Posted by: Jack Mankin (Batspeed@verizon.net) on Tue Dec 25 10:17:57 2012

In this video analysis of fastpitch hitting drills, we will address the linear cue "Don't let your hands cast out" and "Keep your hands inside the ball."

___________________________________________________________
Linear "Do's & Don'ts"

* Introduction – Why This Fastpitch Series?

* "Weight Shift" -- Don't "Spin"

* "Pop Your Hips" - but - "Keep Your Shoulder In-There"

* High Back Elbow – Good or Bad?

* "Don't Cast" -- "Keep Your Hands In-side The Ball"

* ”Get Your Arms Extended”

* "Swing Down" -- "Keep The Bat-Head Above The Ball"

* "Rise Ball" "Don't Hit Around The Ball" "Swing Through The Ball"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I will make the links above live as soon as they are available

Hi All

A linear coach would say, "The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Therefore, to have a 'short compact' swing, you must work with hitting drills (like the "Fence Drill") that take your hands straight from A to B. Allowing your hands to cast out into an A to B to C circular path produces a long, slow looping type swing."

Well, that's the linear theory, but do the best hitters actually exhibit these linear principles? Do they take their hands in a linear path? Let us take a look at a couple of the better hitters and see. The best way to view a batter's hand-path is from an 'overhead' view

Fastpitch -- Hand-Path & Lead-Elbow

Pete Rose (3000+ MLB Hits) Circular hand-Path

As we point out in the videos, although the hand-path is circular, it is obvious the hands stay "Inside the Ball." At contact, the meat of the bat is 16 to 20 inches out passed the hands. therefore, for any pitch in the strike zone, the hands will always be well "inside the ball."

So what message is the batter suppose to get from the cue? In far too many cases, I find the "Hands inside the ball" cue is synonymous with -- Take your hands 'A to B'. -- I say this because when I ask coaches to demonstrate the cue, most show the same lead and back-arm extension taught to take the hands in a linear 'A to B' path.

The way these coaches took their hands inside the ball was to use the lead-arm similar to the way you would throw a Frisbee -- their elbow went from close to a 90 degree bend to straight by contact. Yes this will "keep hands inside the ball" but it will also produce a less productive linear hand-path

By contrast, unlike using the elbow like throwing a Frisbee, when a batter keeps the angle in their elbow constant during shoulder rotation, the hands will take a more productive circular path. With that in mind, take another look at Stacia's and Andrea's lead-elbow and hand-path.

Hand-Path & Lead-Elbow

As we have shown in these videos, the 'Key' to produce a more productive circular hand-path is -- Whatever angle in the lead-arm you initiate the swing with, you should maintain that angle all the way to contact

Helping batters develop mechanics that help keep the angle of the lead-elbow and the distance between the elbows constant during rotation, is the reason we developed our "Perfect Connection"
training aid. -- Check it out, we have received great reviewed from coaches all across the country

Note: To see why taking the hands in a circular path generates more bat speed -- See our video "Mechanics that Generate Bat Speed" -- (I will make this link live in the near future)

Jack Mankin