Posted by: Sandman () on Wed Aug 20 22:20:26 2003

Now that fall season's begun (tonight), we still have our work cut our for us.

He's completing shoulder rotation long before contact. As Jack mentioned in response to another person in another thread, this is causing him to also have to disconnect to complete the swing, resulting in a chicken-winged follow-through (which can really be seen from the overhead angle).

For now, we've just started working the past few days on Epstein's 1-2-3 drill, but he really doesn't like the mechanical process of having to stop in between each move. He looks mechanical doing it still too. Yet he obviously still _needs_ to be checked in between, as witnessed by how far off he is from striding to balance. When I explain to him how to do so, he does it, but when I just let him go w/ his "normal" (comfortable) swing, he takes that big knee kick, and follows it w/ a "reach" for a stride, keeping way too much weight back.

http://members.cox.net/dsanda/Soriano%20vs.%20Kevin%20(stride%20to%20balance).jpg


These swings were from last night, but tonight (which I didn't film), he was hitting quite well from the #1 position - even as I increased the speed from 40 to 47 to 52. He wasn't ripping a lot of liners at 52, but he did blast a few, and made contact more often than not.

He really doesn't like hitting off the machine no-stride, but perhaps I just need to keep convincing him that it will help by not affecting timing? He feels a lack of power that way. Even if he manages to stay connected better, at his age/size, will he always feel less power hitting no-stride? It's hard for him to not still rock backwards a bit (after already achieving a well-torqued stride) to start his swing when from the no-stride.

http://members.cox.net/dsanda/Hitting%20-%20overhead,%20side%20(not%20striding%20to%20balance).mov

How can I use the heavy bag to get him into better connection? Have him stop at his contact position - then pull his hands back so that his lead arm is "tighter" across his chest - then have him finish _rotating_ to get to contact? Then have him go back to stride and back to that contact position - pounding the bag on each swing?

Thanks folks,
Sandman

P.S.
Tonight, in his last AB, bottom of 6th, down 2-1, 2 outs, runner on 2nd... he goes 0-2, then drills a low line drive into OF, between 1st and 2nd... just as R2 is rounding third and trying to score, veteran RF playing in a bit on a small newb hitter, , scoops up the ball hit right at him on 2nd hop or so, and throws him out at 1st! :( Had all of the "magic" necessary to take away this usual hit not transpired, he'd have driven in the tying run! :) His coaches, and I, were happy for him, NTL for being one what ended up being precious few hard hit balls tonight. At least this helped him get over some of the butterflies he had of "moving up" and facing the faster pitchers. (though he realizes that kid he hit off didn't seem much faster than All-Star Minors)