Posted by: Coach Steven (steven@ars-inc.com) on Tue Jan 23 19:45:09 2007

Okay...we may be making progress.

I took all of the posts today and did the following...right or wrong we tried. Remember although he is young, we have been at this in search of something to work with for some time now so having him try and grasp different concepts are not difficult (luckily).

I had Steven open his stance slightly, pigeon-toed, and had him bend more from the waist over the plate (tilt). Then I had him relax his arms and just let the tip of the bat point right of second base (remember he is a RH hitter). We did dry swings for a while with me emphasizing in 7 year old terms that once you get your feet spread apart and tilt forward it almost helps allow the bat to fall (better yet point towards 2B). I told him this loaded his gun, then I stood behind him to have him feel me take his top hand and "PULL" the bat back somewhere between his right ear and the catcher (pulling back...but not directly back)...I told him this pulled the trigger back, and then to explode at the hips (mid-section) which I told him unloaded (shoot the gun).

This analogy allowed him to make it fun and understand. The first several times it was too segmented, in that he broke it into too many pieces rather than one fluid movement. Then as he understood it more and became more comfortable (at first he said this doesn't feel right), then it was "BANG" the bat came flying around faster than I had ever seen and without his lead knee fanning open or bat lag / drag. I originally thought this might add time to his swing and he might not catch up to the ball, but the opposite was true. We were upstairs in our game room (modified indoors batting cage) with me throwing from a short distance so he had to be quick.

Basically he leans forward similar to Soriano and is holding the bat cocked but more towards right of 2B, then as he strides he is simultaneously pulling the bat back and if decides he likes the pitch the bat continues into the swing plane with the hips rotating hard. I have heard of the bat having a running start, and this demonstrates this....I think. I have the team in batting cages tomorrow hitting off of pitching machines and will post a new swing clip for review so everyone can give me comments.

Let me know what you guys think and / or if you think I misunderstood and took a wrong direction.

Thanks,

Coach Steven


> > Jack or anyone else.
> >
> > Here are two clips of my 7 year old son's swing. I posted them on another hitting website and wanted to get this forum's opinion on what we need to work with.
> >
> > We have the final arc and have been working on rotational swinging for about a year now. I also coach an 8u baseball team and have been working basically with everyone on our team.
> >
> > My personal opinion on my son's swing is that his stride is too long and he may open up a little too soon which causes his lead arm to straighten and maybe lag behind slightly. So far what I have been told is based on these clips, that he starts hip rotation prior to foot plant and that his back arm slots too soon.
> >
> > Your comments are greatly appreciated. Please let me know if the clips do not show up on the links.
> >
> > http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1253986421432818346
> >
> > http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5835668345156023458
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Coach Steven
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Coach Steven. In looking at your son's swing I noticed the following.
>
> 1. I like his aggresive swing in that he tries to attack the baseball.
>
> 2. He appears to have a quick swing.
>
> 3. He is stepping in the bucket (bailing out) to the pull side which is taking his contact point away from the ball and causing him to fly off the pitch.
>
> 4. His hands do not get to the point of top hand torque in the launch position.
>
> 5. He appears to use more of a weight shift approach rather than rotational turn of the upper body.
>
> As a solution, I would have him start with his hands in more of a cocked position (Alfonso Soriano). Next I would have him start with his front knee/foot pointed slightly inward to facilitate a knee turn rather than just the leg lift. Specifically focus on him making a positive step toward the pitcher rather than bailing out. Lastly, have him practice keeping both hands on the bat. This will help him concentrate on rotating rather than casting the hands at the ball.
>
> It may also aid him to bend slightly at the waist and actually widen his stance a bit more to facilitate a shorter stride. The shorter stride will help him contact the ball closer to the end of his swing rather than having the ball already on top of him.