Posted by: Donny (donny@aol.com) on Sun Aug 1 04:27:26 2004

Jack and everybody,
> > > > Here's an idea for a drill that focuses on keeping a short stroke by bringing the back elbow in. Keep a batting glove or towel and take your swings. The towel shouldn't fall out until full extension after contact. What do you think of this? Jack, have you tried this? Is it good for teaching the CHP or is it bad?
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> > > dougdinger, what is the definition of a "short stroke"?
> > ...Did I miss part of the thread,where do you put the towel,what is it suppose to fall out of.
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> Woops, my bad. Your suppose to stick the towel under your rear armpit. It forces the hitter to keep the back elbow in during the swing. If you do the heavy bag drill, it shouldn't fall out. If you take a full swing, it should only fall out after you get full extension out front after contact. I just want to know if Jack uses this drill to teach hitters, and if not why not?

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The Armpit drill was originated in golf to make you take the club to the top with a shoulder turn and make sure that move was inward...not outside the target line.

It is really a bogus drill IMO. THe rear elbow needs to "get out of the way for the front shoulder to come underneath the chin". The shoulders are loading around the spine as a unit just as the hips rotate around the spine.

I would not use it personally. Maybe elbow up or dowm means nothing but rear elbow circling and getting around the axis does.

Do this. Hold both hands up with elbows bent as if someone said "stick em up" while holding a gun on you. Now look toward the pitcher with both eyes ( hold them..the head in that position) and rotate shoulder muscles only until the front shoulder is under the chin. You should do this with NO hand or arm motion. Feel where the rear elbow went? Behind, around the body. With two eye contact and the head still, they cannot travel around the spine far but that distance and load is paramount to early bat speed. This what you see all great players do at some point of the swing IMO