“The musculature [in the spine] is designed to create stiffness so that you can effectively transmit energy to the primary engines of your hips and shoulders. If you don’t preserve trunk stiffness while moving from your hips and shoulders, you will lose power and force. The is the basis for the one-joint rule: you should see flexion and extension movement happen at the hips and shoulders, not your spine.”
Is Cutch ‘Kinking the Hose’?
Just as kinking the hose while watering the lawn stops the flow of water. Bending at the spine halts the transfer of energy at impact. KStar says this about losing head-spine alignment:
“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.”
How-To Re-Pattern the Impact Position
Follow this 12-week exercise progression (at least five days per week):
Super plank – week one: 1 set, hold for 30 secs, week two: 1 set, hold for 45 secs, week three: 2 sets, hold for 45 secs
Loaded super plank – week four: 2 sets, for 30 secs, week five: 2 sets, for 45 secs, week six: 2 sets, for 60 secs
Hip hinge with stick (patterning) – week seven: 2 sets X 12 reps, week eight: 2 sets X 15 reps, week nine: 3 sets X 12 reps
Loaded hip hinge (dead-lift) – week ten: 2 sets X 12 reps, week eleven: 2 sets X 15 reps, week twelve: 3 sets X 12 reps
Maintain head-spine alignment. Perfect reps. Use Coach’s Eye or Ubersense phone app (free) for feedback. CLICK HERE for Part-4 for the #1 power fix…also, CLICK HERE if you missed Part-2: the faster turn.
'Add 48-Feet' Of Batted Ball Distance Video
Zepp Swing Study reveals how some of my hitters are adding 48-feet to batted ball distance by using one simple tactic.
Click the button below to access the FREE video that's been downloaded over 10K times!!)...
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/How-To-Hit-Ball-Better-When-Batting-Stop-Striking-Out-Baseball-Softball-Drills.png423800Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-11-01 09:45:282022-11-02 00:54:16Stop Striking Out Baseball Softball Drills To Keep Eye On, See, & Hit Ball Better When Batting
Learn how to increase bat speed and power by hitting the ball better, farther, and harder using this baseball or softball drill. Discover how in this Buster Posey swing experiment, breakdown, and analysis.
Buster Posey Swing Breakdown Experiment: ADD 6-mph To Bat Speed Not ALL In The Hips?
Buster Posey showing his numbers photo courtesy: MLB.com
Question: Is Increased Bat Speed ALL in the Hips?
Using the Zepp (Labs) Baseball app, I wanted to use the Scientific Method to analyze whether Buster Posey’s hips OR spinal mechanics is what increases bat speed.
Background Research
Most elite hitting instructors, pros, and Hall of Famers think it’s ALL in the hips. The “it” is a mystery even to them. It shouldn’t be this way. When we look at proven human movement science, we find that just firing the hips isn’t good enough. My question to those people is, what about the piece of hardware above the pelvis, attaching it to the shoulders – the spine?
Before getting into the experiment and analyzing Buster Posey’s swing, we need to lay ground work first. Watch this THREE videos first:
Albert Pujols NOT showing his numbers like he could. Definite hip hinge (tilt) towards the plate. Photo courtesy: MLB.com
Based primarily on my research and study of Dr. Serge Gracovetsky’s book The Spinal Engine, and Thomas Myers’s book Anatomy Trains, I believe a hitter like Buster Posey, that shows the pitcher their numbers – while keeping the hips in neutral – creates the separation (or spinal torque) needed before landing to produce natural friction-free repeatable power.
Rather than just focusing on the hips to go first, and the front shoulder to stay on the pitcher. In the experiment, for the sake of brevity, I’ll differentiate between the two with “showing numbers” or “NOT showing numbers”.
Buster Posey: Not ALL in the Hips Experiment
Equipment Used:
Zepp Baseball app,
ATEC Tuffy Batting Tee,
Rawlings Official NCAA Baseballs,
Two yellow dimple baseballs (feedback markers),
Flip Video Camera and Tripod, and
33 inch, 30 ounce Pinnacle Bamboo bat.
Setup:
Yellow dimple ball feedback markers = my bat length, plus two baseballs
Distance from plate = end of the bat touching inside corner of plate, and knob of bat touching my mid-thigh
Tee was set one baseball’s length behind the front feedback marker, and tee height was about mid-thigh
Forward momentum was eliminated in this experiment, and I hit from a 1-2 second pause at landing
First 100 baseballs hit was “NOT showing numbers”, focusing on hips first, and front shoulder pointing at the pitcher at landing
Second 100 baseballs hit was “showing numbers”, focusing on showing numbers, slight down shoulder angle, and hiding the hands
There was about 30-45 minute break between both Buster Posey Experiments
Data Collected (Zepp Baseball App):
Difference after 100 swings…
Data Analysis & Conclusion
Average bat speed for NOT showing numbers at landing: 73-mph
Average bat speed for showing numbers at landing: 79-mph (+6-mph)
Highest bat speed for NOT showing numbers at landing: 82-mph
Highest bat speed for showing numbers at landing: 88-mph (+6-mph)
Hand speed max for NOT showing numbers was: 27-mph
Hand speed max for showing numbers was: 29-mph (+2-mph)
As you can clearly see, “NOT showing numbers” puts a hitter at a clear repeatable power DISADVANTAGE.
Notes
Andrew McCutchen: showing numbers, slight down shoulder angle, hiding hands, hip hinge (tilt) towards the plate. 2013 NL MVP. 3rd in MLB OPS in 2014. All 5’10”, 190 pounds of him! Photo courtesy of MLB.com.
I don’t go out and take 200 swings in a given day, so I was getting fatigued by the time I got to the last hundred swings (“showing numbers”) part of the experiment. Goes to show this isn’t about muscles, but connective tissue.
Remember, I purposely eliminated forward momentum from the Buster Posey Experiment because I wanted to reveal how “showing the numbers” can effect a hitter’s bat speed. CLICK HERE to see the results of a Forward Momentum Experiment I did using the Zepp Baseball App.
“Showing the numbers” IS NOT adding more rotational ground to make up during the Final Turn. It’s a natural way of super-charging connective tissue over muscles.
A slight bend at the waist (hip hinge) towards the plate – before landing – improves efficiency, not detracts from it. Just look at Posey, McCutchen, and Pujols pictured hitting home-runs in this post. This is how an athlete takes the slack out of the posterior chain (calves, hamstrings, butt, and back). ALL shapes and sizes use it.
During NOT showing the numbers, I felt like I had to guide my hands more. It took more effort to extend through the ball instead of rotating off (rolling over), than with showing the numbers.
Make sure when “showing the numbers”, the hitter isn’t losing sight of the incoming pitch with the back eye.
Also, make sure when using a slight down shoulder angle that the head stays in-line with the spine. The angle is slight, about five to ten-degrees.
The Bottom Line?
When we analyze hitters like Buster Posey, we NEED to hold our analysis to a higher standard. Proven human movement science. We have to go away from mechanical fixes based on “feelings”. The “Oh, I’ve been working on this and it seems to work”, isn’t good enough. Neither is, “Ted Williams said so!” Or, “I watch 25-hours of high level hitting footage in a day, so listen to me.” That stuff DOES NOT matter. Science does. I want to see the data, NOT listen to feelings. The heavy lifting has been done for us. It’s up to us to apply it.
'Add 40-Feet' To Batted Ball Distance
Swing Study reveals how tens of thousands of hitters are adding 40-feet to batted ball distance by using one simple strategy.
Click the button below to access the FREE video that's been downloaded over 30K times!!
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/How-To-Increase-Bat-Speed-Power-Buster-Posey-Swing-Experiment-Breakdown.png423800Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-11-01 09:30:232022-11-01 23:24:11Increase Bat Speed Power By Hitting Ball Better, Farther, & Harder Using This Baseball Or Softball Drill | Buster Posey Swing Breakdown Analysis
Discover the hitting a baseball or softball over 300-feet rules using the Catapult Loading System. Learn how to increase power and hit a baseball, fastpitch, or slow pitch softball better, farther, and harder every time.
How-To Hit The Ball Consistently Hard Like Hank Aaron
This is Part-1 of a 3-part little league baseball batting tips video series coming straight out of the Catapult Loading System online video mini-course…
Sick of struggling with getting your hitters to hit the ball hard with more consistency?This is a simple 7-module online video mini-course that will help hitters weighing less than 100-pounds, hit the ball consistently over 300-feet in 60 days. You’ll be able to dramatically increase power without sacrificing swing quality.
CLICK the Link below to…
Part 1 – [You Are Here] How-To Hit The Ball Consistently Hard Like Hank Aaron
In this little league baseball batting tips video post, we’re answering the reader question…
“How does a smaller slugger compete with a bigger one?”
We’ll be going over:
Writing v. Typing speed skills
Effectiveness – doing the right things v. Efficiency – doing things right
Better technique v. athleticism – some athletes succeed despite their ineffectiveness, not because of it
Writing v. Typing Speed Skills
Imagine entering a contest to win a million dollars by copying a simple 1,000 word document…
And you had the choice to either write the essay using pen and paper, OR
Type it on a computer keyboard.
If the contest chairperson crowned the new minted millionaire to the fastest produced document, using one of the two aforementioned methods, which would you choose to compete?
What if, to get ready for the contest, you were given 3 weeks to prepare and practice pacing your writing OR typing skills?
Would this practice time make a dramatic difference on the speed of your writing skills?
How about your typing skills?
Which method do you think you’d make a bigger jump to compete with the best of the best?
Remember, there are no separate categories in the contest. In other words, if you decide to write with pen and paper, you’re still competing with the fastest typers, not ONLY with writers.
Which leads us to…
SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:
Improve your hitting strategy dramatically by applying human movement principles.
Learn not only how and what to train but also the science behind the methods.
In the case of our Writing v. Typing million dollar contest,
Choosing the right method to win the contest is huge. The fastest typer in the world can blow away the fastest writer, any day of the week.
So, effectiveness in winning the million dollars would be choosing to compete as a typer. Then the next step would be to get really efficient at typing during the 3-week practice period.
How does this metaphor relate to little league baseball batting tips and repeatable power?
Smaller sluggers like Hank Aaron (6-foot, 180-pounds) have to be effective with their mechanics, in order to compete with bigger sluggers.
What’s more…
Better Technique v. Athleticism
Bigger sluggers get away with MURDER!
They often succeed despite their ineffective technique, not because of it…
A bent neck position at impact…NOT pre-loading the springy fascia in the body…OR thinking if we ‘load and explode the hips’, then all will take care of itself.
These big slugger examples may seem like valuable little league baseball batting tips, but in reality, young hitters WILL be left with ineffective energy transfers, resulting in inferior results.
Then why are we studying big sluggers like Albert Pujols, Bryce Harper, and Big Papi?
Although these big sluggers do A LOT effectively with their mechanics, at least in the eyes of validated human movement science, BUT they get away with energy leaks most young hitters won’t be able to pull off.
Look, let me put Better Technique v. Athleticism another way…
One of the best athletes to ever walk the earth is Michael Jordan. His short stint in the Minor Leagues never amounted to Major League time. He complained he couldn’t hit the curve-ball. And by the way, Michael Jordan would be considered a bigger slugger today at 6-feet, 6-inches tall.
How about Arnold Schwarzenegger in his heyday using steroids during the 1970’s? Could he beat Jose Bautista or Josh Donaldson in a Major League home-run derby?
Of course NOT!!
It doesn’t matter how big a hitter is, or how athletic they are, or if they take PED’s. All can achieve repeatable power by using effective hitting mechanics. It’s a recipe anyone can follow.
Sure, being more athletic is a component, but is not THE little league baseball batting tips method to hitting the ball consistently hard like Hank Aaron.
'Add 40-Feet' To Batted Ball Distance
Swing Study reveals how tens of thousands of hitters are adding 40-feet to batted ball distance by using one simple strategy.
Click the button below to access the FREE video that's been downloaded over 30K times!!
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Increase-Power-And-Hit-Ball-Better-Farther-Harder-Every-Time-Using-Catapult-Loading-System.png280800Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-11-01 09:00:292022-11-01 21:32:45Hitting Baseball Or Softball 300 Feet Using Catapult Loading System Rules | Increase Power And Hit Ball Better, Farther, & Harder Every Time
Does baseball and softball hitting power come from loading the hips and rotating them before the hands? Discover how to properly AND safely swing the bat harder, hit the ball better, and farther hitting drills.
How “Loading & Exploding The Hips” Can Be VERY Dangerous To The Lower Back…
We’ll get to the above video, but first let me be clear…
I’m not saying the pelvis doesn’t play a role in the swing, because it does. However, I feel this spot reserved in the swing’s sequence of movements is hyper-focused on by a majority of hitting gurus. More and more research is saying extreme “hip thrust” or “loading and exploding the hips” can be VERY damaging to the lower back over time. You’ll see why in a moment, but for now please note that in this podcast episode, former USA Men’s Gymnastics Coach Sommers says the lower back portion of the spine isn’t made for a high degrees of rotation, but the T-Spine is.
Another thing I want to clear up, we don’t teach a 100% pure rotational mechanics here. We teach a blend of linear-rotational. Please CLICK HERE to read our thoughts on this.
In this post, we’ll cover:
How the spine stacks up (quick anatomy lesson),
Does consistent power come from the ground? And,
Teaching hitters a safer more effective swing.
Let’s get started…
SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:
Improve your hitting strategy dramatically by applying human movement principles.
Learn not only how and what to train but also the science behind the methods.
Cervical – the vertebrae in your neck, consists of 7 vertebrae, are allowed to flex, extend, and rotate,
Thoracic – the vertebrae in the middle of spine including shoulders, consists of 12 vertebrae, which are also allowed to flex, extend, and rotate, and
Lumbar – the vertebrae in lower back, consist of 5 vertebrae, and are allowed to flex and extend ONLY.
Sacral & Coccyx – there are 5 fused vertebrae here, and the Coccyx is sometimes referred to as the “tail” bone.
Did you catch that about the Lumbar? It’s important, so it bares repeating…the vertebrae in the lower back IS NOT built to rotate! Right now, you may be thinking: “Wait a minute, how’s that?! I’ve seen millions of swings, and the hitter’s pelvis (and lower back) are rotating!!”
According to Charlie Weingroff, DPT, CSCS, a physical therapist, a trainer in New York City, and is pretty high up on the human performance food chain, says this:
“Only your thoracic spine (which consists of the 12 vertebrae in your upper and middle back) is designed to rotate significantly — about 40 degrees in each direction, according to Weingroff — when under compression. The lumbar spine (lower back) should rotate no more than about 12 degrees.”
Some movement experts (like Thomas Myers, author of the book Anatomy Trains), says the lower back can rotate no more than 7-degrees. So according to the experts, 7 to 12-degrees is a good rotational range for the Lumbar section of the spine. That’s NOTHING compared to the 40-degrees of rotation – in each direction – of the middle and upper back section of the spine (which includes shoulders).
So what’s happening then? You see, since the lower back vertebrae are not designed to rotate, it’s the surrounding muscles that are rotating a fixed object (non-rotating Lumbar), and is why you do see rotation. The T-Spine vertebraeare built to rotate (again, this includes the shoulders), hence is why hitting coaches should put their rotational focus there and NOT the hips, pelvis, or low back.
Is rotating back hip through the zone necessary for power? Not in the way most coaches think. Consider this quote from Physicist, Electrical Engineer, and author of the book The Spinal Engine, Dr. Serge Gracovetsky:
“The axial rotation of the spine cannot happen unless the spine is flexed by the right amount on the correct side. Coaching an athlete to throw without a proper spinal position is an invitation to severe torsional injuries.”
Dr. Gracovetsky is referring to this “flex” as a side bend with the shoulders. The point is, USE THE SHOULDERS to accomplish rotational power. Warning for coaches: if you shrug this information off because of ego or pride, and continue to teach pelvis, hip, or lower back dominant twisting swings, then you’re wearing holes in the low backs of your hitters. Be careful because the link is there, and one can be held liable.
Don’t worry, I’ll show those coaches doing this unknowingly a safer way, at the end of this post…
'Add 40-Feet' To Batted Ball Distance
Swing Study reveals how tens of thousands of hitters are adding 40-feet to batted ball distance by using one simple strategy.
Click the button below to access the FREE video that's been downloaded over 30K times!!
Water Polo throw photo courtesy: YouTube Egy image from video
You may be thinking, but consistent power comes from the ground…the pelvis is the first to interact with Gravitational Forces, and that’s why you teach “hip thrust”. I agree with Ted Williams that the ‘Hips Lead the Way’, but they don’t contribute as much to consistent power as most think. I know this may sound earth shattering for some, so please stay with me here.
This brings me to the water polo throw video above…
Let me ask you a question, what do you think the “fastest throw in Water Polo” is? Doing a Google search using those keywords brings up the following statement:
“The overhand shot from a Croatian senior men’s national team player is recognized as the fastest shot in the world at 60 MPH (96.5 KPH). The overhand shot is the standard throwing motion in water polo. It is the same arm motion as a pitcher uses in baseball.”
So, let’s think about this. In water, there are little to no Gravitational Forces, and the best human floating in water, can throw a volleyball-sized ball 60-mph? What do you think the speed would be if this person was floating in water and threw a baseball-sized ball instead? 75-mph? 80-mph? 90-mph? Okay, so let’s say this top-of-the-food-chain water polo player throws a baseball floating in water 80-mph. You’re telling me a top-of-the-food-chain pitcher in the Big Leagues, throwing down a mound, can only throw 20-mph more (assuming 100-mph) than someone throwing the same ball floating in water?!
I dunno, but this begs the question, does the pelvis (and lower Lumbar), OR the shoulders (and T-Spine) contribute the most to pitching velocity AND Ball Exit Speeds?
If you need to see more examples about this, then CLICK HERE for a swing experiment titled, “How Much Ball Exit Speed Does Pelvis Contribute To A High Level Swing?”
Buahaha! I love that. Slipping front foot, no extension at front knee, and "hammering bug" with back knee. Result? A dinger! A lot of unhappy gravitational force peeps out there ? @backspintee
So what role do I think the pelvis and low back play in the swing, if not power? Directional force. Allows the hitter’s swing to convert Centripetal into Centrifugal Force. In a nutshell, the hitter’s “belt buckle” must point in the direction of the batted ball.
So what’s the answer?
Teaching Hitters a Safer more Effective Swing
Here are some resources to get you started, outside of the ones already mentioned:
Coaches, PLEASE get educated. Don’t let ego or pride get in the way of helping hitters swing safe. Like Tony Robbins says,
“If you aren’t growing, then you’re dying.”
'Add 40-Feet' To Batted Ball Distance
Swing Study reveals how tens of thousands of hitters are adding 40-feet to batted ball distance by using one simple strategy.
Click the button below to access the FREE video that's been downloaded over 30K times!!
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/fastest-water-polo-throw-e1516733759492.png410450Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-10-26 09:45:202022-11-29 05:58:23Baseball Softball Hitting Power Come From Loading Hip Rotation Before Hands? | Swing Harder, Hit Ball Better, & Farther Drills
Discover our online hitting lesson mechanics analysis program for the baseball or softball swing. Learn how to increase bat speed and hit for more power with our remote instruction. Check out 9 year old Ethan’s case study…
Hit Training: What Your Hitting Instructor Won’t Tell You & How It Can Save You Time And Money
Before we dig into 9yo Ethan’s hit training case study 3-part series, I wanted to RANT on something that transpired this past week. Where does the MAJORITY of power come from? I recently posted this on Facebook:
Where does the MAJORITY of consistent power come from in the #Baseball and #Softball swing?A) Legs,B) Hips…
The comments under this post were a little confirmation bias because my readers – who know my hit training teachings – not shockingly responded with “C”. Please note: the keyword is “majority” in that question. Unlike my readers – who know better, in the social media reality I can tell you the majority teach the legs and/or hips (pelvis) to be the main driver of power.
This is what your hitting instructor won’t tell you and can save you time and money: Legs and/or hips aren’t the main drivers of power.
The hips (or better yet – the pelvis) are a start, making up 1/3 of the spinal engine. And I can prove it with REAL science! If you haven’t already, then please check out the following two posts, and you’ll see my reasoning:
The week prior, I debated with a few “leg/hip drives majority of power” hit training gurus on Twitter, and I posed this question,
“Do legs drive the spinal engine, or does the spinal engine drive the legs?”
And I followed that question up with the following statement:
“The answer to that question will determine credibility in hitting mechanic circles” (something to that effect)
That caught some off guard. Bold statement another well known said. “Yes. It is,” I responded. Tis’ the facts. Some ask me, aren’t you afraid others will take this information, claim it without attribution, and take all the glory? I say no, because Hitting Guru #57 is too stubborn to listen and learn. They clutch to their hitting dogmas like a rich woman and her Prada walking through the “ghetto”. And last time I checked, opinions ARE NOT facts.
Do you know how many Physical Therapists, Doctor MD’s, Physicists, Chiropractors, Engineers, and other Body Workers follow me? A LOT! If I was full of it – as my wife says – do you think THEY would be following me and offering kudos to what I’m doing?
Okay, RANT over. Let’s move onto a young 9-year-old hitter, Ethan, that I’m VERY proud of. He’s put in so much hard work, bought into the process (which is key), and has made fantastic strides with his swing in less than 6 short months…pun intended 😛
In this 3-part series we’ll be covering:
Ethan case study The Feedback Lab online hit training video [YOU ARE HERE],
In Part-1 (tippy-top video above), Hit Training: Catapult Loading System Like Andrew McCutchen [9yo 6-Month Case Study], we’ll be discussing:
How far Ethan’s swing has come,
What he’s working on next, and
Follow up notes about Ethan’s progress…
PLEASE NOTE: Ethan is still on the journey, his swing isn’t perfectly clean yet. This is only a 6-month snapshot of how far his swing has come. Don’t be that “guy” and judge his swing at this point in time, celebrate it!
Unlock Consistent Power: Tailored Feedback for Your Hitter
Get personalized, step-by-step feedback on your hitter’s swing with The Feedback Lab. Backed by science and tailored for fast improvements, watch your athlete hit harder and smarter in no time!
I keep notes on all my online hit training hitters at The Feedback Lab. Here are a few things Ethan had working well for him before we started (Thanks Peter! – he’s dad btw):
Forward Momentum,
Good space between feet before the turn, and
Decent barrel path, not extreme down or up.
In Ethan’s first online hit training with me, I wanted to start working with him on:
Fast forwarding over the past six months together (six total online hit training sessions), our working strategy methodically moved to other human movement principles such as:
Downhill Shoulder Angle – I’m sorry but the video for this linked post mysteriously disappeared from my YouTube channel, and
Taking Slack Out of The System – I don’t have a blog post on this yet, but it has to do with ‘hiding hands’ from the pitcher, and lengthening out the front arm at landing, similar to Perry Husband’s arm bar.
By the way, I don’t typically cover this much in such a short period of time with a 9-year-old, but Ethan was ON IT!! Diligent with getting in his 4-5 days per week, for at least 5-mins per day. He worked the process like a ROCK STAR, and is one of the many reasons I’m so proud of him 😀 Ethan is a coaches dream client!
What’s that famous quote…? “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t show up.” Yah, that’s Ethan.
Now, let’s move on to…
What Ethan’s Working on Next…
As many of you coaches or instructors who do hit training for a living, every hitter has one or two things their brain/body doesn’t want to give up easily. These stubborn challenges don’t go away without a fight. Here are Ethan’s:
Showing numbers to the pitcher at landing, and
Taking Slack Out of the System to landing.
You’ll see in Part-2 of this series when we look at high level MLB hitters, the key to these two human movement principles is to get that “shape” at stride landing.
Okay, so let’s move on to…
Follow up Notes about Ethan’s Progress…
Here’s some of the hit training dialog over the past few months between Peter (dad) and I via email…
“Joey, hope all is well and you’re enjoying the summer. Attached is Ethan latest video from this weekend. We took a week off while on vacation at the end of June, but Ethan’s been great the last three weeks getting in 5-6 sessions a week. He really likes these round of drills and tells me he’s feeling more power. You’ll see he’s changed up his stance a bit. He made that change naturally while working through the drills. Thanks Joey looking forward to your feedback!” – Peter (Mon, Jul 16, 2018)
After sharing these particular hit training “marching orders”, Peter said this…
“Thanks Joey, great feedback and analysis as always. The great part is that I’m also learning from you as we continue along. As I was getting ready to send you the last video I was seeing a lot of what you discussed in your analysis; keeping the shoulder angle and showing numbers to landing, and the top hand coming off way too soon. But I was struck by the consistency with his swing, every one had good barrel angle at landing, head movement after landing is way down and as you mentioned you can really see a much more confident swing! Thanks again Joey, we couldn’t be happier! Looking forward to getting back at it! Talk again in a few weeks!” – Peter (Thursday, Jul 19, 2018)
And finally, after sending the most recent “tippy top” hit training video analysis above to Ethan and Peter, and after asking permission to share that video with you all, Peter said this…
“Joey, absolutely, we’d be honored and he’ll be so excited. It’s funny because I was also going to send you a note today. We did the taking the slack out drill for the first time yesterday, ran through it doing break it apart and then we always finish up our sessions with about 30 soft toss balls. The first soft toss ball he did it beautifully and he just says “oh wow”, I asked him if he felt the difference and his eyes light up and he says “oh yeah, I crushed it but didn’t even feel the ball it just jumped off the bat.” Thanks for everything Joey! Looking forward to seeing the blog post!” – Peter (Wednesday, September 5, 2018)
Unlock Consistent Power: Tailored Feedback for Your Hitter
Get personalized, step-by-step feedback on your hitter’s swing with The Feedback Lab. Backed by science and tailored for fast improvements, watch your athlete hit harder and smarter in no time!
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Get-Maximum-Efficiency-From-Your-Online-Hitting-Lessons-This-Mechanics-Analysis-Program.png450800Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-10-26 09:30:552022-11-08 05:37:54Online Hitting Lessons Mechanics Analysis Program For Baseball Or Softball Swing | Increase Bat Speed & Hit For More Power With Remote Instruction
Learn how to increase power by hitting a baseball or softball better, farther, and harder. Discover how in this Babe Ruth swing mechanics analysis.
Baseball Hitting Drills For Power That Babe Ruth WOULD BE Talking About
Babe Ruth post impact…notice he’s not ‘squashing the bug’ with his back foot? 😉 Photo courtesy: ABCNews.com
This baseball hitting drills for power video post, featuring Babe Ruth, was recorded on Jun 11, 2013 for my old hitting site Swing Smarter Baseball Hitting Drills dot com (not online anymore). I’m going to revisit the information in this post because…
The coaching cues I teach now are a bit different, but what hasn’t changed are the human movement principles brought to light in the analysis. Since I created the video, it’s amassed over 151K views on YouTube.
Probably more now that you’re reading this. And by the way, the baseball hitting drills for power tips we’ll be covering work REALLY well for softball players too.
Don’t believe me?
CLICK HERE for a recent post I did discussing how similar the baseball and softball swings are. Be sure to read some of the comments at the end of the post, where I asked my readers who coach softball players, to share how these same human movement principles are working for their girls.
In this baseball hitting drills for power post, we’ll REVISIT and ADD information to the above video:
What Forward Momentum looks like in Babe Ruth’s swing,
How The Babe uses the Springy ‘X’ Pattern, and
Compare how WR holding Shot Putter Ulf Timmerman uses the same human movement principles…
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Baseball Hitting Drills For Power: What Forward Momentum Looks like in Babe Ruth’s Swing
I mention a few things in the video…
How The Babe seemingly throws his body (or hips) forward, making an aggressive move towards the pitched ball.
This looks very similar to a pitcher falling down the mound.
There was no ‘push off’ with his back leg, just a natural fall forward with his front leg catching him at stride landing.
In the above video, I also mention, how Babe Ruth commits his body weight forward, similar to how we walk…
A person’s body weight is shifted forward to the swing through leg, as the heel approaches the ground.
Unlike a cat taking a tentative step forward as if the ground is going to give way, we don’t walk by ‘sitting back’ at every step forward.
We walk more like dogs! Committing forward with EVERY step.
And this is WHY we shouldn’t be teaching hitters to ‘Sit back’ when hitting. Unless of course, you want to create timid and defensive swinging hitters that WILL reach a ceiling at the lower levels.
Now, using this same Babe Ruth style fall is where baseball hitting drills for power semi-fork away from fastpitch softball hitters.
Because of a shortened pitching distance and reaction time, we’ll see forward momentum look more like Lauren Chamberlain’s shifting foot pressure in the following video:
In this video, she starts super wide with her feet, but you’ll see her shift her weight back, then forward (watch her body move away from the grounded heavy bag behind her).
This is still a form of Forward Momentum. Just more tailored for a fastpitch hitting strategy.
In the above Babe Ruth video, I mention Un-Weighting, or the Un-Weighting Principle.
CLICK HERE for an HPL video demonstrating a test I use to get my hitters ‘buying into’ Forward Momentum benefits.
The bottom line with forward momentum is that it increases a hitter’s reaction time by giving them a head start.
It’s easier to change planes of motion when you’re already moving…rather than standing still like purely rotational hitters.
Does it take more energy to push a car when it’s already moving, or at a dead stop?
We want effortless power, NOT a powerless effort.
Are you concerned about too much head movement?
Check out these FOUR posts that address that issue:
Swing Study reveals how tens of thousands of hitters are adding 40-feet to batted ball distance by using one simple strategy.
Click the button below to access the FREE video that's been downloaded over 30K times!!
CLICK HERE for an HPL post talking about the science of tension/compression forces in the body, known as fascia.
CLICK HERE for another HPL post analyzing the swing of Adrian Gonzalez highlighting the Springy ‘X’ Pattern.
I call this piece of my hitting system the Catapult Loading System. This online video mini-course teaches exactly how to manipulate springy fascia for repeatable power.
Here’s one of my favorite YouTube interviews with Thomas Myers, who does a GREAT job explaining the role of springy fascia in the body, so the Layman understands:
Thomas Myers authored the book Anatomy Trains, which I highly recommend as a MUST read to anyone serious about teaching hitting. The information in his book holds the key to how hitting will be taught 5 years from now. BELIEVE IT.
Watch how Josh Donaldson manipulates the Springy ‘X’ Pattern. Photo courtesy: YouTuber PastimeAthletics & PicPlayHost
There a couple baseball hitting drills for power points I’ve recently changed, when teaching hitting, different from the information in the Babe Ruth video above (thanks Lee Comeaux for pointing these out)…
#1 – I don’t focus on the shoulders facilitating the Springy ‘X’ Pattern anymore, but the armpits (view Josh Donaldson RED ‘X’ image to the right). This is where, as Thomas Myers puts it, the Front Arm Fascial Line passes through connecting bottom of the left hand and arm, across the chest, to the bottom of the right hand and arm.
#2 – Notice how Babe Ruth seems to be ‘hunched’ over from the start of his swing into loading the Springy ‘X’ Pattern? Dr. Kelly Starrett calls this global flexion of the spine. This allows the spine to decompress. In his book The Spinal Engine, Dr. Serge Gracovetsky talks about this ‘hunched’ posture as the Posterior Ligamentous System (PLS) turning on, which acts like a harness supporting the spine under load. There’s less muscle activation when this happens. Think about a fishing rod bending under the weight and energy of a fish catching bait. This keeps the spine vertebrae safe through torsion forces.
PLEASE NOTE: the hitter still MUST show numbers and get a slight downward shoulder angle, but we’re using a better coaching cue to get the mechanical outcome.
Compare How WR Holding Shot Putter Ulf Timmermann uses the Same Movement Principles
Ulf Zimmermann holds the World Record in the Shot Put using the Glide technique.
Check out his World Record throw on September 22nd, 1985 at a distance of 22.62 meters (about 25 yards):
What a BEAST! By the way, that iron cannonball he just tossed, almost the quarter length of a football field, weighs 16-pounds!!
Three eerily similar baseball hitting drills for power tips you’ll find with Ulf Timmermann’s record breaking ‘Glide’ technique and Babe Ruth’s swing are:
Ulf Timmermann gets his weight aggressively moving forward with a combination of back leg push off and front leg ‘reaching’ momentum. What Ulf does with his front leg is similar to a Broad Jumper using their arms to build momentum before a jump.
You also see Ulf Timmermann employing the same Springy ‘X’ Pattern, however more extreme than The Babe (track his compressed armpit and opposing hip). Ulf is more extreme with the ‘turn in’ because Babe Ruth still has to keep his eyes forward to hit a ball coming towards him, whereas Ulf has the freedom to look away from his target.
You also see both Ulf and The Babe ‘getting shorter’ before exploding rotationally (compare knee bend). They’re both using Ground Reaction Forces very well.
CLICK HERE for a baseball hitting drills for power video post I did outlining the ‘Back Eye Test’, so hitters don’t turn in too much, like Ulf.
'Add 40-Feet' To Batted Ball Distance
Swing Study reveals how tens of thousands of hitters are adding 40-feet to batted ball distance by using one simple strategy.
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A Couple Interesting Tid-Bits from YouTube Video Comments
“Excellent video. I recommend everyone read The Year Babe Ruth Hit 104 Home Runs. You will be even more amazed with his achievements.” – YouTube user: Gto1927
One commenter said this video shows why The Babe hit for so much power, but also struck out A LOT. However, Baseball-Reference.com puts Babe Ruth’s 162-game batting average at .342 with 86 strikeouts per year. How about Chris “Crush” Davis? Same numbers: .255 BA & 200 K’s/year. I don’t think The Babe struck out that much…what do you think? 😉
In this case study, learn about a youth softball player who would have pinching lower back pain while swinging a bat, if she kept swinging like this. Discover how to fix the cause of lower back stress fractures (pars), Sciatica nerve pain, and Spondylolysis.
Get Rid Of “C-Shape Impact” Once And For All
Look at the difference in Lauryn’s body shape BEFORE, image on the left hand side (C-Shape Impact), and AFTER, image on the right hand side, using the Hunched Posture 24-hours later. Photo courtesy of Brian (dad).
With consent of Dad (Brian – Thank you), I wanted to share Feedback Session #4 (of 12) of Lauryn, who’s 11 years old…oh yeah, her consent was given too (Thanks LB!) 😀
She’s been a part of my online lesson program The Feedback Lab, since October 17th, 2016. It’s also interesting to note, her current Ball Exit Speed personal record is 66-mph at 11yo!
First, I want to say how much of a hard worker she is, and has been consistently progressing with each Feedback Session. I also want to say how supportive dad (and mom) are in all this process, and I can clearly tell dad is instilling a “Growth Mindset” in Lauryn, which is what Dr. Carol Dweck discusses in her bestselling book Mindset – a highly recommended read by the way.
A supportive parenting environment, and a Growth Mindset make my job easy and most importantly, rewarding. I say this because some may think these changes are ALL me, but I’m only shining a light down a dark path, it’s the player and parents who have to follow through, and God knows this process IS NOT easy.
The below video was the frustrating session #4 for Lauryn, which goes into:
The ‘Pat’ – “pat on the back”, or what Lauryn progressed on mechanically, and
The ‘Pop’ – “pop in the mouth”, or what Lauryn will be working on in the coming weeks.
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PLEASE NOTE: to those fast-pitch softball coaches who take offense to me using Josh Donaldson as a swing example for Lauryn, I used Sierra Romero in the past few sessions – so get off my back! 😛 lol
In following, I only wanted to highlight one specific part of Lauryn’s hitting homework, the Reverse C-Shape at impact, her body illustrates in the image above. For lefties the C-Shape Impact looks like a normal ‘C’. This was a concern for dad before I did the above this Feedback Session #4.
CLICK HERE for a post I did on the Snapping Towel Drill, where I posted an image of one of my 13yo baseball hitters in this same position with a little more explanation of what the C-Shape is. In the main video above and in this post, I wanted to offer up another more effective fix than the Snapping Towel Drill…
The Hunched Posture, if you look at the above image of Lauryn on the left, her abdominals are stretching, which indicates the low back could possibly be in hyper-extension…not good. This is not adhering to the One-Joint Rule discussed in this post.
The answer can be found in what Gymnastics refer to as the Hollow Hold Position:
Here was the corrective programming homework I gave Lauryn:
Week 1: 1 set X 20-30 secs hold,
Week two: 1 set X 30-40 secs hold,
Week three: 2 sets X 30 secs hold, and
Week four: 2 sets X 45 secs hold
…Do every other day.
The keys with this move is constantly applying pressure into the ground with the low back, and rounding the shoulders forward to create a ‘spoon’ or ‘hollow’ position with the chest.
This helps with pelvic control (rotating the pelvis to posterior), stabilizes the low back, and is KILLER for the abs – in a good way.
Look at the following three hitters and tell me what shape their spine starts in…
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Sadaharu Oh (868 Career Dingers in Japanese Baseball Leagues):
The Hollow Pinch Drill
The drill steps go like this…
Hitter pinches their belly button to their belt buckle,
Hold from stance to start of swing, and even into follow through.
Once they get it, they won’t let go of it. My hitters report back their feelings that the Hollow Pinch:
“Just feels better”,
“Helps show numbers and downhill shoulder angle”, and most importantly,
“My back feels nothing while swinging” (a good thing! lol).
And like in Lauryn’s case, we see a much more effective impact position less than 24-hours later. Go easy on those pitchers out there Lauryn 😛 lol
Unlock Consistent Power: Tailored Feedback for Your Hitter
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https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Warning-This-Youth-Softball-Players-Swing-Could-Lead-To-Pinching-Lower-Back-Pain-How-To-Fix.png423800Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-10-24 09:00:582022-10-26 22:53:03Youth Softball Player Pinching Lower Back Pain While Swinging Bat: How To Fix Stress Fracture, Sciatica Nerve, & Spondylolysis
I’ve been tracking the above swings cues for some time now, and I’ve found in a majority of cases, they seem to churn out one low back ticking time 💣 swing after another. When I see one of these swings on Twitter, it’s like listening to grinding teeth, someone’s fat lips smacking while eating, or nails on a chalkboard.
Let me show you what I’m seeing…
Compilation of low backs exploding…
How do I know the above hitters were instructed with the coaching cues in question?
These were the hitters on proud display via the Twitter page of the above instructor’s name I blurred out! Now, he’s not alone in this. Many others like him are following the same blind mouse.
Btw, it wasn’t hard to find ANY of these swings…I found them in a matter of minutes. And to be fair, not ALL this instructor’s hitters were doing this, but close to a majority.
Here’s one more clear swing example, one of my readers Shawn Bell shared after seeing the video above…
Focus on nothing else but her lower back…OUCH!
Fact: hitting cues have consequences. When we teach a hitter to take focus away from basic locomotion and gait principles, and put it squarely on manipulating the “forearms” or the “barrel”, young hitters will have a higher probability of wearing a hole in their low back than not.
“Unload your barrel not your body”…
AND,
“The forearms swing the bat. The body helps”…
…are misleading at best, and not having a clue as to what drives ALL human movement. And these instructors routinely call this a High Level Pattern (HLP). Sad. All I see are low backs grinding. To me, this is a Low Level Pattern (LLP), disastrous to young moving bodies, built on a stale straw man argument, losing sight of the forest for the trees, and chasing a sunset running east.
And most importantly, this low back ticking time 💣 IS NOT found in the REAL High Level Pattern. I challenge you to find me at least one who does this…and if you find one, I’d love to dig into his or her history of injury.
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Normal lordosis of spine (natural low back curve – “neutral” spine), left hand side image. And hyperextended lordosis (or arching) of spine, right hand side image.
Arching causes the vertebrae in the spine to push together. This isn’t damaging by itself especially when done in global extension (think gymnast swinging forward under the bar), but adding in a little rotation over and over and over, and we have a low back ticking time 💣.
The REAL High Level Pattern (RHLP) is driven by the spinal engine. Basic principles of locomotion and walking gait. I would feel MUCH better reversing the two quoted coaching cues above to read…
“Unload your body not your barrel”…
AND,
“The body swings the bat. The forearm helps”…
This is a RHLP. As Dr. Serge Gracovetsky (Physicist and Electrical Engineer), author of The Spinal Engine book says:
“The arms and legs aren’t necessary for locomotion. They’re an enhancement.“
Do you want proof to validate this statement? Watch this… (Thanks again Shawn Bell for the giphy)
…The gentleman in the above video is from one of Dr. Serge Gracovetsky’s movement experiments. He was born WITHOUT arms and legs. The crazy part is, if you block out his black shorts with your hand, and look at the way he moves and locomotes, you’d swear this man has legs.
The low back ticking time 💣 risk hiding in your swing can be found in using “forearm” and “barrel” focused cues. The proof is in the almost dozen swings I found in the matter of minutes on Hitting Twitter.
And if you still don’t agree, then here’s one of my other favorite quotes from the author of Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand…
“You can avoid reality, but you can’t avoid the consequences of avoiding reality”.
So, What’s the Answer?
A safe AND effective swing. If we’re ruining lower backs, then how effective is effective? Here’s a clue, instead of arching the low back, what happens if we do the opposite (flexing v. extending)?
I’m glad you asked! Think about flexing the lower back as putting space between the 5 vertebrae located there. This keeps the body from putting a death squeeze on the squishy and lubricating material between the vertebrae (cartilage and synovial fluid). It makes the spine SAFE for rotation. You got it, NO MORE LOW BACK TICKING TIME 💣’s!!!
So how do we protect our hitters and build a SAFE and Effective Swing?
Think of your pelvis like a bowl of water. Now, imagine a “Donald Duck” butt, where you’re sticking your butt back (arching low back – Dr. Kelly Starrett in his book Becoming A Supple Leopard refers to this as “Nasty Stripper Pose”). For the kinesiology nerds out there, this is an anterior pelvic tilt – spilling water on your toes. This IS NOT a good pelvic position when swinging a bat or throwing a ball.
Now, doing the opposite, imagine that same bowl of pelvis water in a posterior pelvic tilt, or Pink Panther butt, think about spilling water on your heels.
I have some cues you can use with your hitters, and a couple Hitting Performance Lab resource posts to reference…
Cue/Metaphor: Imagine your a scared dog putting your tail between your legs…
Cue/Metaphor: Take and pinch your belt buckle and belly button together from start to end of swing (think Hunter Pence or Barry Bonds)
Detect & Correct Hitting Blueprint coaches, here’s how to spot it…locking out the back knee at and after impact, arching low back, body creating a reverse ‘C’ for righty, or regular ‘C’ shape for lefty. What’s happening is brain is attempting to protect low back by tightening quad and rear butt cheek. This is okay, but not the best way. Train the Psoas located in the lower abdominal.
How to train the lower abdominal (Psoas) to hold the pelvis in posterior pelvic tilt while rotational G-Forces are produced in the body…
The Hollow Hold…
If you’re one of those LLP instructors, and still aren’t convinced…PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE for the love of God…at least strengthen your hitter’s in the Hollow Hold. I’m tired of seeing all the low back ticking time 💣’s waiting to go off. You’ve been WARNED.
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This post is dedicated to a great friend of mine and fellow baseball coach that we lost to a brain aneurysm on Monday… (my Facebook post):
“Words cannot express my deep sadness today upon hearing of my good friend and fantastic coach Sam Flores’s passing yesterday. He had no idea he was in a fight for his life – and would lose it – driving to the hospital with his family. So young. So tragic. My family and I ran into him at Costco 4 short weeks ago where we had a brief catch up on life and a big hug…you just don’t know when someone’s time is up. Hug your loved ones today, keep them close, and realize God is in control, not us. We love you Sam, and send my BIGGEST thoughts and prayers to your family as they go through the tragic mourning of your passing. The valley lost a wonderful Father, Husband, Friend, and ultimately a brilliant Coach. RIP my good buddy you will be missed (breaks my heart to see that little kiddo of yours) 😢😢😢“
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/lordosis-of-spine.jpg320400Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-10-20 09:30:162022-10-25 05:04:22Pinching Lower Back Pain Stress Fracture From Youth Players Swinging Baseball Or Softball Bat At 14 Years Old
Discover how to teach a kid to hit for power by hitting a baseball, fast pitch, and slow pitch softball better, farther, and harder with the Catapult Loading System.
Why I Teach Hitters To ‘Show Numbers’ (And Maybe You Should Too)
Question: How does ‘Showing Numbers’ to the Pitcher Effect Bat Speed at Impact versus ‘NOT Showing’ them?
Aaron Judge (Showing Numbers), unloads a solo home run to center field on 10/17/17 to put the Yankees on the board in the 7th inning.
Using the Zepp (Labs) Baseball app, I wanted to use the Scientific Method to analyze if a hitter showing their numbers to the pitcher at landing adds to or takes away from keyswing performance metrics like Bat Speed at Impact, Time To Impact, and Attack Angle. This swing experiment is revisiting two other experiments done analyzing the same thing.
Background Research
Since we’re REVISITING two previous swing experiments on ‘Showing Numbers’ versus NOT, here are the original posts and data to get you up to speed:
Now, let’s see how the Ball Exit Speed averages compare:
76.02-mph BES when ‘NOT Showing Numbers’,
77.32-mph BES when ‘Showing Numbers’,
That’s a 1.3-mph average INCREASE when ‘Showing Numbers’, and
Translates between 5.2-feet to 7.8-feet of EXTRA batted ball distance – depending on if you calculate using 1-mph BES = 4-feet of distance OR 1-mph BES = 6-feet of distance.
In this experiment, if you look at the ‘NOT Showing Numbers’ swings, they were actually ‘Showing Numbers’. In other words, the subject in the swing experiment, Preston Scott, already shows his numbers well causing a challenge to not show them. Therefore on the ‘Showing Numbers’ swings, he showed them more. I think that’s why we didn’t see as much of a difference in Ball Exit Speeds.
In 2014 ‘Show Numbers’ swing experiment, this was what the averaged out Zepp data looked like:
Bat speed for NOT showing numbers at landing: 73-mph,
Bat speed for showing numbers at landing: 79-mph (+6-mph),
Highest bat speed for NOT showing numbers at landing: 82-mph,
Highest bat speed for showing numbers at landing: 88-mph (+6-mph),
Hand speed max for NOT showing numbers was: 27-mph, and
Hand speed max for showing numbers was: 29-mph (+2-mph).
Between both swing experiments, we saw an average Bat Speed at Impact increase between 5 to 6-mph. In 2016 we saw a .003 second drop in Time To Impact ‘Showing Numbers’, while in 2014 we saw a .003 increase.
The research on increasing bat or ball exit speed can be seen in the following two books on springy fascia and spinal engine mechanics:
For those versed in Anatomy, for explosive movement on the Transverse Plane (twisting), there must be a protraction of the front scapula (‘showing numbers’), and a retraction of the back Scapula (what’s often referred to as ‘Scap Row’). Scap Rowing by itself doesn’t engage full range of springy fascia.
Hypothesis
Based on the above research, I’m expecting to see a dramatic bump in Bat Speed at Impact, Hand Speed Max, and possibly a reduction in Time To Impact. I think Attack Angle and Bat Vertical Angle at Impact will remain unchanged.
'Add 40-Feet' To Batted Ball Distance
Swing Study reveals how tens of thousands of hitters are adding 40-feet to batted ball distance by using one simple strategy.
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This is the SwingAway Bryce Harper model hitting station used for the ‘Showing Numbers’ experiment.
Zepp Baseball app (to measure Bat Speed, Hand Speed, Time to Impact, & Attack Angle),
SwingAway Bryce Harper model hitting station,
GS6 android phone to record swings, and
33 inch bamboo bat.
Setup:
SwingAway Bryce Harper bungy suspended ball was set equal to the landing foot, and ball height was about knee height.
I broke each swing down into three steps: 1) Get to landing, 2) Pause for 2-secs, and 3) Swing. The reason for this was to better control whether I was showing numbers or not.
The two tests in the swing experiment were counter-balanced. Which consisted of eight blocks of 25-swings done in the following order ABBA BAAB. ‘Showing Numbers’ was letter ‘A’, and ‘NOT Showing Numbers’ was letter ‘B’. 200 total swings were completed in the experiment, 100 per test. Counter-balancing helps remove the “getting tired” and “warm up” factors.
The ‘Showing Numbers’ swing shoulders were set to about 2’o’clock, if pitcher is 12’o’clock. The ‘NOT Showing Numbers’ swing shoulders were set to about 12’o’clock.
Data Collected from Zepp Baseball App:
Data Analysis & Conclusion
Zepp data analysis comparing the averages:
Bat Speed at ImpactINCREASE of 3-mph ‘Showing Numbers’,
Hand Speed Max DECREASE of 1-mph ‘Showing Numbers’,
Time To Impact INCREASE of 0.014 ‘Showing Numbers’,
Bat Vertical Angle At Impact DECREASE of 4-degree ‘Showing Numbers’, and
Attack Angle INCREASE of 6-degrees ‘Showing Numbers’.
The drop from previous ‘Showing Numbers’ swing experiments was surprising, in addition to a small 1-mph drop in Hand Speed Max. There was also a slight increase in Time To Impact. The interesting numbers were the ones that indicate Launch Angles, both Bat Vertical Angle at Impact and Attack Angle. We hadn’t experienced such a dramatic uptick in those in past experiments.
A couple notes…
The past two experiments were done in a cage, off a tee, so I could see ball flight, and maybe that had an effect on the swing metrics.
Some hitting coaches speak highly of Time To Impact and want to reduce at all cost, but I disagree. There’s a healthy range for that, you don’t want it too short or too long. I’m not going to get into why here, maybe in another post.
To explain the dramatic increase of the barrel’s upward trajectory in ‘Showing Numbers’, I may have been getting more of a downward shoulder angle at landing.
'Add 40-Feet' To Batted Ball Distance
Swing Study reveals how tens of thousands of hitters are adding 40-feet to batted ball distance by using one simple strategy.
Click the button below to access the FREE video that's been downloaded over 30K times!!
https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/aaron-judge-showing-numbers.jpg295700Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-10-20 09:00:262023-09-16 05:29:03Teach Kid To Hit For Power By Hitting Baseball Or Softball Better, Farther, & Harder With Catapult Loading System
Discover baseball and softball athletes can sprint short distance and run the bases faster in a week with David Weck’s ‘head over foot’ technique and ‘pulsers’. Learn how to do rotational core, speed, and power body-weight exercises and drills at home.
The Biggest Lie In Teaching Hitters How To Run Faster & Move Better
The purpose of this post:
How to make hitters faster, and
How to apply David Weck’s “Head Over Foot” technique and “Pulsers” to hitters?
Most sprint coaches will teach athletes to get faster by using a “braced core” (instead of a Coiling Core), and “hip to lip” arm action. This is DEAD WRONG, and one of the biggest lies in teaching athletes to run faster and move better. These coaches aren’t understanding the basics of human locomotion. Consider the following…
How to Make Hitters Faster
Here are a few notes from the video above:
To balance on one foot most effectively, we need head over “ground” foot. Try balancing on one foot bending spine and head far outside or inside ground foot. You can probably balance, but not as effectively as head over foot. Under the body’s “plum line”.
We want the forces transferring cleanly throughout body. When you don’t land balanced (head over foot), compensation is the end result. Back pain has been linked to head not being over foot.
Watch this Facebook video from David Weck looking at how the runner moves “head over foot”, and side bends while stealing second (You can also CLICK HERE to see an interview I did with David Weck here)…
Which brings me to how to train this. CLICK HERE for a Facebook video post where David Weck explains the how of his sprint “Pulsers”. And CLICK HERE to get the “ProPulse Speed Trainers” at The Starting Lineup Store.
How to Apply David Weck’s “Head Over Foot” Technique or “Pulsers” to Hitting
Do you consider yourself a think-outside-of-the-box type of person? Please sound off in the Comments below, on how you can apply this technique or Pulsers with your hitters (thanks in advance!!)…
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https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Sprint-Short-Distance-And-Run-Bases-Faster-In-A-Week-For-Baseball-Softball-Athletes-Rotational-Core-Speed-Power-Body-Weight-Exercises-Done-At-Home.jpg360480Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-10-18 09:45:232024-07-20 23:07:58Sprint Short Distance And Run Bases Faster In A Week For Baseball & Softball Athletes | Rotational Core, Speed, & Power Body-Weight Exercises Done At Home
![Buster Posey VIDEO: Not ALL In The Hips [Experiment]](https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/buster-posey-showing-number-compare.png)
, I wanted to use the Scientific Method to analyze whether Buster Posey’s hips OR spinal mechanics is what increases bat speed.
, and Thomas Myers’s book 
), says the lower back can rotate no more than 7-degrees. So according to the experts, 7 to 12-degrees is a good rotational range for the Lumbar section of the spine. That’s NOTHING compared to the 40-degrees of rotation – in each direction – of the middle and upper back section of the spine (which includes shoulders).
, Dr. Serge Gracovetsky:
, which I highly recommend as a MUST read to anyone serious about teaching hitting. The information in his book holds the key to how hitting will be taught 5 years from now. BELIEVE IT.
, Dr. Serge Gracovetsky talks about this ‘hunched’ posture as the Posterior Ligamentous System (PLS) turning on, which acts like a harness supporting the spine under load. There’s less muscle activation when this happens. Think about a fishing rod bending under the weight and energy of a fish catching bait. This keeps the spine vertebrae safe through torsion forces.
. You will be even more amazed with his achievements.” – YouTube user: Gto1927
– a highly recommended read by the way.
book says:
, Ayn Rand…
refers to this as “Nasty Stripper Pose”). For the kinesiology nerds out there, this is an anterior pelvic tilt – spilling water on your toes. This IS NOT a good pelvic position when swinging a bat or throwing a ball.
, by Thomas Myers, and
, by Dr. Serge Gracovetsky.
