Posted by: steve@ymail.com (laflammesteve@ymail.com) on Sun Aug 21 09:36:57 2011

> >
> > HI Paul
> >
> > If all coaches (and Dads) followed your interpretations of linear cues, I would have little problem with them. However, this is not what I find in far too many cases. I receive countless frustrated e-mails from my students complaining their coaches teach linear mechanics (many of them are college coaches) and demand they conform to their teaching -- "Their way, or, the highway."
> >
> > Paul, from the number of e-mails I receive on this topic, the problem is much greater than I had once thought.
> >
> > Jack Mankin
>
> Jack,
>
> It's more of a problem than I thought it was. Especially among coaches above the Babe Ruth/Little League level.
>
> This is a video I found on YouTube attached to your "Lead Shoulder Rotation" video: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XevU0ZO57eg&feature=related">Keeping Your Shoulder In</a>
>
> Apparently this is still being taught. This is really unfortunate because it ruins hitters every day. It isn't that tough to get your hands on slow motion video today (Right View Pro, or some other program), yet coaches continue to teach what are (and what were) inherently flawed mechanics. People are still teaching "swing down for backspin", but it never occurs to them that the ball is traveling down about 4-10 degrees. If you swing down, you're going to
>
> 1. Pop up
> 2. Hit a ground ball
> 3. Miss the ball entirely
> 4. Hit the ball so that a "knuckleball" line drive results (only about 5% of the time)

On our 10u team, another one of the coaches likes to use a "two-tee" drill where the back tee is higher than the front tee holding the ball. I don't let my son do this drill. We have a debate going over this drill. I feel if improperly administered (and maybe even properly administered) this drill will promote a linear hand path and extension-type hitting. Has anyone ever seen this drill and used it successfully? I think Charlie Lau would love the drill, butI don't think it promotes a high level swing.