Please critique/criticize/evalutate my swing!

Hi AK. I've read many of your past posts. You have a nice swing, however, I don't think you are incorporating your hips into your swing as much as you can, and that can make a difference in pop. Your hips are following your hands. They really should be slightly ahead of your hands. Its kinda like, fire your hips as your hands are coming from the load position. At this point you are getting the most out of your upper body, but if you incorporate your lower half to maximize it, you will see results. Try it and let us know. You will also get loads of techno jargon and crazy advice here, but I'm sure some very constructive advice as well. Knowing your common sense approach from your posts, I'm sure you'll work this out quickly. Good Luck.

From a scouting perspective, you look very interesting. Definitely some power potential.

Without getting into any detail, do you have some problems with off speed pitches?

I would like to hear what others might think about the actions of your stride foot. This looks like some rapid fire BP, do you happen to have any game footage?

Yeah PG. He looks to be tippy toeing a bit and that could either keep his hips from getting involved early or vice versa. A more solid plant of the front foot and hip turn may add some power and consistency.

First of all, thank you Coachric, and PGStaff for replying!

Coachric, the hips i have been hearing for a while, haha and its in the works! Recently ive been getting high and high batspeed on a weekly basis. I believe that my hips and lower body is becoming more flexible and stronger from several training factors.

PGStaff, to answer you question, yes, most of the time. However, there have been several a times where hanging curve balls have been meat. But a middle away break curveball, or a slider, i generally tend to be unable to weight back on and drive to the right side. Usually, i either A: roll it over to the left side, or B: if im lucky i wait just enough to go back up the middle but on for a single. To answer your second question, I do not have any ingame footage sorry.


From reading both of you posts, i have gathered that i need to work on:

1. More hip rotaion
2. More solid on the front foot
3. Faster Hips before hands.

coachric mentioned the tippy toeing, could you elaborate?


Thanks!

I too believe you can get more out of your hips. The easiest way to FEEL what Coachric and PG are talking about is to do the following. First, stand facing the Pitcher with your feet shoulder width apart (rt. foot in same spot you start in now). Second, take your bat and lay it in front of your left foot in the direction of the Pitcher and mark the ground at the far end of the bat. Now, take a stride with your left foot to that mark. This will be your new foot placement in your stance.

Do everything you do in your normal swing, the only difference will be that you will FEEL a huge stretch in your front shoulder and your front Lat that you don't feel now. Try it in BP and or tee work to get used to the FEEL, it will allow you to see the ball longer and wait longer to decide to swing.

As far as the front foot thing, I think the only problem there is that you are a little out of sequence. You shouldn't be trying to launch until the front heel is down and the back heel is up (creates more stretch).

On the tip toeing issue AK, powertoall was giving a good suggestion to work on that. What I'm seeing is that you are placing the weight of your front foot on the toes. The weight should initially be evenly distributed across your foot. Feel both the ball and heel of your foot firmly on the ground. Some will call it heel plant, but if you only plant the heel, you will still have all your weight back. This could effect where or how you make contact. On swing completion your foot will take its natural course depending on where you hit the ball. You may finish more open or more closed. By having the weight only on your toes, and you can try this by putting your weight there even just standing around, your core weight will only stay back and you won't be able to shift or turn your hips because the back side of your body is supporting all your weight. May not be the scientific answer, but some simple changes and adjustments can make a difference. Keep us posted. Good quick bat, hands, nice looking stroke.

I'd think that if you straighten your back leg more, with more weight on it, you won't get out in front of the off speed.

You also seem to be 'sitting back' so you can't adjust to anything not grooved.

stand taller, weight back.

quote:

3. Faster Hips before hands.

AK,

I wouldn't say faster, it can be a steady turn as you are reading the pitch. Some start it by rotating the front foot open during the stride.

First of all, thank you Coachric, PGStaff, powertoallfields, and BlueDog for the replys!

I have read, and re-read all these posts. This sunday I will truly be able to work this out 100%. Im anxious to see what i can make of this!

BlueDog, I understand about the stretching is the key to momentum and power. Im going to work on it!

Thank You All!

AKFirstbaseman,

Your reply to PGStaff:

quote:

PGStaff, to answer your question (“…do you have some problems with off speed pitches?"), yes, most of the time. However, there have been several a times where hanging curve balls have been meat. But a middle away break curveball, or a slider, i generally tend to be unable to weight back on and drive to the right side. Usually, i either A: roll it over to the left side, or B: if im lucky i wait just enough to go back up the middle but on for a single. To answer your second question, I do not have any ingame footage sorry.

My two cents (as a former high school hitting coach) , and something you may want to try (up to you):

What I see, and please know I’m only observing what I see from cage swing (game swing is definitive) :
1. stance is slightly closed, and stride ends up slightly even more closed.
2. you’re a big guy (6-2, 6-3?) and have a big stick (34?) and have a better than average reach and you are too close the plate.

What this does - is make it tougher to pull, and harder to wait on outside pitch.
If a hitter crowds, he must make contact on an inside pitch further in front to get sweet of bat on the ball. If you set your timing for fastball, and are geared to include coverage of inside pull, then your timing will be early (and consequently contact the ball further in front than you need) . If you are geared early, when given an outside change, you can’t really expect your bat timing range to wait properly. Plate coverage with the sweet of the bat is the key. If I’m not clear, please ask.

Some video stills from your recent BP:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rnfClAZmas

Pitch1 – the video frame before contact. Pitch is middle-out. See how close your hands are to the ball.


Pitch1a – the video still is at contact (the ball is jumping off the bat). You pull. Please note the arrows – end of bat head, ball, hands (black gloves). Making contact slightly on bat handle side of sweet. Room to spare. Technically you should be driving this ball up the middle while making contact on the bat head side of sweet, and on the sweet if you tilt upper half a bit more.


Pitch2 - Pitch is dead red. Again see how close your hands are to the ball, with no tilt.


Pitch3 is a ball outside, no swing.

Pitch4 is an outside strike. Again look how close the hands with tight rear elbow tuck and no tilt. If you were off the plate more, you still have room for tilt, and room for the elbow to extend (remember this is an outside pitch). And if you were to wait longer, the elbow doesn’t have to extend further.


Pitch5 is an inside strike that you do not offer at. Whoever even says, “Wasting film”. My guess is that you would be very uncomfortable trying to hit this pitch. Standing so close, you would have to open your stride and contact very very early and even then you couldn’t possibly get the sweet on it.


Pitch6 is middle-out and no tilt at all. Why (rhetorical)? Too close and don’t have to, and hands are even still too close.


Pitch7 is pitcher’s pitch, but still a strike. Extreme inside, which you again don’t offer at. Standing so close and striding in, how are you supposed to handle that pitch when you must? Whoever says, “I got that on film”.


Pitch8 (shown at contact) is dead red and look how tight your arms (and consequently your hands) are to your body. This still only permits you to hit the ball on the trademark. If you were off the plate, square stance, square stride – ohmagod.



AKFirstbaseman, not trying to knock, and I certainly defer to more experienced coaches here. You offer a lot for a coach to help with. Just suggesting something simple to try.
My observations here were based on cage work. Hate that. But it is what it is. I used to film our hitters from CF in game (with pitcher in view). The best. Shows pitch recognition, strike zone judgement, plate coverage, pitch sequence and mental game, timing, etc.

Best of luck.

First of all, thank to all the posts, new thanks too Quincy, Rayporco, kbat2012.


Ill start with this, we did live cage work Saturday, are pitchers had to toss. So first off, i started the tee-work, did the bat-placement and stride work, at first it was different, but it was getting more comfy after the 3rd or 4th movement. However, i am finding it different. (this could be a fact, i have been feeling really poorly all week, i was barely making it through school days, and after school it was terrible. This all kept me outta the weight room. Pretty nasty cold but right now sunday afternoon, im feeling better. So im anxious to get back to working this out.)


But with doing the live hitting, I got to work on the visual aspect of hitting. A couple of pitchers we have, throw some pretty nice curveballs and circle-changes. So naturally i worked on waiting on them. I did ok, alot better than usual, I actually hit a few solid to the right side. Im getting more comfortable with alot of the tips mentioned, especially the solid front stride foot and the STRETCH! And one huge this i notice is vision time, i see the ball a while longer now!


Next, rayporco, I have read and re-read your post, thank you very much i understand it very clearly. your assumtions were close, I am 6'3.75" and swing a 33" ive hacked with a 34" but not very often. Besides that, standing off the plate and the straight stride, square stance, I have it on my list of notes from this forum. I wish i could have read your post before Saturdays BP, but thats ok. Thank YOU!

Finally, kabat2010, its player to player BP, the kid throwing to me in the video is an outfield/Pitcher, he was just tossing (not wind-up). But the throws were on a line, and it wasnt a lob. As for a high speed machine, all I have access to is a JUGGS machine, and i have a serious problem with my timing with them, it would not accurately reflect my swing.

However, i should have some more footage after the AZ Senior Classic (possibly sooner, depends on if i get to do live bullpen hitting again.)



But over all, i am starting to see some results with my swing. Im really anxious for Wednesday because we have BP again. And its getting really close to the fall classic, ive sent out my letters and heard back, I have to be in good hitting order!


THANKS TO ALL! Please if there is anything more, I am 100% ears, I really enjoy being torn apart swing wise, I feel so much better when I feel new things at work!


Ill keep updating this thread, possibly some more footage soon.