Hey guys, just wondering if you have any tips to possibly improve any flaws in my swing. Thanks!
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Looks Good! However, I don't see too many guys on TV, laying their bat flat and down on their shoulder like you are doing prior to swinging. Also see a little bat wrap right before your swing. Keep working!
BTW I want to thank you for the ubersense link, I really like it.
First the positive stuff. If you look at the video in slow mo when your from your front foot strike your "power squat" looks good, your are "connected" nicely (hip/hands) and your on plane nicely, your disconnect at the end, but more on this later. You have a good core to work with but....
Your swing is way to long to hit effectively against top pitching. You need to centered more and think "short to the ball". Start with your load, when you go back your need to stay centered between your knees and belly button, you sway back way too far, your weight goes outside of your back knee and then back through to your squat. This is way way too long, think about keeping your weight loaded to the inside of your back knee when you go back. Stay more centered and get to your power squat and that will help you a lot.
Second the longest point of your swing is way behind your head, you are almost 180 degrees away from where you need to be your longest point of your "bat throw" needs to be right after ball strike. Take a bat and swing it and let it fly out of your hands and it needs to go straight back to the pitchers mound. You are loosing so much power as your are cutting across the ball at contact. Part of this is because your hands drift forward and lose "connection" just before ball contact. I can't tell but you may be too close to the ball and your hands are naturally doing that so you make contact.
I would focus on those two things first, shorten up and get out through the ball more. Make sure you are moving the ball around when you do T work, simulate inside FB's with the ball inside but more toward the pitcher, outside and make sure you are hitting the ball to the far side of the net, (doing this a LOT will help you get out through the ball more) and then 'down the middle" balls. The ball looks a little too close and maybe a bit too deep.
You look very athletic and have all of the tools, you fix those two things and you will be surprised on how well you can hit a FB, and your power will go through the roof as your are loosing so much now by not squaring up to balls.There is a reason hitting instructors keep preaching "short to the ball and long through it" Work on those things.
Keep working hard but remember, practice makes permanent, not perfect, so now that it is off season now is the time to remake your swing.
Good Luck!
First, thank you both for the replies, they help me a lot. Especially you BOF, you've given me a great deal of advice but I have a couple questions.
Start with your load, when you go back your need to stay centered between your knees and belly button, you sway back way too far, your weight goes outside of your back knee and then back through to your squat.
First, do you think widening my stance will help me stay centered more? I tend to look a lot at Cano considering I'm an M's fan, and I feel my load is pretty similar. But when I try loads such as Miggy or Trouts, I feel rushed getting to my squat position. Any advice on how I can stay centered while staying controlled throughout the load?
Second the longest point of your swing is way behind your head, you are almost 180 degrees away from where you need to be your longest point of your "bat throw" needs to be right after ball strike.
You are loosing so much power as your are cutting across the ball at contact. Part of this is because your hands drift forward and lose "connection" just before ball contact.
I'm having a hard time visualizing what you mean with these.
P.S. I don't know if I formatted this right lol. Thank you for your time and sorry about my confusion.
Notice how Mike Trout stays inside of his rear leg and how calm his upper body is and how little sway there is. Compare that to what you are doing. Try to load up and keep your weight inside your inside your knee. Try to load without the big movement in your upper body, notice how big a kick Trout has but how little sway there is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX_dm39fkfw
The other thing I noticed is that you are not hitting the ball far enough out in front of you. See where Trout and cabrera are hitting the ball
An example of the bat throw drill is here.You are very similar to what my son was doing in HS and every time he went to the cage the first thing he did was throw the bat before he started hitting balls, it just got his mind set in extending out through the ball.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaD4Rwt38wI
You will see similar action with Miguel Cabrera
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqoRjU0ZXTk
They both load up but don't have the big sway in their swing that you do. Notice how both of them drive to the pitcher with their front shoulder down.
Real short version -- hard to tell exactly what you may want to change unless a video of an at bat vs live pitching is available. a lot of great advice given in prior posts as well. I would not load as far or as fast. Quiet short tiny load. Helps stay short to the ball. Try to keep your front foot closed longer and drive your back knee with max effort to the front knee. This will eliminate a "spin" off the ball keeping your sweet spot in the hitting zone longer. You can tell your spinning by the over rotation of your back ankle. Good luck to you!! If you want more input feel free to send me a video to coachbases@cox.net.
I agree with the over rotation (as well as the over loading). Keep the weight on the insides of your feet. And when you stride, force your stride foot closed and your back side down to help keep the hips in. You will naturally find a sweet spot for your rotation. Good luck.
Problem, weight distribution. Your body flows with the swing. Any porblems with the pitch away?
Correction: keep weight back on the inside of the back foot and don't float with the swing,stay back. Let your hands go the the ball.
Less movement with the body better contact, better swing.
