Hitting Training For Baseball & Softball Swing Trainers | Hitting Performance Lab

Jose Abreu Power Secret Found In Unlikely Place?

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Does Jose Abreu Use a Unique MLB Power Technique?

 

Jose Abreu Power Secret Found In Unlikely Place?

Jose Abreu photo courtesy: MLB.com

I received an email recently from a top-5 Shot Putter in the mid-80’s named Rob Suelflohn.  He threw for over 70 feet!  A pretty special feat.  CLICK HERE to see YouTube footage of Rob.

He contacted me after watching a couple of my analysis videos.  Shortly after, he purchased The Truth About Explosive Rotational Power course to refine his Shot Put technique, as he still competes in Masters Shot Put competitions.

Wait…a Shot Putter buying my course on hitting?!

What really struck him about my mechanical breakdown was that I was speaking his same language, even though I was discussing a completely different competitive human movement.

Or is hitting really that different than Shot Put?

This video compares Jose Abreu to Randy Barnes (holds world record in the Shot Put).  We’ll look at:

  • Methods v. Principles,
  • Top Secret Power: Springy ‘X’ Pattern
  • Jose Abreu v. Randy Barnes

 

Methods v. Principles

Randy Barnes Shot Putter 1996 Olympics

Randy Barnes 1996 Olympics (won gold) photo courtesy: PBS.org

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said,

“As to the methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.” 

In hitting, methods are the drills we do.  Just do a search for “baseball (or softball) hitting drills” on YouTube and you’ll find plenty.  Principals are human movement rules governing EVERY athlete in motion.  As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it,

“The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.” 

What principles do rotational athletes like Jose Abreu and Randy Barnes have in common to efficiently create repeatable power?

 

Top Secret Power: Springy ‘X’ PatternSpringy 'X' Pattern

One of the principles they use is something I call the Springy ‘X’ Pattern.  Imagine a big ‘X’ on your chest connecting shoulder to opposite hip.  The same goes for the backside.  To load springy connective tissue, called fascia, shorten one leg of the ‘X’ while the other leg lengthens.

Springy fascia is (according to Thomas Myers in his book Anatomy Trains):

  • What the bones and muscles float in,
  • Gives muscles their shape,
  • A spider web or cotton candy-like material, and
  • Made of mostly springy collagen fibers.

 

Jose Abreu v. Randy Barnes

Returning to our original question of does Jose Abreu use a unique MLB power technique?  Nope.  He uses a unique power technique to human movement!  This is also why – according to Wikipedia – Randy Barnes qualified for the 2005 World Long Drive Championship in golf.  Golf!!  He’s mastered the principles of explosive rotational power.  CLICK HERE to put proven human movement science to work in YOUR swing today…

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Andrew McCutchen Part-3 VIDEO: The Science Of Turning Faster

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In This Andrew McCutchen Part-3 VIDEO, 

…of the Coaches DON’T Tell You This series, we’re going to: Andrew McCutchen Baseball Hitting Video

  • Discuss when barring the front arm is okay,
  • Explore the science of spinning fast,
  • See how efficient Cutch is at turning, and
  • Look at how to work on this at home.

CLICK HERE to watch the – 2 min, 5 second – PBS Circus Physics video about the Conservation of Angular Momentum, or turning faster.

 

Straightening the Front Arm Out…Good or Bad?

Also referred to as bat drag, arm barring, or casting.  Let me clarify:

  • Arm barring GOOD: to make an impact adjustment to outside or lower pitches, and through extension
  • Arm Barring BAD: before and during the front heel touching down, and before  barrel whips back towards catcher’s glove

 

The Science of Spinning Fast

IF straightening the front arm out before the front heel touches down proves for a faster turn, then why doesn’t controversial 2014 Gold Medal winning ice skater Adelina Sotnikova do this during one of her big turning jumps?

Because it’s inefficient for humans to quickly turn this way, quickly.  When Adelina wants to slow down, she extends her arms and legs away from her body.  In hitting, it’s important to turn fast, stay compact, and do it early.  Before the barrel gets into the zone.  In which case, the front arm needs to stay slightly bent.

 

Did Cutch Pass the Science Test?

In the above Andrew McCutchen baseball hitting video, science clearly says that ‘Cutch’ can have a more efficient Final Turn.  And as we’ll discover what force bleeding compensation he makes – possibly – because of his early arm barring in Part-3 of the Do This For Longer Drives video series.

How Do We Practice a Faster Turn at Home?

  1. Break the swing into two-steps: 1) To the Fight Position (Landing), and 2) the Final Turn
  2. Use a mirror or batting tee
  3. Video analysis feedback – either Coach’s Eye app (free for android) or Ubersense app (free for iphone)
  4. Hitter “hides their hands from the pitcher”, while keeping a slight bend in the front arm
  5. Going into the Final Turn, the hitter will try and “crush the catcher’s glove” without extending the front arm

Stay tuned for the Part-4 VIDEO: Why “Sitting Back” is Devastating to an Efficient Swing in a couple days.  Where we’ll analyze Ryan Braun’s swing…

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Carlos Gonzalez

Carlos Gonzalez Killer Power Strategy Video

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Carlos Gonzalez: A Killer MLB Power Strategy You Can Use Too…

 

Carlos Gonzalez Spine Angle

Carlos Gonzalez photo courtesy: MLB.com

I’m comparing two Colorado Rockies hitters, Carlos Gonzalez (aka Car-Go) and Nolan Arenado (2014 franchise record 28-game hit streak).  What repeatable power advantage does a guy like Car-Go have that Arenado may not?  Is it height?  Weight?

Neither.  Look how similar Car-Go and Arenado are physically (resource: Baseball-Reference.com):

  • Carlos Gonzalez – 6 foot, 1 inch, 220 pounds
  • Nolan Arenado – 6 foot, 2 inches, 205 pounds

In this video, we’re going to:

  1. Compare 5 key offensive numbers (based on a 162-game average),
  2. See what Car-Go and Arenado’s swings have in common, and
  3. Reveal the killer MLB power strategy.

 

Comparing 5 Key Offensive Numbers…

Here are key offensive numbers from the charts below, between Car-Go and Arenado:

  1. On-Base% (OBP)…Carlos Gonzalez = .355, Nolan Arenado = .309
  2. Slug% (SLG)…Car-Go = .527, Arenado = .432
  3. On-Base%+Slug% (OPS)…Car-Go = .882, Arenado = .741
  4. Doubles (2B)…Car-Go = 36, Arenado = 40
  5. Home-runs (HR)…Car-Go = 29, Arenado = 15

Sure we have more data points for Car-Go (7-years) than Arenado (2-years).  However, looking at how efficient each moves when swinging the bat, we’ll be able to assess the potential for Arenado’s performance in the future.  In addition to learning how Gonzalez may be able to improve.

CLICK HERE to get a brilliant Sabermetrics point of view for Car-Go 2.0.

What Car-Go & Arenado’s Swings have in Common

Nolan Arenado

Nolan Arenado photo courtesy: MLB.com

These are the human movement rules in common from the analysis:

  • Vision
  • Forward Momentum
  • Tight Turns
  • Engage Catapult Loading System

 

The Killer MLB Power Strategy

In comparing the two swings, what steps would Arenado have to take to hit for more consistent power like Carlos Gonzalez?  One of the secrets to repeatable power lies in the spine angle, which is achieved by the bend in the back knee.  The spine’s angle can allow a hitter to:

  • Get the barrel level on the downward plane of the pitch (slight upswing),
  • Stay in the impact zone longer (increased margin for error),
  • Keep the eyes and head from moving forward during the Final Turn,
  • Fully transfer linear (forward) into angular (turning) momentum (increased bat speed).
  • Drive the ball!!
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Hitting Training For Baseball & Softball Swing Trainers | Hitting Performance Lab

Softball Hitting Drills Video: Cutch #1 Power Fix

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In This Softball Hitting Drills: Andrew McCutchen #1 Fix Video (4 of 4),

 

…of the Do This For Longer Drives softball hitting drills series, we’ll talk about:Softball Hitting Drills: Andrew McCutchen #1 Power Fix

  • #1 Fix to consistent power,
  • Science of compressing the spring, and
  • How Andrew McCutchen and others get springy…

 

#1 Fix to Consistent Power

According to Thomas Myers in his book Anatomy Trains, consistent power doesn’t come from conventional softball hitting drills teaching:

  • Load hands back towards catcher,
  • Pull front arm,
  • Fire back hip,
  • Push back knee forward and/or down, or
  • Pull knob straight to the ball.

According to Dr. Erik Dalton in his collaborative book Dynamic Body, the brain-body connection doesn’t work in this way:

“Modern Science reveals the brain does not recognize individual muscle activities due to lack of practical purpose.”

 

Science of Compressing the Spring

The secret to consistent power lies in springy connective tissue called Fascia…Cotton Candy Springy Fascia

  • Cotton candy or spider web-like material,
  • The bones and muscles float in it,
  • Is made up of mostly stiff collagen…which to the body, is like steel to the building industry,
  • Compression and tension forces are acting within the body at all times, and
  • Compressing the spring happens in an “X” pattern across the front and back of the torso.

I call it the Catapult Loading System.

 

How Andrew McCutchen and Others Get Springy

Watch how similar the following athlete movements are…front shoulder down and back to back hip…

Andrew McCutchen – 2013 NL MVP:

Andrew McCutchen Gets Springy

Paul Rabil – USA Lacrosse, fastest throw on record:

Paul Rabil Springy Lacrosse Throw

Jurgen Schult (German) – Discus World Record Holder (since 1986):

Jurgen Schult (German) - Discus WR Holder

So, when doing softball hitting drills, charge the body’s springy fascial tissue.  This is the #1 fix to consistent power.  CLICK HERE if you missed Part-3: losing force transfer with a bad head-spine connection.

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Hitting Training For Baseball & Softball Swing Trainers | Hitting Performance Lab

Softball Hitting Tips Video: Bat Speed Killer!

In This Softball Hitting Tips Video,

 

Softball Hitting Tips Video: Bat Speed Killer!

These softball hitting tips work for baseball too.

…We’ll be talking about softball hitting tips that work well for baseball too. What happens when a hitter doesn’t optimally use the Conserving Angular Momentum to fit a softball or baseball swing outcome:

  • Problems and compensations, and
  • What you can do to fix it.

This video compares a…

…Two-week swing period from one of my ten-year-old baseball hitters, Mikey.  It doesn’t matter whether we talk baseball or softball hitting tips, it’s human movement principles we should be concerned with.  It’s just amazing how one small change can have such a profound effect on bat speed.

 

Clarification on the front arm barring out…

  • ARM Barring Bad: when it happens up to the Fight Position and/or during bat lag or drag.
  • ARM Barring Okay: when we get to contact.  You see Big Leaguers do this when they’re adjusting to reach pitches lower in the zone or towards the outside part.

Please realize that a hitter swinging with an early arm bar will cause them to rotate slower, leaving them susceptible to fastballs up or inside the strike zone.

I’m not talking about the shape of the front arm at impact, which if straighter will increase Ball Exit Speed.  I teach my hitters to start bent, then let the pitch location dictate whether that front arm gets to bent or not at impact.

See, hitters don’t know what pitch type, speed, or location beforehand.  So our softball or baseball swing must build in that margin for error.

 

How-to Fix:

  1. Break the swing apart into two steps: 1) To the Fight Position (Landing), 2) Go into the Final Turn.
  2. NO extra movement with the hands going back is allowed before hitter proceeds to step-two above.
  3. Once they get to the Fight Position, tell the hitter to move the upper body as “one piece” to get into the Final Turn.
  4. Doing this while hitting a heavy bag would be great because it allows the hitter to go into the Final Turn at game speed, and gives instant feedback to the contact position

 

Resources:

CLICK HERE for short video on Conserving Angular Momentum from the Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) on Circus Physics.

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[VIDEO] Don’t Make This Hitting Mistake (and BLEED force at contact) PART 4

In Part 4: Don’t Make This Hitting Mistake Video Series,

We’re going over how:

  • The Truth Course hitting information is backed by proven scientific PRINCIPALS,
  • There are FOUR modules: Lab, Practice, Balance, and Bonuses,
  • The entire course is mobile device compatible, and
  • Easy access community support.

 

For YOUR Eyes ONLY…

The previous days’ videos were LEAKED from The Truth About Explosive Rotational Power Course.  ALL information is backed by proven scientific PRINCIPALS.  Absolutely NO guessing involved.

The Truth Course will walk you through EIGHT-Steps to an explosive rotational power and friction-free swing. ALL course videos are mobile device compatible.  AND, offers a second-to-none support team.

In The Truth Course you’ll be getting…

  • …a course that is a STEP-BY-STEP online video guide to the most up-to-date Scientific research unlocking powerful, yet universal, human movement PRINCIPALS to ADD explosive rotational power to any baseball or softball swing.  Small hitters can hit like big ones because there’s LIMITED muscle needed in a truly explosive rotational swing.
  • …a hitting community of over 175 users!
  • …over eight-hours of optimized video you can conveniently watch anywhere on your mobile device.
  • …learn the philosophy and application of how the body truly loads itself like a spring, in what I like to call The Catapult Loading System (NOT talked about in hitting circles).
  • …to learn how-to AVOID a worse swing fate than arm barring, “bleeding the barrel”.
  • …the Joey Myers 60-Day Money Back Guarantee, AND
  • …a whole lot more…

As previously mentioned, I’m a member of the American Baseball Coaches’ Association (ABCA), International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA), and the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA).

I’m offering Facebook users like yourself 30% OFF The Truth Course for a LIMITED TIME only.  CLICK HERE to invest in your friction-free swing today before the price goes up.

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[VIDEO] Don’t Make This Hitting Mistake (and BLEED force at contact) PART 3

In Part 3: Don’t Make This Hitting Mistake Video Series,

We’re going over:

  • The One-Joint Rule (how-to test “Spinal Integrity” – head and spine alignment),
  • Spine Engine Theory (how the friction-free swing is driven by the spine), and
  • Tensegrity, OR Tension Integrity (discover how explosive the body’s own natural springiness can be).

Here’s a video of Physical Therapist Dr. Kelly Starrett of MobilityWOD.com demonstrating his Spinal Integrity Test (One-Joint Rule):

Here’s video of 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen breaking his Spinal Integrity.  Scary to think that he’s bleeding force at impact with the numbers he put up that year:

Andrew McCutchen Poor Spinal Integrity at Impact
Watch Cutch’s chin nod to his chest at and through contact…

Here’s a picture of one of my High School hitters doing the same thing:

baseball hitting video: breaking spinal integrity
See the same head nod…?

 

For YOUR Eyes ONLY…

The previous videos were LEAKED from The Truth About Explosive Rotational Power Course. ALL information is validated by scientific PRINCIPLES.

Besides discovering an EIGHT-Step Scientific System for building an explosive fiction-free swing, here are some other things you’ll be learning…

  • #1 Reason Youth Hitters have ‘Bad’ Swings (and how to fix)…
  • What a Chinese Finger Trap & Powerful Rotational Forces in the Body have in Common…
  • Learn Why What You Knew (or Thought You knew) About Hip Thrust is ALL Wrong…
  • The purpose of a FLOAT, when to start it, and how long should it be…
  • The quick weak posture at impact test…
  • The Catapult Loading System science and hitting application,
  • Breaking ball and off-speed mastery, AND
  • A whole lot more…

I’m a member of the American Baseball Coaches’ Association (ABCA), International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA), and the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA).

CLICK HERE for Part-4 of the Don’t Make This Hitting Mistake Video Series, where we’ll take a one-minute tour of The Truth About Explosive Rotational Power Course.

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Hitting Training For Baseball & Softball Swing Trainers | Hitting Performance Lab

Baseball Hitting Video Rotational Truth

In This Baseball Hitting Video Rotational Truth,

 

We’re going over how:

  • The Truth course is backed by proven human movement science,
  • There are FOUR main sections,
  • The entire course works on any smart mobile device, and
  • Easy access to community support.

 

Re-Launch of The Truth About Explosive Rotational Power

Baseball Hitting Video Rotational Truth Minute TourThe Course is backed by science.  Absolutely NO guessing involved.  The Truth Course will walk you through EIGHT-Steps to consistent explosive rotational power.

Besides what you’ll see in the baseball hitting video rotational truth, some of the main BENEFITS to The Truth About Explosive Rotational Power Course are:
  • Information is backed by proven scientific PRINCIPALS
  • 182 members and counting!
  • Support System is second-to-none (for anything that’s unclear)
  • There are OVER Eight hours of mobile device compatible videos.
  • Watch the whole Course anywhere with an internet connection!
  • No-questions-asked 60-Day Money Back Guarantee
  • And a whole lot more…

CLICK HERE to invest in The Truth About Explosive Rotational Power after watching the baseball hitting video rotational truth minute tour now.

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Hitting Training For Baseball & Softball Swing Trainers | Hitting Performance Lab

Baseball Hitting Video Spine Mistake PART 3

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In This Baseball Hitting Video Spine Mistake,

 

We’re going over:

  • The One-Joint Rule (how-to test “Spinal Integrity”, also known as head and spine alignment),
  • Spine Engine Theory (how ALL athletic movement is driven), and
  • Tensegrity, OR Tension Integrity (discover how explosive the body’s own natural springiness can be).

Here’s a video of Physical Therapist Dr. Kelly Starrett of MobilityWOD.com demonstrating the One-Joint Rule:

In case you missed it, in the above video, Dr. Kelly Starrett said:

“Hinging at one of the segments [vertebraes in the neck]…when we put a hinge across the central nervous system, the body recognizes that as a primary insult, or threat to the body, because you’re basically guillotining or kinking the nervous system.  You’ve kinked ‘the tube’, so it [force production] just drops off.”

He also mentioned:

“The spine has major potential to decrease your force production.”

Here’s video of 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen breaking his head and spine alignment.  This is actually a semi-common hitting power mistake made by quite a few of my young hitters – as you’ll see in a bit.  Scary to think that Andrew McCutchen was bleeding force at impact with the numbers he put up this past year:

Baseball Hitting Video Spine Mistake Andrew McCutchen

Watch Cutch’s chin nod to his chest at and through contact…

The first baseball hitting video spine mistake was leaked from The Truth About Explosive Rotational Power online video course.  This is all a part of the human movement rules.  As you can see, breaking our spinal integrity at contact can have a bleeding force effect on performance.

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Hitting Training For Baseball & Softball Swing Trainers | Hitting Performance Lab

Robinson Cano Baseball Hitting Mechanics Video

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Two Quick Tips For A Faster Turn,

 

Robinson Cano Baseball Hitting Mechanics Video Reveals...

…We’ll be comparing one of my eleven-year-olds Ian to Robinson Cano:

  • If he’s “hiding his hands” from the pitcher,
  • How his front elbow is creating barrel path mayhem,
  • How Robinson Cano uses the Catapult Loading System, and
  • What does Ian need to work on?

In this Robinson Cano Baseball Hitting Mechanics Video…

I wanted to show a snapshot in time of one of my eleven-year-old hitters.  Ian is working on staying short with his limbs – pre-landing position – in order to turn faster.  His front arm tends to move back towards the catcher too much, which causes it to bar out and turn his torso slower.

We can break the swing up into two steps: 1) To landing (or the Fight Position), and Final Turn.  75% of consistency and power is taken care of in Step One.  Here’s the drill Ian will use in the video for correction…

 

Break It Apart Mirror Drill

  1. Get into stance with front shoulder facing mirror or picture window,
  2. Get to fight position (Landing), and
  3. Make sure you’ve hidden your hands from view – like a boxer would when he’s going to deliver the knock out blow.

CLICK HERE or watch below, another one of my Robinson Cano baseball hitting mechanics YouTube videos that I did for SwingSmarter.com:

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