Addison Russell Grand Slam Video Analysis
Addison Russell Grand Slam Video: The Anatomy Of A Dinger
Nike Swoosh barrel path, pitch plane, and batted ball plane in this Addison Russell grand slam video analysis (434-foot) in Game 6 of the 2016 World Series. Photo courtesy: MLB.com
I had quite a few people ask me what I thought of Addison Russell’s grand slam in game-6 of the 2016 World Series.
I had just missed it minutes before taking my family (wife, 4yo, & 7-month old) to get pizza, where not one television was present :-/
So I set out to do an Addison Russell grand slam video analysis the next morning.
Gosh I love the Playoff and World Series quality of slow motion video…
…10K frames per second, where you can see every wrinkle on a players uniform, AND face!!
And that’s saying something because these are “kids” we’re watching on TV…I can say that now that I’m older 😛
So enjoy this video analysis and please post any comments, questions, or concerns below.
In the following Addison Russell grand slam video analysis, we’ll discuss:
- Fangraphs comparison on GB%, LD%, FB%, HR/FB%, height/weight (6’0″, 195-lbs),
- Nike Swoosh barrel path,
- Barrel matching the plane of the pitch – up to 91-mph FB,
- Finger Pressure,
- ‘Barrel chasing’ batted ball – extension (power-V): defense against being out in front on OS & CB/SL,
- Statcast: 108-mph BES, 23-degree launch angle, 434-foot distance,
- Somewhat hunched posture,
- Med/High leg kick (float to fall),
- Float barrel up (knob flashlight down),
- Alignment of back foot and leg, and
- Knee Action at landing and during the turn.
One extra thing I didn’t mention, look at what part of the ball Addison Russell struck 😉
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This is great, one thing – from the side view – is that, at impact, Russell’s hips seem to be past perpendicular and another thing, from the front view, Russell’s turned his back heel up so that the foot direction’s more down than perpendicular to contact.
Minor things, and probably related, but I love your note to the effect that it’s really important not to get tweaked about whether an element of the swing is “perfect”. Getting the feel of being perpendicular and athletic seems more important than micromanaging a kid’s swing.
On another front, do you have a video I missed about the flashlight/barrel prep? I’ve been fighting this in my older guy’s swing – he loves to wrap the bat – and this example is beautiful but I’ve not been able to establish the cues that stick on this point.
Thanks, as always,
A
Alan, I agree, optimal impact will have belt buckle perpendicular to impact, it’s not always the case because we’re dealing with timing issues. I’ll have to do a video on the knob flashlight (keeping barrel up) drill. Basically, I set a bucket lid down where the catcher’s feet would be and tell the hitter to keep the “flashlight” pointed at the lid as close to landing as possible.
On the top hand wrist hooking, this is another thing that my golfing friend Lee turned me onto awhile ago that I’ve been thinking about and playing with…Hank Aaron did the same thing. It has to do with firing the fascial lines. More to come on that in the future. Great work picking up on that brother 🙂
I forgot, the one question I did have is whether you looked at the hook in Russell’s top wrist? After looking at/for the finger pressure you noted, I followed the hands and that struck me as kinda weird.