Posted by: Joe A. () on Sun Sep 17 06:25:25 2000

Does the back elbow always come down to the side even on outside pitches?
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> > > > > > Yes the elbow always comes down. You can not flaten the bat out to get in on the same plane as the ball without droping your elbow.
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> > > > > > Joe A. ruben....at what point in the swing does your question refer to? stance, launch position or lag position?....although it's clear that joe a gave a thoughtful response i personally would like a little more info....respectfully, grc....
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> > > > I'm talkin' bout the launch position. In the Batting Mechanics frame C or D... the picture when the dude's shoulder first comes to his side,,,yo
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> > > > yes....at this point the elbow should be down...grc...
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> > Anyone and everyone,
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> > I think its funny that these people use pros as a model for learning to teach a swing. I was at a batting practice at a AAA game and saw a batter fooling around in the batting cage, hitting line drives with one hand. According to other players the pitcher was throwing over 70 mphs.
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> > Most kids cannot hit line drives off of 70 mph pitching. I guess that because a pro can hit line drives this way, some people would teach a kid to hit with one hand. Sounds right to me.
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> > Pros are not the model for teaching young people. Even they would not teach someone to do what they do. When will people learn this????
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> > Joe A.
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> > joe a.....first i would like to congratulate you on a well thought-out post....having said that i would like to point out that the purpose of this site is to promote BATSPEED.....that's why jabk is known as Mr. Batspeed.....attaining the greatest batspeed possible means learning the techniques that the pros use (that's how THEY got to be pros).....ever so respectfully, grc.....

jrc,

You have won me over with your incessant, and annoying, politness. I will answer with politness.

Most of the reason pros are pros is size and strength. You will see this starting even before little leauge and at higher levels. Their strength gives them the ability to create bat head speed that most can only dream about. There is a reason that weight training is a training element if almost every sport.

So, pros can create tremendous batspeed even with poor machanics. There are fundmental elements of just about every pro that they, themselves, would not teach young hitters.

For example:
Would you teach a young hitter to stand with their front foot 2 feet off the line to the pitcher toward third base (right handed hitter)?

Would you teach a young hitter to take a stance with his hands at ear level?

Would you teach a young hitter to wave the bat back and forth in their stance?

What about swinging with all their strength?

These and many, many more "created" mechanics are used by pros. They get away with it because they have the size, strength, quickness and many years of practice to do mechanics that mere morals could never do.

Trying to pick elements out of a pro swing that has been created, often with the help of a batting coach for a player with a particular set of skills to solve a specific problem, and apply it to a young hitter only confuses the coach and the hitter.

Young players should be taught only the purest of mechanics. Thats what will create the maximum batspeed. Then, if you have that one in 10,000 with the exceptional quickness and strenght, he will be even better off using proper mechanics.

As time passes and the exceptional hitter wants to make exoctic changes to fix a particular problem, fine. But, he will have to start with a proper swing even to know what to change.

Joe A.