Let's talk hitting Mechanics

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Comment by Anthony Fruhling on February 12, 2010 at 12:52pm

Hey guys please check out my discussion about swing help. I would really appreciate any comments on that.

Comment by Dave Vaccaro on February 9, 2010 at 11:26pm

Dennis,
A Long swing can be caused by a few different things. Sometmies, one flaw can lead to another that you might not even think may be related. Your best bet would be to video yourself and check for the following:

1) Are you dropping your bat head too early? Leveling off at the beginning of your launch will cause you to pull the bat through the zone resulting in a long swing and decreased bat speed.

2) Are you beginning your swing with your top half (arms, shoulders) instead of your lower half (rear hip and knee)? If so, you have just decreased the distance your bat is able to travel through the hitting zone. This will cause premature casting of the barrell which equates to a long swing. When you allow your lower half to work first and then bring the upper half (coil/uncoil effect), it allows your hips to clear and develops a nice straight path for your hands to work through the zone.

3) Take a look at your bat when you first launch your hands. Are you going barrell to the ball first? If so, then you are creating a circular swing path. Be sure to launch your hands to the ball first and then your barrell. Your barrell will follow your hands. In a sense, you are creating a short, quick path to the ball. Check out my website at www.hitmore.net.

Hope this was helpful.

Comment by Dennis on February 9, 2010 at 5:49pm

I was told by some major league scouts that my swing looks good, but that it is too long. How can I fix this?

Comment by Michael Thomas Weber on December 15, 2009 at 5:32pm

Edwards,

That makes more sense. Both Chipper and Pujols used a high elbow that faced the Triangle at the catcher. Kent merely points his down, in the same fashion I would using that technique. The elbow part I mentioned was merely because I wasn't able to visualize how the Triangle would work for a hitter like me or Kent. And, yes, I just let my elbow hang naturally. The part about the barrel being consistent with the back elbow is an interesting fact, in how it emphasizes the point that the back arm is the power and the front arm directs the bat head.

Comment by Jeff Edwards on December 15, 2009 at 10:24am

Michael, I can share some drills but its easier to do so if you email me..crjedwards@aol.com

As for your 2nd question with regards to the height of the elbow. Having a loose elbow suggest to me a elbow that is pointing down or hanging naturally. Correct? Smaller gap is ok. But the smaller gap should be maintained. If that back elbow then comes up the front elbow then must come down. This is a key point where you should place huge value. What is taught at the amatuer levels (not all) is to counter rotate the shoulders back in a diagonal plane. What good hitters do is tilt the shoulders by lowering the front shoulder. This allows them to turn their Triangles back.

I'm asking a question here...you said the start of the load would have to start with the elbow coming up or the lead arm moving before the back? explain. BUT, first whats important to understand is that the upper half of the body has to be a unit. It has to work together.

Lets take Jeff Kent. He hit with a more loose back elbow. But what holds true for Pujols and Chipper would also hold true for Kent. See how that Triangle gets turned? She how those elbows hold their relationship? She how he turns that Triangle to the pitcher/ ball? And as important notice the realtionship of the barrel and the back elbow and how that relationship is also a healthy one.

Comment by Michael Thomas Weber on December 15, 2009 at 9:44am

Another thought,

In both of the videos, Pujols and Chipper have high elbows going into the swing. You referred to an equal distance between the elbows throughout the swing and that distance started in the load or stance. If the hitter were to have a loose elbow and a smaller gap, the start of the load would have to start with the elbow coming up or the lead arm moving before the back. Now, this idea is an old little league technique that has been disregarded by many coaches. But in review of those videos do you think that having the elbow about level with the shoulders is a factor in making that swing work? When I swing I hold a loose elbow, so this is something that would definitely make a difference for me if it held true.

Comment by Michael Thomas Weber on December 15, 2009 at 9:33am

Edwards,

I must say I am impressed. I would have not approached this technique of hitting in the same fashion. But after your explanations and the videos, I whole- heartedly agree with you. This is something that I will need to work with in my swing and see what kind of effect it has. What kind of drills and techniques would you teach to a young ball player to instill this kind of hitting?

Comment by Jeff Edwards on December 14, 2009 at 6:23pm

Brian, no problem. I would suggest not concentrating your efforts so much on the grip. get your hitters to understand the value of the elbows and the relationship that they must maintain with them to contact. It will bring the grip into a great position without even mentioning grip. It also validates the value you place on it. young hitters need to know MORE than just someone saying line up your door knocking knuckles because if they research it....what they will find is that guys like Pujols do not line those door knockers up.

In my hitting circle we refer to this elbow relationship as the "Triangle". Draw one line each down each forearm from the hands on the bat and then connect those two lines with a third line from elbow to elbow. The Triangle! What guys like Pujols do is "Turn the Triangle from a catchers view to a pitchers view and they do this by turning the barrel with the hands (HPP) and with a good upper body tiltfrom front to back.

Comment by Brian Moran on December 14, 2009 at 6:04pm

Jeff, sorry if you read my post wrong...but I never disagreed with anything except that knuckles can be lined up. What it sounded like you were saying is that the hands should be wrapped around the bat instead of in the fingertips...exactly as Pujols is doing here. I agree with everything else your saying...and yes, "offset" knuckles are the way to go...not wrapped and not fully aligned. I'd rather teach guys to align the knuckles because its so far in the other direction than their current grip that it gets them to the point pujols is here.

Comment by Jeff Edwards on December 14, 2009 at 6:04pm

I've been involved with hitting from a young boy as I was born while my dad was playing in the Appalachian League. But on a serious level 35 years and at levels from 5 yr old to high school to Divison 1 to pro.

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