Posted by: Sean Engmann (CaptnSean@aol.com) on Wed Aug 8 02:11:23 2001

Max, it sounds like you're behind the ball because you may be barring your arm without the necessary strength to bring it through the zone effectively. Some Major Leaguers such as Nomar Garciaparra can swing effectively with a stiff lead elbow because their back and shoulders are strong enough to bring the bat through the zone with the hips. If you maintain a box, keeping the lead elbow bent through the swing, your upper body should remain in sync with your hips. I'm sure you pop the ball up a lot or pull weak grounders, that's because with this type a swing, the front side pulls up causing the bat to drop and a severe uppercut follows.

Also, make sure that your stride foot faces the plate and not the pitcher. This is another telltale reason for your problem.