"Lock" in swing

Might it have said "some arm bar"?  That would make more sense.  Maybe a typo.  We can guess but you may want to write back to PG and ask directly from the horses mouth.

A full arm bar (bottom hand arm going straight - elbow locking or arm straight and firm) at load is generally considered less than optimal for maintaining the ability to stay quick with the bat and stay inside the ball although there have been some very good hitters at the highest level that have had success with/in spite of this.  I think most would prefer relaxed hands and wrists.  Getting some "wrist cock" (or creating a fairly strong angle from the forearm to the bat is generally good but if the wrists are tightening and "lock"ing, that would be not so good. 

Like I said, I'm just entertaining myself taking a stab.  You are better served contacting PG or waiting for someone more in tune to PG scout language to reply.

I agree with cabbagedad. Arm bar at load results in swinging around the ball most of the time. It is hard to hit with your hands when your wrists are locked. Like he said, it's hard to say if that is what PG is referring to.

Let me start by saying I have no idea what this particular PG assessment was trying to convey so this is a guess.  

In my experience the term loading into an arm bar position would impact the flight of the bats sweet spot to the ball.  A left arm bar position (left arm straight or nearly straight) will cause the bat to approach the hitting zone like a golf swing.  The challenge is that this is normally a time consuming path and at higher levels as pitching velocity increases getting the bat to the hitting zone may become challenging.  The reference to a "wrist lock" usually has to do with the alignment of the hands on the bat (think knuckle alignment position) that causes the swing to "lock" during the swing.  If the top knuckles (the ones closest to your wrist)  are too close to each other you can feel the lock.  In order to break the lock you often see a shift in the plane of the swing.  

Good or bad is always dependent on results and if you are succeeding take this with a grain of salt but in general PG would be focused on success at the highest levels of the game and that some work needs to occur to correct these issues to project success there.

Consider this view of the "arm bar". http://theballfield.mlbdigital...g-technique-arm-bar/

Not necessarily a bad thing, and doesn't have to lead to not being "inside the ball" or having a long, slow swing. I know first-hand from having seen how it works, that it does indeed work, and works at all levels from LL to MLB. 

I'm not getting anything on that link 2019&21 DAD. I'm very curious to see what it's about. I've seen some hitters bar out on the load and then soften the bar to stay inside an inside pitch, but I've never seen a hitter that bars out through their swing and doesn't swing around the ball. I'd really like to learn what you are describing. Thanks!

Think I fixed the link so you can try it now. Main point is just what you are saying. That just because you start with your arm stretched across your chest it doesn't mean it has to stay that way. You can "soften the bar" with a scapular pinch that "shortens the lever" (think driver all the way down to pitching wedge). I just don't want to follow hitting "dogma" that doesn't at least acknowledge the physics at work and not put artificial limits on the swing. Excerpt from GoWags blog below.

One of the most important principles to understand is the relationship between Angular Velocity and Linear Velocity. Think of Linear Velocity as bat speed. How fast is the barrel of your bat moving through the hitting zone at contact. Pretty important stuff, right? In Physics terms, Linear Velocity is represented as V = rω where r is the radius and ω is angular velocity.

So, if we maximize our “r” and we maximize our “ω” we will maximize our Bat Speed and ultimately our power potential. What is "r" with respect to hitting? The easiest “r” value to identify is the lead arm stretched across the torso during the swing. A lead arm that rotates around the shoulder has a much larger radius than one that rotates around the lead elbow.

BUT, understanding “r” is only half the battle. You can’t simply extend your arms across your torso and think you’ll improve bat speed. You must generate ω! You must generate Angular Velocity! Let’s begin with the definition of Angular Velocity. Angular Velocity is basically how far and how fast something moves around the center of an object. Specifically, how far and how fast the barrel of your bat moves around the center of your body (axis of rotation). How do you improve Angular Velocity?

Short Answer: Don’t get too technical. See ball….Kill ball with lead arm stretched and wrists hinged.

Long Answer:  If you can’t apply ground forces you will never create angular velocity no matter how stretched your lead arm may be. The moment the front heel lands and provides an “impulse”, the momentum train is in gear. The body’s muscles contract (hopefully sequentially) and apply a force to the end of the bat. The more forces (from the joints about which each arc rotates) that are in play create more acceleration of the bat as it nears the hitting zone.

I gotcha! We are on the same page I think. I would like to add 1 more thing to that formula for linear velocity. The hitters top hand also generates bat speed by using his wrist to push the bat head through the zone. Watch some of the MLB hitters with the super slow motion cameras they are using now. Pretty amazing the impact a guys hands has on bat speed. 

I don't think I've heard linear velocity explained better than that blog anywhere else. Great post 2019&21 DAD!

Just my opinion below.

I don't believe requesting hitting advice online, with no video, from an unclear observation, which mostly like was a typo is going to lead you anywhere good. if you have managed to find this web site I would assume you have someone you trust, is known by you or a program you know and they would be a much better source of info....not that all opinions here would be bad or wrong. But they know nothing about your swing, history, haven't seen it once much less many times...just saying.

Check out Michael Young videos on youtube.  In my opinion that is classic arm bar...can't slow the video down enough from my phone to see if he "softens the bar"  but obviously he had great success...but yes I would agree typically the result is a longer, more around the ball swing.

Someone made a point that video would help: so here's the video