I can't stop squishing the bug

You're overcomplicating your swing.

Don't think about 'squishing the bug' and you may find that you will stop doing it.

One method to avoid the action is to shorten your stride. You can also try setting up with your front foot under your front shoulder.

And that's one of the reasons I did not like the
'squish the bug', or 'snuff the butt' from the ol'
days.

Check out Stride Guide. It's a tool that I have used in my clinics.

Basically it's a tool you stand on with a rotating disk to encourages back-foot & hip pivot while preventing overstriding.

There are other remedies to consider.

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Think of rolling the ankles. Here is Soriano showing great footwork. In the third frame of this clip he actually has his weight on both balls of his feet with both heels off the ground.

Sounds like your concentation is on the feet,change that focus to the hips.


I am no instructor but my kids hitting instructor does this with both of them and he showed it to me to work with them.

The drill is to open up the hips and feet as if the swing was finished,then rotate the hips back and just swing with your hips.Then come around with the shoulders and then the hands and hit off a T.


This will teach muscle memory and after doing this a while,your body will be rotating properly on it's own without thinking about the feet or hips.

In regards to having a hard time squishing a bug. In order to help with getting your back half through the ball I teach my hitters a couple of tricks to the trade. One, I have them point their backfoot toes toward the plate (Pigeon Toe)and I also teach them when intially digging in with their backfoot their heal needs to be higher than their toes (45 degree angle). These techniques allow a hitter to rotate their backfoot and backside better without thinking about it. Furthermore, I have them do a self check with their belly button to make sure that it is facing the pitcher and that their follow through was high above their shoulder. If the follow through is not high enough then the weight shift will not properly move forward.

Good Luck

Good Luck

quote:

If the follow through is not high enough then the weight shift will not properly move forward.

Really?

The old-time great hitters like Ruth, Mantle, Williams and Aaron had low follow-throughs.....Did their weight move forward properly?

quote:

The drill is to open up the hips and feet as if the swing was finished,then rotate the hips back and just swing with your hips.Then come around with the shoulders and then the hands and hit off a T.

Why not teach to open the hips during the stride?....This is what MLB hitters do.....

It's a running start with the lower body and is referred to as segmentation.........All the great hitters segment in this way..........

The above clip of Soriano shows it happening....IMO, all young hitters should learn to do this.........

Take a look at Carlos Delgado in these clips.......This is a bigtime running start with the hips......


http://www.recruit.hittingillustrated.com/RunningStart.htm

As I watched film of Aaron, Ruth and others it seems that their follow through always ended up at least shoulder height. If any lower (chest high) than the hitter would rotate off the ball, similar to hitting a brick wall during their weight shift and their head would have a tendency to come off the ball.

Mechanics Doctor

Looks chest high to me.


AND, he's off his rear foot.

Today I hit in the cage at school and I decided to focus more on full rotation than anything else and just bring my hips through the zone. It worked well enough for a first time, but I understand a problem like this won't change overnight so I just need to keep working at it. A lot of the problems came from being so tight, once I started to relax and actually rotate my hips I saw some improvement.

quote:

Originally posted by BlueDog:

quote:

The drill is to open up the hips and feet as if the swing was finished,then rotate the hips back and just swing with your hips.Then come around with the shoulders and then the hands and hit off a T.

Why not teach to open the hips during the stride?....This is what MLB hitters do.....

It's a running start with the lower body and is referred to as segmentation.........All the great hitters segment in this way..........

The above clip of Soriano shows it happening....IMO, all young hitters should learn to do this.........

Take a look at Carlos Delgado in these clips.......This is a bigtime running start with the hips......


http://www.recruit.hittingillustrated.com/RunningStart.htm

We have been through this before and you know my feelings but here it goes.


Teach it in steps and as you get one thing,or a couple things,add more to it.



Right now his goal is to quit squishing the bug and we are pretty much in agreement that needs to stop and I think most of us agree that hip rotation is at the core of the problem.

The drill is a hip isolation drill that will develop muscle memory on how the hips are to rotate and load properly,that's all,just a drill.


Have a hitter do this 25 times off a T and then have them hit and use whatever style you want and see if the hips aren't rotating harder.

If they are loading properly,they will not have to think about opening during the stride,it will happen due to the load automatically during the stride.IMO


There is one thing for sure,it is a simple drill that can't hurt a thing.

The hip(s) don't load.

They open.

And this opening loads the system.

In which frame in the Mantle clip do you see the hips load?

quote:

Originally posted by Loose Cannon:
The hip(s) don't load.

They open.

And this opening loads the system.

In which frame in the Mantle clip do you see the hips load?

Sure looks like Soriano's hips are loading to me in the clip above.

Hips are definately rotating back as he comes up with his front foot.Torquing,loading or rotating back,I really don't care what you call it it,it is the same.

The key is the (s)

quote:

Originally posted by Loose Cannon:
The key is the (s)

All right,I know where this leads,been there done that,your right I am wrong.

Don't try the drill,it doesn't work for any of the people that have used it.

Man,I have seen people talk in circles before but you are the master.

quote:

All right,I know where this leads,been there done that,your right I am wrong.

I've been gone for a while....on vacation....but I believe this is the first time you've been right.

vacation?

I'll splain it for you.

Load the rear femur in the rear hip....open the front hip/leg against the resistance of the upper body (and barrel). Stretch is created. Ride the back leg until "go".

NOW the system is loaded.

That should be easy to teach.

Another problem is I have been listening to too much mechanical horse **** and trying to think about it before I swing. Watching film is one thing, but all this rear femur, lower tibia garbage is counterproductive.

I am now going outside to hit. I am going to film it for my coach. I will focus on a short swing and full hip rotation and swinging my weight through the ball, not to the ball. That is my focus. Not anatomy class. If I come off as arrogant or belligerent then I am sorry, but I think I can solve this problem with more practice and filming to make sure I take steps forward and not backward. Thank you to all that helped or tried to help with the intention of making me a better hitter and not to start an argument.

quote:

Originally posted by UpstateNY2008:
I have been trying to ditch this habit for a couple months now by just trying to focus on it, but I have found no success. Part of it probably comes from the fact I have been told to do it for 11 years now. Besides more repitition, what can I do to try and rotate with my hips and move my foot as a product of my hips instead of the other way around?

The common cause of "bug squishing" is using the foot to turn the hips.

The hip should rotate the rear foot, not visa-versa.

The rear foot does not turn the hips, the hips turn the foot.

Think push in a straight line with the back foot instead of rotate with the back foot.

At the point that your rear heel comes off the ground your foot should still be oriented towards the plate. If your front foot is blocking effectively, and if your lead leg is properly pushing back against the ground, then your hip will accelerate and turn your foot.

Don't use the foot to turn your hips. It's the other way around.

quote:

Think push in a straight line with the back foot instead of rotate with the back foot

A straight linear push off the back foot will not force the hips to rotate. Even when accompanied by a front leg block.

While both the rear push and the front block are parts of a high level swing.....neither cause rotation to occur.