Posted by: Coach C () on Thu Aug 21 08:33:46 2003

Now that fall season's begun (tonight), we still have our work cut our for us.
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> 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).
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> 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.
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> http://members.cox.net/dsanda/Soriano%20vs.%20Kevin%20(stride%20to%20balance).jpg
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> 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.
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> 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.
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> http://members.cox.net/dsanda/Hitting%20-%20overhead,%20side%20(not%20striding%20to%20balance).mov
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> 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?
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> Thanks folks,
> Sandman
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> 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)

First off, I love his aggressivenes. Grip it and Rip it. In fact it's that kind of mentality that he needs at the plate against the older kids. Having said that his aggressiveness is focused in the wrong area, not uncommon for athletic kids. As hitters we have two distinct sensory perceptions (feels)....we feel the ground (feet) and we feel the bat (hands). The relevance of this is that these are the two areas that we must learn to slow down. To me quiet feet and quiet hands is power. I believe your Son dislikes the no stride because he feels a ton of power in his feet, which is directly related to the feel he has in his hands.............For me the feet provide balance and stability and the hands tranfer energy!!! There used to be and old saying that said, " Quiet feet equals fast hands". Should be "Quite feet equals smooth hands" I would love to sit down and discuss angles, torque ratio's, weight distributions and the like....the science of hitting. However my generic answer is this....in order to have the sensation of hitting with quiet hands and quiet feet try this..........Hit with straight arms off a tee. You will instantly see what it does to his feet. You will see an immediate connection to the body with the arms and there will be no driving past the point of contact (no wrist hitting....only straight arms). On his follow-thru have him fold his elbows up. I do this drill every day to instill the way I want my elbows to work.......together, folding properly, etc. Additionally it has my hands working together, not one out racing the other. On inside tee work I pull my hands closer to my body. This drill will also take away the bat wrap your Son has developed. It's important to start off with half swings at first to develop the feel, and then as he does that he'll develop a new set-up positon on his own. Straight arms is only a tool to develop the proper feel.

Sandman I look at hitting like this. Would this swing work with a 100 inch bat. The longer the bat, the more hands hitting is exposed. Just my opinion.

Lastly,

I am not opposed to the grip it and rip it mentality at this age, because it's getting his mind right for how one has to be as a hitter. As for put your arm here, hold the bat there, stop this, do that instruction, changing daily.......it gets the kids focused on the wrong things. I've always believed that good hitting instructors are the ones that say , "You Da Man!" Regardless if they haven't a clue! Clearly you have a clue, because your kid has a real good swing and you're asking the right questions for him.


Respectfully,

Coach C