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

David Ortiz Grand Slam Video Analysis

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In This David Ortiz Grand Slam Baseball Hitting Analysis Video Of…

 

David Ortiz Grand Slam in 2013 Playoffs Baseball Hitting Video AnalysisBig Papi’s two-out-bottom-of-the-eighth game tying grand-slam in the 2013 ALCS playoffs against the Detroit Tigers, we’ll be analyzing the following mechanics of David Oriz’s swing:

  1. How he uses the Catapult Loading System, and
  2. How his swing resembles a snapping of a towel.

The David Ortiz Grand Slam is what we all dream about as kids growing up.  What was interesting when you compare David Ortiz to Matt Holiday of the Cardinals is that both utilize a hand hitch in their swing.  This takes precise timing to master.  And it showed with such a contrast in performance between the two players…

Matt Holiday struggled to get his hands into position early on in the Series, but later – almost too late – he figured out his timing.  Whereas Big Papi was red hot through the whole playoff and World Series.  He was able to get his hands into the correct position to begin his Final Turn.  The MVP trophy was well deserved for Mr. David Ortiz in the 2013 World Series.

CLICK HERE for the full video on the historic playoff grand-slam.

Also, I’d be forever grateful if you SHARE THIS POST to Facebook or Twitter.  The more people we can help educate the BETTER!  You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe to my YouTube Channel HitPerformLab above.  And of course, if you have any questions or comments on this post, please direct them below…thanks for watching!

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