Posted by: steveb (stevebenvenuto@yahoo.com) on Thu Jul 13 16:35:07 2006

Melvin..I guess you're suggesting that facing Randy Johnson is "comparatively" easier, than facing the speedballer from the local softball little league...eh?

You're wrong. Good bat mechanics are not based on how fast the pitcher is pitching. In the case of this guy's daughter, if her hands are past her back shoulder, then her arm is likely 'barring'. Essentially, her arm (lower hand) is too straight, no bend at the elbow. She needs to adjust her stance so that her arm (lower hand on the bat) makes a "V", with the elbow below her chin. This will speed up her bat speed. Barring the arm is a very common problem that hitters get into...and one that causes bad results (uppercuts and slow bat) all the time.

Also remember...bat speed, footspeed, and arm speed is genetic to a large extent. good mechanics will only bring the athlete so far.