Posted by: tom.guerry (tom.guerry@kp.org) on Wed Mar 27 08:12:29 2002

The High School coach that started hitting him down has the right idea, but obviously doesn't know enough about the swing to teach the downward cut well. May I use a couple of examples of Downward swingers first then let me explain why they swing downward, a star (*) is put by players i have worked with this winter..
> Alex Rodriguez is the master of the downward cut then, Jeff Cirillo*,Bernie Williams,Derek Jeter, Ichiro Suzuki, Bret Boone.. ok i just wanna name a few. Now Why the downward cut:
> First off a downward cut generates more batspeed, obviously since you are working with gravity. Next a downward cut generates backspin ****** which is a key factor yet no one knows about it. Major League and Minor League batting coaches today teach BACKSPIN because backspin creates lift. "cutting" at the ball creates lift with increased batspeed. Less homeruns, more doubles and triples and line drives!!!! Also backspin confuses fielders tremedously because the "rising" effect of a backspin ball is hard to pick up. Now what Your son is doing right now is hitting the ball directly with a downward cut. NO! DONT DO THIS. Try hitting the bottam half of the ball only with a downward cut. Here are some drills that are used by A-Rod, most major league teams, Cirillo, the entire Stanford team, Arizona state, and many others... PUT A TEE WITH A BALL AS IF YOU ARE READY TO HIT IT. THEN BEHIND IT ABOUT 2 FEET (NOT SURE EXACLY) PUT ANOTHER TEE AND STAND IT UP MUCH HIGHER THEN THE ONE IN FRONT. NOW TRY TO HIT THE FRONT BALL STRAIGHT WITHOUT KNOCKING THE BALL OFF THE BACK TEE. DRILL 2: Set up a tee as normal, then put a ball directly in front of the tee plate on the ground, directly in front of the tube that holds the ball, and try to get the ball your hitting to hit the ball on the ground by obviously using a downward cut. THANK YOU

It is important to realize that hitting down is a cue.It is only safe to use a cue if the reality of the whole swing is understood so that the purpose of the cue is understood.The only benefit I have heard of swinging down is that it teaches the feel of beginning to rotate the torso at launch so the kid doesn't sway the body instead and drag the bat.This will be very confusing for almost anyone who starts to believe in swinging down then watches video of the MLB players mentioned above who do not swing down.

Likewise the idea of underspin.From your pool shooting days you will know it's more where you make contact on the cue ball that imparts spin,not the direction the club/bat/pool cue is going.I like the Epstein idea of being a little early giving topspin grounders and being a little late giving underspin flies.

The sad thing is that most of the coaches that teach young kids cannot interpret these cues well are confused(and many don't even realize what they don't know) and end up messing up kids during a time of critical neuromuscular(hand-eye coordination)development.Almost all players who survive to become pros have lucked into rotational mechanics that can be tuned without a mechanical makeover.Cues without context will kill the potential of many a young hitter.