Posted by: Black Hole Lexicographer (Knight1285@aol.com) on Tue May 16 16:47:39 2000

jack or anyone qualified to respond....my 18-year-old son throws right and bats left...his problem is that even on inside pitches he "inside-outs" the ball and hits to left and centerfield...the only thing he can pull is a ground ball to 1b or 2b...i am fairly sure that this problem is related to his apparent bottom-arm dominence...all i have got from coaches and instructors is things such as "stay inside the ball", "take the knob straight to the ball", do the "fence drill", etc...this advice does my son no good because he stays "inside the ball" too much...this advice is being provided by people who do not really understand that the mechanics of a left-hitter/right-thrower differ from a righ-hitter/right-thrower...what i am hoping to get from you is the name, phone #, etc of a pro in the southern california area who (1) has played baseball at a higher level than high school and (2) who himself threw right and batted left...this is a unique and specific requirement that i am looking for in an instructor, but apparently my son has a unique problem ...any advice is welcome but what i am really hoping for is some contacts in the southern california area...thank you...Is your son dropping his lead foot toward the first base base dugout? or is he stepping to the pitcher? pulling your foot out like that gives you a tendancy to slow the bat head down to compensate, thus you hit everything away. have your boy soft toss and when he starts his swing stand up on his back foot(turn the ball of his foot)throw his hands at the ball and of course try to hit the top half of the ball. if he throws the hands quick the bat head has to follow. it sounds like he is starting the lower half of his body first.

Greetings Sal,
Your intentions of trying to address trouble pulling the ball with rotational drills are admirable, but the ways in which the hitter attempts to execute the drill may be problematic. For example, standing straight on the back foot will cause less of a hip turn then one that is in an "L" position at contact; the front leg should be at least firm, if not locked. Finally, while I agree with staying inside the ball, use a slight upswing (do not drop the back shoulder is errant advice). Let me reiterate, however, that the mechanical execution, and not the methodology of the drill, need amending.

Sincerely,
The Black Hole Lexicographer
Knight1285@aol.com