enough to get loaded and then through the ball. You will have to play around a little with the timing of the throws but done properly he should have time to load and go.

Hit off of a high tee, chest high. Put the tee on a standard size ball bucket (5 gallon pale). You can't drop the hands and hit the ball. Need to do it a lot and get the muscle memory to kick in...also, a lot of times when kids get fatigued from taking too many consecutive swings in batting practice they fall into bad habits. Thats why when you see the big leaguers hit before the game they take like 5-6 swings and then rotate to another hitter...

Thanks guys. Freak28, I will work that tennis ball drill into our routine.

BOF, my son is 14. We have actually done (and still do) that "rapid fire" type drill you describe, but his hands follow the proper path during the drill. An additional drill I have tried is to use 2 tees and place one slightly behind the back foot and set it much higher to keep him from dropping his hands.

He doesn't seem to have a problem dropping the hands during the drills, but it's a different story during live pitching.

Here is a you tube link to his swing, please let me know what you think. Thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vac7E_-oluM

P4G

No man can climb out beyond the limitations he places on himself.

If he is doing the drills correctly but loses it in games, it sounds like he needs to drill more often until it becomes ingrained in his swing.

That said, I know there have been very successful hitters with a so called "hitch" in their swing.

I just watched the video and I would spend more time on loading and increasing power. His swing does not look that bad, but has room to develop more power through proper use of his lower half, which is not being effectively put to use in those swings.

quote:

Originally posted by passion4game:
Once he loads and steps, instead of moving his hands directly to the ball, he slightly drops his hands (flattening the bat) then comes forward.

I looked at this video by frame.

It looks like someone has told him not to stride. As a result, he is shifting his weight, while his front foot is planted, and while he swings.

His order is:
1. Foot plant
2. Throw hands
3. Drive back elbow/ shoulder

He never coils, loads or strides. I hate to say this, but the swing has some serious flaws.

Also, he is not dropping his hands, he is using the destructive "moving his hands directly to the ball" cue perfectly.

The order should be:
1. Coiling/loading ("backwards") while he strides forward. His hands should end up at his back shoulder at toe touch. (Look at my avatar)

2. Drive back elbow/ shoulder down as front foot plants (hips will start rotating)

3. Try to hold the hands back (not really, but you get the idea), but they will release at this time. (Try stuffing a small towel in his front armpit, keep it there while you swing)

He can do this at home with a wiffle bat. Work on #1, then work on #2 separately, then try off a tee, then graduate to L screen.

Or, get some professional instruction, or buy a DVD from a respected instructor or 2, to fix this.

Looks like he's a good athlete.

Even with a minimal or no stride the hitter could load as SultanofSwat has indicated. If you can get all those elements introduced first, then add a stride, it may be easier to make the needed adjustments.

Guys, he does load and stride, it's just that this video is a loop of the same swing and the clip begins immediately after his load/stride.

Thanks for all the additional info.

P4G

No man can climb out beyond the limitations he places on himself.

If that is a looping video clip then you need to repost with complete multiple swings.

Sultan, you are a trip!.....Will you ever learn????

We will hit indoors again later this week. I'll video his complete swing and re-post Thurs. or Fri. Thanks.

P4G

No man can climb out beyond the limitations he places on himself.

Pretty solid swing. He needs to hit, hit, and hit. Most guys at his level struggle because they are either not strong enough to produce the same swing every time or hit enough. He should hit almost every day. Hit wiffle balls in the garage, basement, or yard. Find a way to get it done!

The biggest problem I see is he lays the bat down as his first movement. He needs to keep his hands stacked and take a more direct path to the ball.

Thanks On Base 14, my goal is to get him as many reps as possible before the school season begins.

Catcher15, that is the flaw I am trying to correct. Do you have any suggestions/drills to address this problem. As I mentioned before, off of the T and soft toss, his hands take a more direct path. However, he always reverts back during live arm BP.

P4G

No man can climb out beyond the limitations he places on himself