hitting drill/ too much up and down

Wondering if it's simply a core strength issue or too heavy of a bat? Not sure of your son's age/size, etc, so just a guess.

Hard to say without any knowledge of your son or his ability. But, basic tee work and a video camera is a good start. Focus on repeating the correct swing from separation - finish. The video tape never lies, seeing his own swing and his head movement may help!! Can you post some video in the hitting section. Also, PM if you want some tee drill clips, I'll be glad to send you the link.
GED10DaD

Kevin: one drill I've seen is you go outside to hit off a tee. Place a glove where the shadow of your head is at the beginning of the swing... hit the ball and then check the position of your head. The shadow should be just below the glove at the end of the swing, very little movement is a good sign. (you need a sunny day for this one)

The best and most under used "tool" in baseball is a full length mirror. Work in slow and fast motion. No T needed.

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"you need a sunny day for this one."

Having grown up on the coast of Oregon (annual rainfall 100"+) we didn't use a glove, but rather swim fins and this breathing apparatus...




...lacking sunshine, could a buddy with a waterproof flashlight be of any assistance?

Where should the bubbles be after exhaling and swinging?




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Grasshopper; if you can hit the bubbles, you can go to the Show.

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I'm on it skipper!





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Any other suggestions for kevin25's son?

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He may need to develop a stable base. Make sure that he is bending his knees adequately and using his legs.

The mirror is a very valuable tool.

keep it simple. The less he has to think about it the better. have him hit a ball off the tee and instead of watching the ball flight have his eyes still looking at the tee.

a lot of younger players like myself have the tendency to jerk their heads before the ball even makes contact with the barrel

thanks for the responses, hitting instructor he's had lessons from after we came to him with this problem suggested more flex in legs, but is the up and down probably a rear leg issue or front leg issue. Thanks so much folks

bend at your waist and it keeps your head on the ball.

quote:

anybody know of a drill to work on reducing movement of head(up and down) during swing...........My son's having some problem with this.

Up and down head movement is not a problem in the swing.....

His head moves down.....



And, his head moves up....

Two of the greatest hitters ever.....Ruth seems to keep his head pretty level during the stride......And, Bonds drops his head during the stride....

quote:

Originally posted by kevin25:
thanks for the responses, hitting instructor he's had lessons from after we came to him with this problem suggested more flex in legs, but is the up and down probably a rear leg issue or front leg issue. Thanks so much folks

Kevin, I find that it's often a front leg issue. I see lots of young hitters push with both legs because it feels like they are adding power by adding the effort of pushing hard. One thing that Ramirez & Soriano have in common in the 2 clips above is that they both have their left heel on the ground through impact.

Make sure your son isn't pushing up with his front leg. It robs the swing of power while feeling like it is adding it.

FWIW, if I had to pick one or the other, I would prefer Manny's eyes moving to the ball over Alphonso's eyes moving away from the ball. But I like the Babe's level head best of all.

Neither leg should push....The legs shouldn't provide the power in the swing...

quote:

Originally posted by BlueDog:
Neither leg should push...

You're right, they shouldn't...but they often do.

That is an interesting statement Bluedog and an interesting clip to illustrate your point. What about the hip, which is connected to the leg...

It's all done with the middle, the core....

The legs assist the core because they connect to the ground...

But, it's the core providing the power.....

The middle moves forward first, then backward....This is accomplished with a posture adjustment....

quote:

Originally posted by BlueDog:
It's all done with the middle, the core....

The legs assist the core because they connect to the ground...

But, it's the core providing the power.....

The middle moves forward first, then backward....This is accomplished with a posture adjustment....

People tend to forget that your "core" ranges from above your knees to right under your chest.

I agree that everything below your knees isn't significant when it comes to developing your power.

My point in posting is to tell the original poster that up and down head movement in the swing is not a problem....

If your current hitting instructor can't tell you this, then, you may want to re-think using him.....