Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Thu Jun 9 19:20:36 2005

>>> I have a 14 year old daughter who is currently playing fastpitch softball and is a good hitter but has only occasional power. Recently she has gotten into the habit of swinging under the ball which has resulted in pop up's and lazy fly balls. After watching her at the cage today I noticed that her lead elbow was dropping. After discussing this with her she worked on keeping her lead elbow level or slightly up and she hit more line drives and hit the ball harder then I have ever seen. In fact, she was hitting the ball hard and consistant at 60 mph. Was she just on today or is the elevation of the lead elbow that important. With the results from today I would think the the position of the lead elbow is a key to swinging the bat on plane with the ball. Am I grasping at straws? <<<

Hi Phil

You are certainly not grasping at straws. In order to generate a consistent swing plane, the lead-arm (and elbow) must remain in that plane. Waves in the swing plane occur when the lead-elbow falls below (or raises above) the bat’s initiated trajectory.

Below are a couple posts from the archives on this topic.

Jack Mankin
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Re: lead arm, elbow

Posted by: Jack Mankin (mrbatspeed@aol.com) on Thu Aug 28 23:04:29 2003

Question/Comment:

>>> First time posting. Followed discussions for couple years. Purchased Final Arc II about three months ago.

Situation: HS coach told my son to drive his front elbow "down and in." Now he has a downward bat plane as he makes contact with ball.

Question: What is proper position of front elbow in launch position, as back elbow enters slot, and as shoulders turn for contact? Equally important, how do I describe this to me son? Are there any drills that will help him get front arm in right place? <<<

Jack Mankin's reply:

Hi dmaddox:

Think of the plane of the swing as being a flat disc that is tilted down toward the plate so as to intersect the path of the ball in the contact zone. The bat, lead-arm and lead-shoulder should all be in that plane from initiation to contact. You may have the bat more vertical while in your stance, but the bat must drop into the plane of the lead-arm when shoulder rotation begins.

Since the shoulders are rotating on a tilted plane (not horizontal to the ground), the back-shoulder will begin (from the inward turn position) higher and rotate to a lower position as the lead-shoulder starts lower and is rotating upward. You should not have to think about lowering the back-shoulder, it should happen automatically as you rotate if your launch position is correct.

Keeping the lead-arm (including the elbow) in the plane of the swing is an absolute MUST. That means the lead-elbow MUST always remain pointing into the plane of the swing. If the lead-elbow lowers (or drops) down out of the plane before contact -- the swing is ruined. The wrist will start to roll too soon and the bat-head will come out of the intended plane. This will normally cause inconsistent contact and usually results in weak grounders or pop-ups.

Jack Mankin
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Re: Re: Re: Back shoudler dipping

Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Fri Aug 25 00:17:43 2000

>>>I have heard you mention checking the swing plane and lead arm. I wanted to know if by "below the lead arm" (barrel at contact) if your taken into consideration the lower strike zone?

I belief you are talking about the approach (lowering the forearm to soon, etc.). My interpretation is at actual contact the barrel will often be lower than the lead arm/elbow, but still within the swing plane from start to finish (lead arm/elbow). <<<

Hi Shawn

The bat is an extension of the lead arm. Therefore, on any pitch lower than the shoulders, the bat-head should be lower than the hands. --- Your interpretation of the plane at contact is the same as mine. And with a good swing, you will find that the lead arm will always be in that plane from initiation to contact. If at initiation the correct forces are applied to the bat, it will also be accelerated into that plane. But if forces are applied that cause the bat-head to accelerate in a more vertical angle, you will see the bat-head falling below the plane of the lead arm. The natural reaction of the bat is to then accelerate upward toward the swing plane. This sine wave action of the bat to the swing plane causes a loss of power and consistency.

Shawn, a video of your swing taken from the pitchers mound will allow you to see if you are applying forces that will accelerate the bat-head straight into the swing plane. --- When applying top-hand-torque, the bat-head must be pulled rearward toward the catcher and in-line with the lead arm.

Jack Mankin