Posted by: grc () on Tue Feb 19 20:45:50 2002

My 10 year old son gets a lot of swings in from live pitching due to the fact that he has an indoor batting cage. I typically do the pitching rather than using the machine.
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> > > During the cold months (since the room is not heated), I generally pitch tennis balls and we switch to batting cage balls during March - October.
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> > > My question is...I recently went to a 'clinic' and it was pointed out that my son is casting a bit and should focus on throwing the knob at the ball. With nearly 3 years of built in muscle memory - what drills can I use to correct this situation?
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> > The best thing you can do is nod politely, say thanks and ignore theses well meaning people. If they want you to throw the knob at the ball, then they don't understand rotational hitting. They probably think Mac casts as well. Look at the clips that are mentioned here and the clips on setpro. If you find any top pros throwing the knob, let us know. Especially if they are hitting for power.
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> > One other thing. Take care of your arm and elbow just like you would your own kid's. I'm 46 and can't throw bp anymore because of my shoulder and over use.
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> > Mark H.
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> >>Many of my h.s. kids go to instructors who teach them to throw the knob at the ball and they have them release the bat at the pitchers mound to get the feel.The bat is usually landing around the mound or a little further,then I used rotation and let go and it traveled 30-40 feet out into the outfield,nearly 3 times as far.They now see the speed from one form to another.

i know barry bonds said he throws "the bat" at the ball...i suppose that could mean something different than "throwing the knob".....i don't think that "throwing the bat" at the ball is necessairily incompatible with rotational mechanics.....