Keeping your weight back

Welcome to the site.  Throwing out your first post on hitting mechanics is  very dangerous .

There are more than one "correct" hitting philosophies so you may get conflicting info by asking on a forum like this.  I'll give you my personal opinion but at the end of the day, what is most important is that your son understands and trusts the instructor he is going to.

I'm not 100% sure I am interpreting your language correctly but...

I teach the importance of being "stacked" where you never transfer your weight so far back that you are not still balanced.  I believe this may be the primary point your new instructor is making.  I don't want to see the back knee travel back any further than the inside ball of the back foot.  This allows weight transfer but maintains balance.  It also allows the back hip to fire freely.  I see a lot of problems occur (timing, tilt, balance, efficiency, hip lock, etc.) when the weight shift is further, depending on the hitter.  Those problems become more prominent when players start facing good pitchers who have decent velo and can also mix speeds well.  So, your son may have success with a bigger weight transfer at the 12u and below levels but may start to struggle as he moves up.  So, he is probably making a smart adjustment at the right time.

Have him talk to the new instructor and tell him exactly what he used to do and what his concerns are about the adjustments.  As I said, the most important thing is that he understands what the adjustments are and why they are being made.  This will build the necessary trust in the instructor.

PS - 2 hrs one way seems a bit crazy for a 9-11 y.o. just for a hitting lesson.  Is it that tough to find someone in your area?  Curious as to the frequency and how your son handled that?

Thanks for the advice. I'll have him talk to the new instructor. He only travels to see is other instructor 3 to 4 times a year and does a week long camp there in the winter. There are not many instructors or facilities in our area in fact the closest travel team is an hour away.

The initial stance has little to do with 'keeping your weight back'.  But most MLB hitters start the way your new guy sets up.

I recommend posting video.  Otherwise, we're guessing.

Sorry I don't know how to flip this. If you can see it this is from last February but his swing is still about the same.

That's really kind of an extreme distance to travel for a 12 year old's hitting lessons. 

I see a lot of good things but I don't see any weight transfer.  The only load I see is the arms moving back.

My focus would be keeping any weight shift between the insides of his feet.  Too much in either direction will cause problems.   

I see mostly upper body movement and very little lower body movement. The feet and lower body should move first to attack the ball. And yes I would keep weight back to drive the ball.   Humble opinion.  

Thanks everybody for taking the time to respond.

A couple of recommendations.  Watch the guys on TV.  Study them.  See what they do at their feet, knees, hips, hands, etc.  Stride is over rated, and studies on stride are showing that there is no more power with, versus without, a stride.  A stride makes timing more difficult, and if done incorrectly (and sometimes correctly) causes the head/eyes to drop.  The stride does force the weight forward, which it needs to eventually get forward to a certain point, then stop, and eventually return to the back side.  I don't see your son getting any weight forward, or loading in either direction with the lower half (as said above).  Another little tip that is very important.  Watch what angle the bat of any major leaguer gets into, prior to swinging.  The MLB bat does not lay flat, but rather is pointed towards the sky.  This is a huge problem I see all the time, and is a difficult habit to break.  Your son has his bat laying "flat" when he initiates his swing.  That is one of the things that  would be at the top of my list to correct.  It is a totally different feel, and will seem strange to your son.  Again, watch some MLB, and see what the bat angle is just prior to swing.  Good luck! (It is always hard to talk these things when not in person.  Verbage issues). 

And so, Stuckin..., this is where things can start to get interesting.  As I said in my first post, it can be dangerous to post with hitting questions as there are more than one correct methods and you will get conflicting info.

Ohio Dad, just for friendly debate, I'd like to point out that you suggest strongly to watch MLB guys and study them.  You then suggest to eliminate stride, yet almost every MLB hitter strides.   You also suggest, if I am reading you correctly, that MLB bats don't lay flat, but point toward the sky. While I agree the majority get the bat to a vertical upright position, there are still some MLB hitters who are very successful with a flatter plane than what stuckin's son is displaying (Mauer, Swisher, Cano...).

Here is an interesting article that supports my stance that there are more than one correct ways to be a successful hitter and there is no definitive right or wrong when it comes to things like stride, bat angle, elbow position, etc.  ...

http://www.fangraphs.com/commu...est-hitters-of-2012/

This is a very detailed analysis and my intention is not to have Stuckin read this and convey things word for word with his son but just to see my point about many correct ways.  There are some constants that I believe should be in place but stride/no stride and bat angle are not included.

Furthermore, I contend that things should be simplified for youth hitters and depending on the student, SOMETIMES a stride makes timing easier and allows the hips to engage more easily.  Also, sometimes a flatter bat approach (one-plane swing) can help keep the barrel in the hitting zone longer.

Lastly, I think there is a bit of distortion to Stuckin's video (at least on my crummy screen) that may make his son's stance appear wider than it is.  That said, I do think we all agree there needs to be some lower half load/weight transfer but it should be kept within the insides of the feet.

The fangraphs article is very elementary and represents a guy just beginning his baseball hitting analysis journey.  Let's just say that he is a little confused.  I could have written this 20 years ago.

He does raise interesting questions, and makes an attempt at answering them based on stats.

I agree with cabbagedad.

OP, if you could post video on YouTube, then I could see by frame.  Side or back angle is good. 

edit: added word 'analysis' above

Really? Hmm, let's see. A cumulative analysis using common baseball cues and comparing actual actions by the world's best at their craft. I guess you must be right, it must be elementary. You said it, even though you didn't provide any reasoning to that point. But we'll just take your word for it.

How about you provide something better then, Sultan?

This is called the Hanson Principle.  He has the right idea, just not enough experience using it.  It's easy to tell when someone first begins to apply it to hitters.  He's a hitting analysis rookie. (I am a blockquote rookie since I can't get this thing to quote correctly)   There's nothing wrong with that.

Ex. Freddie Freeman extends his arms and I wouldn't change the swing of a kid that extends the way Freeman does, since Freeman does everything prior to that correctly.  Most fastpitch instructors teach a style of extension that is a weak swing, and I would change a swing based on that teaching.

I could go on and on, but I didn't want to clog up the thread with all that.  Just wanted to make a quick note that I wouldn't rely on that article for deep thinking swing advice.

How about you provide something better then, Sultan?

I'm just a nobody.  Don't listen to me.

I'm familiar with the Hanson Principle. The OP is referring to an 11-year-old kid.

Can you provide better information?