Posted by: Major Dan (markj89@charter.net) on Tue May 7 05:46:59 2002

>>> We have played 6 LL games this season. As coach and batting practice pitcher the kids I have observed the following: the kids that have been taught to throw their hands at the ball have the least amount of power on the team. In testing swing speed they have the lowest batspeeds. Granted this is only a group of 12 kids. We have had limited practice time and it is a challenge to "un-teach the hands to the ball". They improve in Batting Practice and revert to old habits in the game. <<<
> >
> > Hi mb
> > You are correct on both points. “Hands to the ball,” does produce weaker results and batters learning circular-hand-path & torque (rotational) mechanics do tend to revert back to linear mechanics in the game. Hitters seem to develop two different mental hitting programs. One for hitting the bag (or off a tee) and one for swinging at live pitching. No matter how well some exhibit rotational mechanics on the bag, the mental image of a live ball triggers an old muscle memory program.
> >
> > I have found the best way to burn in rotational mechanics from the bag to game situations is not to go straight from the bag to live pitching. The batter will make the conversion much sooner when you use “soft toss” and the bag together. Have the batter hit the bag while you “soft toss” to the bag. This will allow the batter to start developing the timing and mental images of rotational mechanics to a pitching motion. Once he/she demonstrates good rotational mechanics with this drill, then soft toss to them away from the bag. Make sure they show they have the correct mechanics before moving back for longer pitches.
> >
> > PS: You might want to use a soft ball (like a wiffle or tennis ball) for soft tossing to the bag. It is surprising how hard the ball will come off the bag at you when the batter’s timing is correct.
> >
> > Jack Mankin
>
> Hey Jack
> What about the pitching machine. I know it is bad for timing, but to me it seems like the next best thing for swing mechanics. The ball is moving at a similiar speed from a similar distance, and if you use real baseballs then they don't end up on the exact same location on every pitch. Your thoughts on the machine?
> Thanks
> The Hitman
> >

Jack-
good points. I front toss whiffle/pickle balls to my kids. As you suggest, the balls get hit pretty hard. I 'hide' behind a small barrier to cover my body and wear a full plastic face shield so I can watch and not duck on every pitch. The kids call me 'radioactive man' and I've taken a few off the head and chest but from 15' it only hurts for a little while .
BTW, you did a swing analysis for my daughter, Jodie about 1 1/2 years ago. Last year as a sophomore was 2nd in BA for a Division 2 HS. This year the team moved up to Division 1. She is 7th so far in BA plus has 2 HR, 3 triples, some doubles and is batting cleanup.

Surprisingly, nobody wants to know where she learned to do this or asks me to work with their kids. They probably figure its natural talent.

Hitman, IMO ball machines are useful to a point. The feeder HAS TO give some rhythm to the feed by visibly dropping the hand. The transfer is partial but at least at a real velocity - that is the value.