Posted by: () on Wed May 8 05:59:33 2002

I have a player who we have been teaching the rotational swing to this season who has a major problem pulling the ball foul. He can’t seem to wait on the pitch.
> >
> > Some background on the player…
> > Last year he was a pure linear hitter.
> > Slap hits.. Not much follow through and blazing speed. He had a really high average and on base percentage but no power. Only 3 doubles and one triple all year. He barely got the ball out of the infield, but he was able to leg those singles out.
> > This year we moved to a larger field with longer bases (11 year old 70ft)
> > And he wasn’t as successful beating out the throws on the same type of hit balls. His father saw the success my son was having with Batspeed.com so we agreed to try it on his son.
> > Last year he used a 30-18 bat
> > So his dad went out and bought him a 30-22
> > He has no problem getting this bat around. He hits with power down the 3rd base line or really foul.
> > He believes in what we are teaching him yet he is frustrated with all the foul balls.
> > Usually after several foul balls he tends to revert back to linear and has had very little success with it.
> >
> > Bottom line:
> >
> > I need some tips and drills to help him wait on the ball, I need to teach him to have confidence in his newfound batspeed so he will believe that it is okay to wait longer on a pitch and still believe he can get around on it.
> > Thanks
> > SS Coach
> >
>
> Its hard to be specific without seeing a video clip. I can only relate what you describe to some players on my team.
> If you add hip rotation and they still are swinging with arms and shoulders, the combination will open the player up and as the arms swing, create contact way out in front. Since these guys are not used to turning into the ball, they got the bat around with their arms. Now that they turn into the ball, the added arms change the likely contact point to out in front, bat headed towards 3rd base or foul.
>
> For them I describe the swing as two parts - first the hip turn into the ball with the hands in/following the hip turn; second the arms extending, etc. Then I have them hit the ball in the first half of the swing. That first half is the rotational half. It is also the half where they don't use their arms (hopefully).
> Lots of heavy bag hitting, soft toss, etc. to get them the feel. But from their perspective, they understand what the first half of the swing is and have a way to cope.
> It's really a cue (cheap trick) but when they do it, the ball stays more in the middle and they are more rotational, arms more part of the follow through than the contact, which is the goal.

SS Coach,

If you are sure that the kid is mechanically sound he probably has a perception problem. I think it would work itself out over time but by then out of frustration he will probably start messing with his swing and lose the fundementals.

Try this. It works for late as well as early swingers. Get one of those orange traffice cones they use for directing traffic around road construction. Its very bright and easy to see with peripheral vision. If you cant get a cone, make a flag out of that plactic stuff that is the same color as the cone.

Larn were the kid is starting his swing by standing directly behind him and observing his hand movements before he starts his swing. Then focus on the ball and watch for the hand movements with your peripheral vision. You should be able to judge how far away the ball is when he starts his swing. Do not look for when he actually starts moving his hands forward to the ball. Your eyes are not fast enough to place how far away the ball is the instant he starts his hand forward. Look for the movement BEFORE the hands start forward. The lag time should give you a good idea of the postion of the ball.

To help you do this, place the cone/flag between the batter and the pitcher. (Always use live pitching becauser most kids dont swing the same way against live pitching as they do againist a machine.) Use the cone to help you place where the kid starts his swing.

Once you learn about where the kid starts swinging find a point a little closer, no more then 2 or three feet, and put the cone there. (Exact cone placement really dosent matter. If its too close and the batter swings late, fine, he is learning the point of the dirll. Just move the cone back.)

Place the cone as close to the flight path of the ball as possible so its easy to see when the batter is looking at the ball. This provides the batter with something tangable to tell him where to start his swing. Let him practice watching the ball and seeing the cone in his periferal vision without swinging. Then let him take some swings. He may not be able to hit the ball doing this drill, but should help him reset his timing clock. It will also teach him that he has control over his timing.

Joe A.