Learn how to teach perfect line drive science-based swing mechanics to baseball and softball beginners at the Hitting Performance Lab…
Baseball Hitting Tips For Youth: Can We Teach One Swing To ALL Hitters?
This is Part-3 of a 3-part baseball hitting tips for youth video series coming straight out of the Pitch-Plane Dominator online video mini-course…
Sick of struggling to reduce your hitters ground balls, swing and miss strikeouts, and non-productive weak fly balls?This simple 4-Step online video mini-course (7-modules total) will help hitters weighing less than 100-pounds, barrel the ball more consistently. Dramatically decrease ground balls, strikeouts, and weak fly balls (no matter the pitch location or speed) by applying human movement rules validated by science.
If you haven’t already, then CLICK the Link below to…
Part 3 – [You Are Here] Baseball Hitting Tips For Youth: Discover The One-Swing-Fits-All Secret
“The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
I received the following reader question:
“Do you believe in one swing fits all hitters?”
In this baseball hitting tips for youth video post, we’ll:
Define ‘one-swing-fits-all’,
Reveal a human movement formula, and
Talk about how Principles are like bowling “bumpers”.
Before you get your panties in a bunch, let’s…
Define ‘One-Swing-Fits-All’
Is there truly a ‘one-swing-fits-all’ baseball hitting tips for youth hitting approach?
Most baseball or softball hitting savants will tell you that you can’t mold every hitter into cookie cutter mechanics.
But I’m here to tell those people,
You’re WRONG.
DEAD wrong.
Look, I know this will piss some people off.
And it may sound like I’m setting the hitting community back 4-decades for saying it.
But hear me out,
I’m not talking about messing with a hitter’s “style”…
Babe Ruth’s unique feet together position pre-pitch….OR
Joe Morgan’s ‘chicken-wing’ back elbow…OR
The patented Kevin Youkilis dainty hand grip position pre-swing (pictured above).
Here’s what I’m saying,
Hitting is quite frankly…
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What are the baseball hitting tips for youth clues hitters like Joey Votto are leaving behind for us to model?
Or better yet, what natural forces on the planet empower him to be such a tough out, while also hitting the ball consistently harder than others?
Let’s revisit the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote from above:
“The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.”
A ‘one-swing-fits-all’ hitting approach has to do with, “The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods”.
Think of ‘methods’ as the hitting drill or movement being practiced. And the ‘principle’ as the objective that that hitting drill is based upon.
What baseball hitting tips for youth principles govern human movement, are validated by science, and are clues that are left behind by hitters, like Joey Votto, who effectively dominate the Pitch-Plane?
Think of these baseball hitting tips for youth human movement principles, or “rules”, as bowling bumpers.
Whenever we teach a ‘one-swing-fits-all’ approach, be careful that you’re not to mess with a hitter’s style.
HOWEVER, what does NEED to be analyzed is whether the hitter is using the myriad of principles mentioned above. These are the “bumpers”.
When analyzing any hitter…male OR female…Little Leaguer OR professional,
We need to know whether Johnny or Sally are applying Ground Reaction Forces (or GRF’s) properly. Are they loading and unloading their body correctly? Are they using rotation and anti-rotation forces effectively? Are they moving their spine in a way that’s safe, but also optimizes the body’s energy transfer?
This is where I believe in a ‘One-Swing-Fits-All’ hitters. It has NOTHING to do with a hitter’s style, and MORE to do with a hitter’s use of naturally occurring forces on the planet.
If you aren’t teaching the swing between these ‘bumpers’, then you’ll be left far behind. And most certainly will your hitters.
Grab 'Finger Pressure' Video
Frustrated with fixing BAT DRAG? Beat it!
Swing Study reveals how majority of hitters are correcting 'racing back elbow' bat drag within 1-2 weeks WITHOUT overhauling swing mechanics OR buying fancy and expensive hitting aids.
Click button below to access FREE video that has been downloaded over 20K times!
7 reasons WHY we need a better standard of measure,
Who are you modeling? And WHY? And,
5 gold standard criteria keys for a high level swing…
This post started when I entered into a discussion with a gentleman on YouTube that asked me, “Who is your swing model?”
And I feel this is an outstanding question. Leading me to the success you experience is directly related to the quality of questions you ask. And, we must note that success leaves clues. So, if we ask better questions, then the answer to what swing to model will bubble to the top. And let me be clear, I don’t care if people disagree with me.
Quite the contrary. However, ‘willful ignorance’ among coaches debating which swing to model is a pandemic online, and most of the time, misguided – or unguided – thinking is the driver. The standard of measure hitting criteria I routinely read online is, “I only study elite hitters” (said in the most condescending tone you can imagine).
WTFudge does that mean!!!?
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Define your criteria please. That statement is too subjective to be useful to ANYONE. I think this explains why so many confused online people online say, “You can’t teach hitters a cookie cutter system because every hitters is different.” This individual DOES NOT have a clue as to how human movement principles work…or that there are such things!!
Here’s a clue…ALL explosive human movements originate from a set of working principles that cannot be broken (as long as you’re on earth).
Whether you’re a hitter, pitcher, Hammer Thrower, Olympic Diver, or Acrobat.
Otherwise, we’re all just taking a stab in the dark at what we personally feel is a good swing. Picking out a good swing isn’t like what US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said about pornography in 1964, “I know it when I see it.”
Again, success leaves clues. There’s a recipe for optimal swing movement, and if you choose to be willfully ignorant about that fact, then consider this…
…quote by Atlas Shrugged author Ayn Rand (and thanks Bob Hall for sharing):
“You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.”
“I meet individuals who are eager to share their views on science despite the fact that they have never done an experiment. They have never tested an idea for themselves, using their own hands, or seen the results of that test, using their own eyes, and they have never thought carefully about what those results mean for the idea they are testing, using their own brain. To these people “science” is a monolith, a mystery, and an authority, rather than a method.”
7 Reasons WHY We NEED a Better Standard of Measure with Hitting…
Information Overload – where does one start their quest for hitting truth when everyone and their mother has a YouTube channel? In other words, how do we cut through the white noise?
Playing Experience Fallacy – do we listen to the ex-professional hitter because he/she played at a higher level? Let me give you a clue...“Doing a thing and understanding a thing do not automatically qualify you to teach a thing.” – Dan Farnsworth
OCD Analysis Fallacy – do we listen to the Obsessive Compulsive humanoid who studies ‘only the most elite hitters’ for 25 hours a day, everyday? Here’s another clue…it depends on who they’re studying because guess what, some elite hitters succeed despite ineffective mechanics, NOT because of them.
The 30+ Year Coach Fallacy – do we listen to the coach who makes it known they have over 30 years of coaching experience? Here’s even another clue…most likely this coach has the same year of coaching experience, repeated 29+ years.
Willful Ignorance – Old thought patterns die hard. Getting into it with these people is just mental gymnastics. Take it from me, take scissors and cut your loses. Nobody will ever change their mind. They’re bitter human beings who feel the need to gain significance from heated confrontation, and might I say, putting people and their ideas down – despite reality staring them in the face! (revisit Ayn Rand ‘avoiding reality’ quote above)
Upsetting the Church of Baseball/Softball – Debating the swing DOES NOT have to resemble discussing politics and religion. I mentioned this already.
The Sweet Spot – nowadays there’s so much quality information, easy expert access, and new technology that it makes cutting through the white noise so much easier. We just need a better standard of measure.
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Asking the ‘WHY’ is important, but a coach can still be misguided.
Here’s what I mean…
I had a Facebook reader tell me they modeled Miguel Cabrera’s closed landing foot because, as he somehow reasoned, is why Miggy gets outstanding plate coverage.
Wa??!
He also went on to name Barry Bonds, Tony Gwynn, and Pete Rose also landing closed and that’s why they had outstanding plate coverage.
Argument looks believable, right?
It’s a straw man argument though – let me tell you why…
This is a classic case of correlation not equalling causation.
Meaning, this reader believed a closed landing front foot EQUALS outstanding plate coverage…it’s misguided thinking. Looks good on paper, but doesn’t work on the battlefield.
I’d actually argue the opposite.
And don’t get me wrong, Miguel Cabrera is one of my favorite big slugger swing models, but as you’ve already heard me say, !!!BE CAREFUL!!! because bigger hitters tend to succeed despite ineffective mechanics, NOT because of them.
Landing closed WILL:
Inhibit the turn of the pelvis (CLICK HERE for this Zepp swing experiment),
Make hitters more susceptible to fastballs inside and high in the strike zone,
NOT be what a majority of professional hitters even do (CLICK HERE where Chris Welch at ZenoLink explains his research in this), and
NOT maximize a hitters springy fascia (CLICK HERE for this post).
Landing closed is definitely an inferior mechanic, and is not how my handful of 12 and under hitters, weighing around 100-lbs, are frequently hitting the ball the length of a football field, in games.
The fact Barry Bonds, Tony Gwynn, and Pete Rose landed closed is irrelevant to the plate coverage argument.
Again, it’s misguided thinking.
The bottom line is this,
…these hitters did A LOT of other things effectively that DID enable them better plate coverage.
But I can tell you, after looking at the research, testing this stuff out on myself, and on my hitters, landing with a closed front foot DOES NOT empower a hitter with better plate coverage.
What did Ayn Rand say about the consequences of avoiding reality? 😛 lol
So, what is the Gold Standard Criteria I use to define an elite level swing?
5 Gold Standard Criteria Keys for a High Level Swing
You don’t need to have 5/5, but at least 3/5:
Smaller sluggers NO bigger than 6-foot tall, and weighing NO more than 215-pounds,
Hits for both power AND average,
Above average in key Metrics like: OPS, OPS+, HR/FB ratio, Line Drive%, Ball Exit Speed, Attack Angles, etc.,
Minimal, if zero, injuries caused by the swing over career (in other words, the swing MUST be safe for the hitter – thank you Lee Comeaux for this one),
Understanding that big sluggers may succeed with ineffective mechanics, NOT because of them.
Why smaller sluggers?
Because they MUST be highly effective to compete with the bigger sluggers because they have less to work with.
You Little League coaches can agree with me on this one…
Think about how much of a power advantage a 6-foot hitter has on the Little League diamond? Can I get an Amen on that?!
What’s more…
There are smaller sluggers that made my list that hit more home-runs, have higher average Ball Exit Speeds, and have higher average home-run distances than some of the high level big sluggers!!
So, what hitters do I suggest a coach model? Here is a non-exhaustive list:
These are not in any particular order, and not all are without blemish. Hitters of yesteryear tend to be cleaner with their swing movements, but I wanted to give examples you could look up on YouTube in slow-mo.
My favorite swing model of all these is Sadaharu Oh, who hit 868 dingers over a 22-year span standing in at a mere 5’10”, and weighing 173-pounds (CLICK HERE for a post I did on him).
And by the way, I’m not against the big sluggers, I love and often cite the following swings with my hitters:
However, any of this doesn’t do any bit of good if we don’t have a grasp of human movement principles first, before analyzing. This is methods without principles, and you’ll surely be misguided.
I use the analogy that human movement principles are like bumpers at the bowling alley. The path the ball takes down the lane, between the bumpers, MUST not concern us (the ‘path’ down the lane is what’s unique to a hitter). Just that the ball stays between them, and positive predictable results will come.
This is WHY we need a better standard of measure when choosing a swing model, not just saying “I know a good swing when I see one”.
Grab This FREE 'Timing Master Class' Video
Struggling to get your hitters ON-TIME in games? Discover HOW TO build effective laser-focused timing, so your hitters can be ON-TIME more often. These principles are validated by REAL science.
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https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/andrew-mccutchen-chin-in-chest-e1466735854812.jpg400500Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-12-13 09:30:412022-12-14 00:18:01Online Hitting Video Analysis Training Program For Baseball & Softball | Modeling Most Feared MLB Swings Of Modern Era
Baseball Bats MYTH Debunked: Discover The Back Foot Variance Drill Secret…
I wanted to share a couple things in this baseball bats myth debunked post…
An updated video of the Back Foot Variance Drill, and
A testimonial from one of my online lesson dads from Tennessee (I’m in California!).
Back Foot Variance Drill UPDATED
Since putting this baseball bats myth debunked drill together a few years ago, I’ve improved on it to reflect what the best are really doing. Here’s an outline of what we talk about in the above video:
Objective: to shift body-weight into ball and un-weight the back foot,
Squishing bug?
Variance Drill – fix hitters who skip too much v. not skipping, and
Options: skip backwards (scissoring).
SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:
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I prescribed the Back Foot Variance Drill to Lawrence (Jr.) back on July 9th, along with the Babe Ruth Drill (forward momentum), and the Snapping Towel Drill (angling the body back over the catcher during turn).
Before I show you a couple BEFORE/AFTER images of his swing, please read what dad emailed me…
“Joey
Wanted to sit down and let you and your readers know how much of an impact you make on players lives. The key is to listen and follow what you say.
First my background. I played at the Juco level, independent ball and amateur ball until i was 39. I pride myself on knowing the game and thought I was a pretty good hitter and taught hitting. I walked away with three amateur world series rings and no regrets on my playing career.
I have taught my son hitting since he was 4. As any parent has, I am proud of my son with probably some dad goggles on. But fact is he is a gifted physical specimen at 15, he is 6’1 and 175-lbs.
For this I’m just going to focus on the facts. He ran into some hitting issues I was having trouble correcting this Spring. But I know hitting, right? And my son still listens to me so I should be able to help him. But it was not happening, we both were getting frustrated. As a freshman he still hit over .300 in varsity. But something was off.
Then while researching, (yes people if you or your coach does not have a growth mindset do yourself a favor and go do something else.) I ran across you this Spring. After studying what you were saying and swallowing my pride I decided to have you give my son video lessons online.
Best thing I ever did for my son. We are only half way through the lessons taking our time to digest and work on what you have suggested, but here are the results. This after 3 months and 2 lessons…
My son exit velocity before you was 86-mph it now sits at 91-mph. He recently did a show case with perfect game. On the hitting metrics they use he is between the 93-98 percentile on all players they have seen. In batting practice he would routinely hit the ball 325-350 feet using wood or bbcore. He is now hitting balls in excess of 400 feet.
While taking batting practice on a high school field yesterday dimensions of 320 down the line and 370 to center he hit 16 out of 45 pitches out including 3 in excess of 400 feet. I sent you video of a game he played last night. To have you evaluate, that home-run was to dead center which was 360 feet. The ball was a line drive and landed in the road over 40 feet behind the fence.
Yes the catapult loading system works. He is hitting baseballs with a wood or bbcore bat at 2.5x his body weight. Using those bats and at his age is just as impressive as 3x body weight.
I mentioned before he is a big kid at 15. But he is still a kid, he has not begun to physically mature yet. He does not shave, no hair on chest, no definition of muscles. I fully expect to see within the year as he starts maturing he will be hitting baseballs over 500-ft. In three months working with you he has gained over 50 feet consistently. It now looks like he is on the little fields again taking bp.
Thank you for what you do and giving my son confidence moving forward, you helped a young man more than words I’m writing will ever be expressed.
Here is what he accomplished since we started using you. Named all world series team for the 15u babe ruth world series where his team finished second. Playing for 15u south east team Rawlings led team in batting average for the summer. That team went 6-1 in the wwba perfect game world series where he was named to the all tourney team.
Named all tourney to perfect game summer showdown as well. Before you he had played in three events with perfect game with no all tourney nominations. He has also been approached as a rising sophomore by a high level D1 head coach that is interested in him.
Thanks Joey for everything, and for not only being a great person to get to know, but being so knowledgeable on the scientific metrics on hitting.
All the best Lawrence Sutton”
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Thank YOU Lawrence for such a glowing baseball bats myth debunked testimonial. And thank you Junior for being such a respectful and coach-able student of the game. By the way, originally Lawrence (dad) left this as an UNSOLICITED message on my phone, and I asked him to put it down on virtual paper, so I could share it with you.
“In High School homers virtually disappear because of BBCor bats”,
“15yo High School hitters can’t hit balls in excess of 400-feet at 175-pounds”,
“Sure, your system may increase power, but it will be at the cost of Batting Average and Strikeouts”, and
“This kid is just a freak [or they may use the word ‘mutant’]”
All this is FAKE NEWS Coaches!!
The last one always makes me laugh…I say take me to VEGAS then, because I’m running into A LOT of mutants!! Buahahaha
And you know why homers “virtually disappear” with BBCor bats in High School?
Because many of these coaches are teaching their hitters to HIT THE BALL ON THE GROUND! Please STOP! It’s insane these coaches don’t want their offense to score more runs and win more games. Ground-balls SUCK for hitters! The reverse is true for pitchers by the way 😉
I have faith, “winners” will make the adjustment and not whine, complain, and come up with every excuse in the book as to why hitting the ball HARD IN THE AIR doesn’t work. Sad.
Boosting Ball Exit Speed and Launch Angles is a formula folks. With hard work, attention to detail, and dedication, more hitters can achieve what we’re sharing. The Catapult Loading System takes care of the former, and Pitch-Plane Domination the latter.
Here’s a BEFORE/AFTER image of Lawrence’s back foot skip (too much) on July 9th…
Lawrence’s feet are too close together in these swings…
Here’s a BEFORE/AFTER image of his August 25th 360-foot dinger…
This angle is a challenge, but use the catcher’s belt as a reference point to the back foot in both images. In addition, look at the gap between his feet.
Now, as you remember, we made three changes to Lawrence’s swing back in early July:
Increase forward momentum,
Create more space between his feet, and
Increase spinal tilt during the turn…
…so it’s hard to tell which one of these was THE ONE thing that made the biggest difference. My argument for the Back Foot Variance is this:
In past swing experiments, Forward Momentum hasn’t been shown to increase Bat Speed at Impact significantly.
Increasing spinal tilt is great, but doesn’t work if the hitter’s feet are close together – like a golfers.
The greater the distance between the feet (although not too much), the more consistent the hitter can get to the bottom half of the ball.
“Glenn Fleisig, an expert in the field of biomechanics, said the majority of hitters he’s studied transferred 90 percent of their weight to their front foot and kept 10 percent on their back leg at contact. Harper, of course, would move 100 percent of his weight forward at contact when his back leg lifts. That, Fleisig said, would enable him to generate a ground rotational force equal to 150 percent of his body weight.”
At Bryce Harper’s current weight of 215-lbs, that would be 322.5-lbs of force transferred at impact! Any weight transfer less than 100% would be an inferior model, so that’s why ‘squishing bugs’ isn’t optimized.
Coaches, be careful who you’re following. Make sure they’re sticking close to the human movement principles that are validated by science. If not, then quickly abandon ship.
Baseball bats myth debunked!
Please keep me updated on your hitters’ progress using the Back Foot Variance Drill below…
Grab 'Finger Pressure' Video
Frustrated with fixing BAT DRAG? Beat it!
Swing Study reveals how majority of hitters are correcting 'racing back elbow' bat drag within 1-2 weeks WITHOUT overhauling swing mechanics OR buying fancy and expensive hitting aids.
Click button below to access FREE video that has been downloaded over 20K times!
It’s featured advertising on MLBNetwork. Derek Shelton, the Tampa Bay Rays hitting coach, is the spokesperson in the video ad (CLICK HERE to see video).
I’ve also seen the Speed Hitter being used – this past summer – in Little League All-Stars game on-deck circles. Does it work? In this baseball training aids video blog post, we’ll talk about:
Speed Hitter baseball training aids review,
Barrel path science, and
A better alternative…
Speed Hitter Baseball Training Aids Review
Two main objectives of Speed Hitter baseball training aids (softball included) allegedly address a hitter’s contact point and barrel path. A hitter is suppose to swing it and hear the “pop” of the ball where contact is made. The Speed Hitter is priced between $59.99-79.99 + shipping. Baseball training aids that are highly endorsed and visible often raise red flags for me. THREE reasons WHY:
Endorsements – A majority of Pro-level athletes simply CANNOT teach what they do (or did)*,
Expertise – MLB hitting coaches carry A LOT of high “lose-your-job” risk instructing big money ballplayers, and
Marketing – Big money ads, in the proper places, can lend massive credibility to a defective concept that as a result, users tend to overlook.
*This actually has to do with what Neuro Linguistic Programming calls Unconscious Competence. Players simply perform on ‘auto-pilot’. On the other hand, Conscious Competence is being able to instruct someone else to exactly model what you’re doing.
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Image from Ted Williams’s The Science Of Hitting. We want the hitter’s barrel path to match the plane of the pitch, not chop down OR put an extreme uppercut on it.
Speed Hitter baseball training aids are flawed for FOUR-reasons:
Point of contact and when the barrel enters the zone are two different things,
Point of contact – CLICK HERE for a post I did illustrating point of contact based on pitch depth,
When Barrel Enters Zone – this will depend on pitch depth – the farther the pitch is away from the hitter, the earlier the barrel should enter the zone. The closer the pitch, the later the barrel should enter the zone, and
Tampa Bay Rays hitting coach and Speed Hitter spokesperson Derek Shelton doesn’t have an efficient swing himself (wraps the bat in the ad).
Addressing #2 above – The Speed Hitter doesn’t seem to be a hitting aid that lends itself to practicing “point of contact”. It’s more geared for when the barrel enters the zone.
Addressing #4 above – nothing against MLB hitting coaches or any coach on YouTube demonstrating a hitting aid or technique, but there’s always context. There are “snapper” hitting coaches out there teaching every one of their hitters to force barrel back right away, this is great for middle-away and middle-down approaches but terrible middle-in and middle-up – at least WITHOUT significant mechanical compensation to the latter pitch locations (loss of ball exit speed). And then their are ‘down swinger’ coaches who teach the exact opposite of the snappers. Both approaches can work in the right circumstances, but teaching one approach to all hitters is a BIG mistake.
A Better Alternative…The Swing Blaster
Keenan Wolf, one of my H.S. Frosh hitters, after one 45-minute session using a Swing Blaster demo this past summer. Swings are synced.
FIVE benefits of using Swing Blaster baseball training aids (good for softball as well) are:
Early Barrel Acceleration – focuses on getting the barrel on pitch plane ASAP. It’s not about being quick to the ball, it’s about being quick to pitch plane.
Lengthens Hitter’s Pitch Plane – Gives hitter the ability to hit pitches harder – and keep them fair – that they may be late on otherwise.
EIGHT levels of difficulty – there are eight little ‘washers’ that increase or decrease the level of difficulty to hear the audible “click”.
Take soft toss – You can use the Swing Blaster to take short range soft toss. A hitter CANNOT do this with Speed Hitter baseball training aids. DO NOT hit LIVE batting practice with it unless the hitter has good bat control.
MADE IN USA
How does it work?
The Swing Blaster gives a hitter audible feedback in the form of a “click” when max barrel speed has been reached. It’s simple…
If the hitter hears the “click” AND contact at the same time, then they’re doing it WRONG. If they hear a “click” FOLLOWED by contact, then they’re doing it RIGHT. Whereas Speed Hitter baseball training aids have it backwards. They want the hitter to hear the “pop” at contact. To be effective, this isn’t when a hitter should be accelerating the barrel. The barrel should already be accelerated at impact. Impact is when a hitter’s arms are lengthening out or adjusting in to increase turning speed or inertial force.
The price? Get yours today for only$34.99 + shipping on Amazon…I’m not sure if Swing Blaster will be raising the price soon, but for now you’ll be SAVING at least $25 than buying a Speed Hitter. CLICK the following link to…
FREE VIDEO: Go Oppo Or Pull On-Demand
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https://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Modern-MLB-Bat-Path-Level-Swing-Trainer-To-Fix-Drag-Turning-Vs-Pushing-Barrel-Hitting-Aids.png423800Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-11-28 10:00:402022-11-29 05:49:49Modern MLB Bat Path Level Swing Trainer To Fix Drag: Turning Vs Pushing Barrel Hitting Aids For Baseball & Softball
Discover an online hitting lessons swing science program for baseball and softball players. Learn where to find a remote hitting instruction coach to teach kids how to increase bat speed and power.
Batting Cages May Be Dangerous To Repeatable Power
“Testimonial” from Kyle – Stephen’s dad – the same night (he’s in white, I’m in blue)
I know you what you’re thinking, “Okay, so what’s wrong with hitting at the batting cages?”
We’ll get to that, but before we do, let me set the stage for what I’m about to share with you. A glimpse into an online hitting lesson I gave to my hitter Stephen at The Feedback Lab.
I was granted permission from Kyle (Stephen’s dad), to share his 12-year-old son’s latest online hitting session with me. They’re out of New Jersey…
What Was To Be Corrected
Hiding his hands from the pitcher
“Downhill” shoulder angle pre-turn, and
Maintaining 90-degree back leg angle during turn and finish.
Let Me Do The Heavy Lifting For You!
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In the above video, I mentioned the difference between comparing a swing off the tee versus at the batting cages. It’s not really an apples to apples comparison, BUT if they can repeat what we’re trying to get them to do off a tee, then the feeling to repeat it is there. Here’s what his analysis showed:
Great downhill shoulder angle,
Much better with hiding his hands from the pitcher (could polish a little here), and
Much better body angle on his finish.
3-Points Worth Noting…
Dad had mentioned to me, in the past 2-months, that they’ve been testing hand, butt, and hamstring tension, which might have also had an effect on Stephen’s outcomes.
Stephen will be working on a better barrel launch angle using variance training mentioned in the above video. Pay attention to the Bat Angle Experiment I referenced in the video.
I give feedback based on Tony LaRussa’s “Pat & Pop Method”. First give a “pat” on the back (what they did or are doing well), then reveal the “pop” (what they’ll be working to improve their swing).
Coaches, this is critical!! Athletes don’t just need to be broken down all the time. Build them up first, then offer up the constructive criticism.
The Danger in Batting Cages
And I’m not talking about Happy Gilmore style…
Someone smart once said:
“Practice like you play, so you play like you practice.”
Most coaches have their players do what’s referred to as “massed practice” versus “training ugly” at the batting cages. For example, if you needed work on hitting off speed and breaking pitches, a massed practice would look like the following scenario…a pitcher throws each hitter:
15 fastballs, then
15 curve-balls, and
Lastly 15 change-ups…
But this isn’t what it’s like in the game. The hitter rarely knows, with 100% certainty, which pitch, speed, and location they’re getting. So practice MUST reflect this dynamic in training. And hitting at the batting cages limits the amount of variance we can work into our practice.
I do a few things with my more advanced hitters (mechanically speaking), to mix things up:
We may not practice all these at once. Coaches, our objective with our hitters is to move them to the verge of “meltdown” with variance. Then bring them back. Then rebuild. The other thing is, during batting practice, the tendency is to take rounds of 10, 20, and 30+ to get a hitter’s timing and rhythm down. This IS NOT good. This is marathon training. Hitting is more like sprint training. Rounds of 3-6 swings is more like it – with 30+ seconds to rest between rounds.
I hope this helps!
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Learn how to fix bat drag or casting with this hitting drill. Discover how to STOP missing the ball, looping swing, and swinging under the ball for baseball and softball players.
How To Use the Flashlight Barrel Angle Drill to Boost Barreling the Ball
This time of the season, I’m getting a lot of younger hitters starting their turn before the stride foot hits the ground. I ask them if they throw a baseball or softball before their stride foot hits the ground.
Try it. Feels awkward, doesn’t it?! Why are these younger hitters starting their turn before landing their stride foot. It could be because of a flat barrel at or close to landing.
The video above is my favorite prescribed drill for fixing a “Bleeding Barrel” and a flat launched bat. Here are the video notes:
What was once Pre-Launch Barrel Angle,
Fixing throwing before front foot lands v. Final Turn before front foot land,
Center mass of the bat,
Variance using feedback markers, and
As close to landing as possible.
Please keep me updated on your hitters using the Flashlight Barrel Angle Drill…
Grab 'Finger Pressure' Video
Frustrated with fixing BAT DRAG? Beat it!
Swing Study reveals how majority of hitters are correcting 'racing back elbow' bat drag within 1-2 weeks WITHOUT overhauling swing mechanics OR buying fancy and expensive hitting aids.
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Discover the best online youth hitting coaching blog for baseball and softball analysis, instruction, and private lessons program. Why the best? Because we apply human movement principles validated by science to hitting a ball.
How To Get Hitters To Buy Into The System
In this video, we answer the following reader question:
“How Do You Get Kids To Buy Into These Movements When Every Hitting Instructor In The Area Is Teaching Robotic, Sequential Hitting Positions?”
We’ll go over:
Hypnosis: GOOD or BAD?
Internal v. external cues, and
Listing successful case studies…
But before we get into these, some housecleaning, and the elephant in the room…any new hitting movement a hitter learns, regardless of the content, will look robotic and mechanical, until they’ve put enough repetitions in. For kids to ‘buy into’ the process, they must understand this. For instance, if I taught a hitter to reverse their hands on the bat (ex. right handed batter – right hand on bottom, left hand on top), it would feel real awkward at first, but after 66 days of constant practice, it would feel comfortable.
SCIENCE-BASED TRAINING:
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Imagine what it would be like if you experimented with switching up how to steer a bike:
The initial learning process for young hitters may look, sound, and/or feel like this. I tell my hitters that we take one step back, to take two forward when learning a new hitting mechanic. Arnold Schwarzenegger outlines his path to making the unreal, REAL, in his book Total Recall:
Goals,
Steps, and
Reps.
Whether Arnold was talking about how he won Mr. Olympia, prepping for a movie like Terminator 2, or being Governor of California, he stuck to these three objectives. Setting specific GOALS, with a timeline, and focusing on the things that athlete can control are crucial.
Where girls softball hitting tips start to get fuzzy is whether these hitters are being shown the right STEPS to get there. Or as Tony Robbins calls it, the most effective ‘pathway to power’. In other words, are they focused on learning the right things? What are the ‘right’ things?
Are the hitting movements they’re learning following human movement principles that are validated by science?
When the right things are being taught, doubts seldom rise in the minds of my hitters. PLEASE NOTE: we’re NOT talking about girls softball hitting tips philosophy or theory here. Our hitters MUST live and die by a better and more secure hitting standard. Validation through REAL science. NOT pseudo science that is subjective, versus being objective.
And lastly, are hitters focused on doing those things right (efficiency – putting in the REPS). Now, let’s dive into the main content of this girls softball hitting tips post…
Hypnosis: GOOD or BAD?
Hitters MUST NOT work with instructors that are teaching ineffective mechanics, technique that’s unsupported by science. PERIOD. Or they’re wasting their time and their parent’s money.
If we rule out the instructor, then most likely their school coach will be reinforcing ineffective hitting hypnosis. How do we get kids to buy into the system? What are some girls softball hitting tips and tactics to deal with this kind of scenario?
Give the hitter a heads up
They MUST know what they’ll be hearing at practice, and how it may be different than what an effective instructor is teaching, and most likely COMPLETELY backwards!!
Also, passively listening to the BAD hypnosis over time will manifest physically, even if the hitter knows it’s bad. The more we hear the same message over and over, it’s only a matter of time before what’s subconscious, becomes conscious. The fix?
The hitter MUST consciously hear what the coach is saying, and actively compartmentalize that information as ineffective in their brain. Where there’s awareness, there’s power of control.
The ‘bobblehead nod’
Use this when coach is telling you to:
Swing down on the ball,
Chop down on the ball, or
Knob to the ball…
Then you nod your head up and down, saying “Yes Coach”. And when they leave your presence, go back to what an effective swing path should look like.
Preach Science, NOT hitting theories
Other ways to reinforce GOOD hypnosis is to preach how the movements they’re learning are validated by human movement science. Promote curious experimentation with specific hitting movements. Cite hitting experiments. Encourage hitters to try it the wrong way, then the right way, and have them compare their visual, auditory and/or feel feedback after 5 swings.
Inspire your hitters to seek out specific hitters on YouTube like McCutchen, Pedroia, Sadaharu Oh, Hank Aaron, Bautista, and Donaldson, and encourage them to look for what it is you’re teaching them.
You can also do movement tests like Dr. Kelly Starrett’s One-Joint Rule from one of the links above.
'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!!
There seem to be two groups of coaches online…ones who believe effective teaching is using 100% external cues…and the other? Using 100% internal cues! Both are wrong. It’s a blend. Just like the swing is either rotational or linear…it’s a blend. Just like superior athletes are either born with it or work at it…this too is a blend. And if someone tells you otherwise, they’re lying to you. And probably not teaching the game on a consistent basis.
That being said, sticky coaching cues are key to getting kids to buy into the system.
When you sink the blade of an ax into a block of wood, are you thinking about keeping your right arm at X-degree angle, or slotting your back elbow?
No.
You’re thinking of taking that handled ‘blade thing’ in your hand, and splitting that ‘wooden thing’, sitting on a platform in front of your feet, in half.
Talking about limb angles and back elbows slotting as girls softball hitting tips are internal cues…and can, with the right coaching cues, be effective.
But not quite as effective as external cues such as:
‘Get shorter’ at landing or ‘stay shorter’ throughout the turn,
‘Let the barrel chase the ball’ after impact,
‘Hit the bottom half of the ball’, or
‘Skip the barrel across the lake’.
I like to use external cues to kill 2, 3, or 4 birds with one stone. I call it the “lazy” coaches way to success, again, I use these myself. However, if I need to target specific movements and external isn’t working, I go internal. This does require knowledge about human movement validated by science, which I’ve found some coaches don’t want to take the time to learn. Additionally, it can depend entirely on the hitter and their learning style. CLICK HERE to read what science says about this in a post I did titled, “What Every Coach MUST Know About Giving Feedback To Hitters…”
Girls Softball Hitting Tips – Listing Successful Case Studies…
Liam Wolf is one of my 11u hitters. Photo courtesy: his parents.
Successful case studies are the lifeblood of getting your hitters to buy into the system. These can be your own, or borrowed from someone else.
These are powerful for young hitters.
Remember the time when your kids were learning how to swim?
Did they learn better watching adults swim OR when they saw kids their own age or slightly younger/older swimming?
Here is a current list of my case studies I often bring up to my hitters:
98-lb 11yo hitting the ball 300-feet, multiple times
95-pounder hitting their first dinger over 270-feet? (this is actually the brother of the above hitter but 2 years younger)
115-lb 11yo not only hitting the ball 300-feet multiple times, but hitting over 40 homers in one season…to ALL fields
66-lb 11yo hitting the ball over 180-feet, AND
a 115-lb 13yo hitting the ball 330-feet (this one I borrowed from a hitting instructor in my area that teaches the same things as I do)…
Here’s video footage of #1 above (which was hit on a field in Manteca where the fences were set at 330-feet):
And I have many more, but these are the easiest to rattle off without having to give too much context. If you don’t have any, then feel free to borrow mine, just please give credit where credit is do.
To recap…
Girls softball hitting tips to get your kids to buy into the system:
They MUST hear GOOD hitting hypnosis,
They MUST hear sticky coaching cues, and
They MUST hear this stuff working with hitters close to their age.
'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!!
PLEASE NOTE that along long the bat drag lines, I recently tapped into my readers’ knowledge-base with this article titled, Hitting Tips To Boost Barrel Time On Pitch-Plane, that offered up some handy gold nuggets for correcting bat drag. There almost 30 comments! So go check it out and get involved in the discussion.
To refresh your BEST-of 2014, let’s recap by hitching a ride in my time baseball and softball hitting machine…
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.
SpeedHitter promo featuring Tampa Bay Rays hitting coach Derek Shelton. Photo courtesy: Momentus Sports YouTube video
In this baseball online post, we talked about:
Speed Hitter baseball training aid review,
Barrel path science, and
A better alternative…
CLICK HERE for a 2-minute Swing Hitter demo video. Momentus Sports promises the Speed Hitter will help a hitter achieve four ingredients all great hitters do (watch the video to see what they are). When proven human movement science is applied to the Speed Hitter, it doesn’t deliver on any of the promises.
Unbeknownst to Momentus Sports, the question the Speed Hitter attempts to answer is, “When is the barrel suppose to accelerate?” Is it at impact or before impact? The answer is the latter, but the Speed Hitter’s focus is the former. So, what better alternative is there? The Swing Blaster. Focus should be on hearing a clear audible “click” before impact, NOT at contact.
Post UPDATE:Click Here for an article on how barrel path changes based on pitch dept (e.g. middle-in versus middle-away pitch).
Josh Donaldson “staying closed” with his shoulders at landing. Photo courtesy: MLB.com
In this baseball online video, we analyzed:
Josh Donaldson v. Jose Bautista metrics,
What “staying closed” means to spine engine mechanics, and
Where Josh Donaldson might be leaking force at impact.
How eerily similar Jose Bautista and Josh Donaldson’s body types AND swings are. CLICK HERE to listen (start at the 1 min, 10 sec mark) to Josh Donaldson discuss how he modeled his swing after Jose Bautista. This was an interview after being traded from Oakland to Toronto. By the way, this post got some air time on Canada’s National Post!
In the above post, “staying closed” DOES NOT mean an inward turn of the hips – towards the catcher – to “load”. It also has ZERO to do with striding with a closed front foot. But what this baseball online BEST-of post does do, is go into the counter-rotation of the shoulders – versus the pelvis – during the fall. Or what my hitters will tell you, “showing the pitcher their numbers.”
Upon analysis, it was interesting to note that Josh Donaldson didn’t commit his weight to his front side like Jose Bautista did. And this led to inferior ball exit speeds and a lower average home-run distance because of an inefficiency to use Gravitational Forces.
One of my local High School hitters Charles fixing an early arm bar.
In this baseball online post, we went over:
What is Bat Drag?
The science of Bat Drag (to hitting an unknown moving pitch), and
How-to fix Bat Drag.
Youth bat drag is causes mostly by over rotation of the upper and/or lower half. It is NOT like what some coaches say, being caused by a dominant top hand or back arm, quite the opposite actually. Bat drag can be caused by a weak and disconnected top hand and back arm.
This article I originally posted back in 2015, and blamed bat drag on a barred out-front arm. I’ve since revised my position on this thanks to Perry Husband. A barred out-front arm DOES NOT result in a long slow swing, an early barrel in the hitting zone does. Specifically on pitches that are middle in. For a refresher on how barrel path changes based on pitch depth, then click this post.
Grab 'Finger Pressure' Video
Frustrated with fixing BAT DRAG? Beat it!
Swing Study reveals how majority of hitters are correcting 'racing back elbow' bat drag within 1-2 weeks WITHOUT overhauling swing mechanics OR buying fancy and expensive hitting aids.
Click button below to access FREE video that has been downloaded over 20K times!
Discover how to hit a baseball or softball in a certain direction, like place hitting to the opposite field, at home by yourself using indoor drills with limited space.
How To Optimize Directional Force Using The “Pounding Nail” Drill
Most likely, Little Leaguers and 12-year-old young ladies won’t be driving the ball 400-feet anytime soon. I know that. However, the point of this “Pounding the Nail” drill video post is how to train hitters to direct their swing force optimally. In the above video, we go over…
Thanks to Matt Nokes,
Define Directional Force, takes 8,000 pounds per square inch, in one direction, to hit ball 400-feet,
What is a Lumberjack trying to do? Lean in and compress the baseball,
Using colored bands on ground to simulate pitch location directional force (see image of plate and colored bands below), and
Stand out front of hitter with external image (nail).
I like to pair the above “Pounding the Nail” drill with the following “Shorten Swing” drill…
However, I’ve evolved my thinking on the latter video. And here it is:
The “catcher’s glove” ball marker closest to the actual catcher is outer 1/3 of plate right-center approach (for righty, reverse for lefty),
The “catcher’s glove” ball marker inline with the back foot is middle 1/3 of plate dead-center field approach, and
The “catcher’s glove” ball marker inline with hitter’s belly button is inner 1/3 of plate left-center field approach (for righty, reverse for lefty).
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.
I see coaches generally teaching a “kicking back” of barrel towards the catcher. I found deeply accelerating barrel same for all pitch depths to be ineffective for my hitters. As you’ll see in the syncing of these two drills, the distance between what catcher’s glove the hitter hits and the depth of impact is the same.
For example, the DISTANCE between hitting catcher’s glove position #1 above to optimum impact on the outer 1/3 of the plate SHOULD MATCH hitting catcher’s glove position #3 above to optimum impact on the inner 1/3 of the plate. You still following me?
I was teaching the same blanket “deep barrel” acceleration as everyone else, but my cleaner hitters mechanically were having a challenge barreling up the inner 1/3 pitch. You see, their swing path was taking too long in getting to the inner 1/3 pitch with the generalized “deep barrel” approach.
I recommend watching video of top hitters smashing the inside versus the away pitch and in most cases, you’ll see a difference in what catcher’s glove they’re hitting. Remember the objective is directional force. Matt Nokes says that is takes 8,000 pounds per square inch of force, in ONE DIRECTION, to hit a ball 400-feet. Practice syncing these two drills with your hitters in the following progression:
Dry swings first,
“Pounding Nail” Drill colored band staggered impact setup to simulate pitch depth (for a righty, reverse for a lefty)
Tee next,
Then soft toss (DO NOT work the “deep” catcher’s glove position here, unless you’re okay with donating your teeth!)
And when you get the hitter to LIVE, make sure they understand before pitcher throws the ball, they default to the middle approach, and make the smaller adjustment in or out, depending on pitch depth.
PLEASE NOTE: once the hitter gets to LIVE, make sure they understand the following:
Most optimized force = pounding nail over correct part of plate (ex. for righty, driving inner 1/3 to left-center),
Optimized force = slipping lines, and pounding one nail over (ex. for righty, driving middle 1/3 to left-center), and
Sub-optimal force = slipping lines, and pounding two nails over (ex. for righty, driving outer 1/3 to left-center).
Just think about it, if it takes 8,000-pounds per square inch of force in one direction to hit a ball 400-feet, and that’s optimal…what happens if the hitter uses “Sub-optimal force” like in the above bullet point? Right! It’s going to take more force to hit it farther. I dunno how much, but taking a guess in the aforementioned sub-optimal example, it may take 12,000 or 16,000-pounds per square inch of force to hit the ball 400-feet pounding two nails over, so make it easy..hit it where it’s pitched!
After this lesson, typically the “light-bulb” goes on with my hitters. I hope this helps!
'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/Hit-Baseball-Or-Softball-In-Certain-Direction-Place-Hitting-To-Opposite-Field-Drill.png423800Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-11-08 09:15:522022-11-08 23:48:56Hit Baseball Or Softball In Certain Direction Like Place Hitting To Opposite Field At Home By Yourself Indoor Drills With Limited Space
“Shorten Swing” Like An Elite Hitter (Not What You Think)
Ask any “self-proclaimed” hitting coach what a “short swing” is, and you’ll get many differing interpretations. I think the problem is found in the debate of feel versus real. If you ask professional and MLB hitters what they’re trying to do, and they’ll use phrases like:
“I’m trying to stay short to the ball”, or
“I’m trying to be compact”...
The challenge is these examples are so vague, they’re widely open to interpretation. And give coaches that kind of slack, and they tend to “hang” their hitters. For instance, take the following swing example of Kris Bryant:
Some coaches will say his swing is too long, and that ONLY Big Leaguers can have swings like this. This is an EXCUSE. Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, and Mark McGwire have been quoted as saying they swing/swung down on the ball.
You see, what elite hitters are feeling, and what we’re actually seeing on slow motion video (what’s real) can be two totally different things. So how do we get our hitters to “swing shorter”, like Kris Bryant…?
…without using hitting aids, and using effective external coaching cues, which science says are far superior than internal ones (CLICK HERE to read this post about that). Without further adieu, here’s the…
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.
The following is the NEW Improved and Updated version of the video above…
'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/2022/07/How-To-Stop-Missing-Under-Ball-Hitting-Popups-Late-Batting-Timing-For-Baseball-And-Softball.png423800Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-11-08 09:00:232022-12-20 05:33:33Stop AND Fix Missing Under Ball, Hitting Popups, & Late Batting Timing For Baseball & Softball | Hit More Line Drives, Swing Bat Faster & For Power
We want the hitter’s barrel path to match the plane of the pitch, not chop down OR put an extreme uppercut on it.
:
. Focus should be on hearing a clear audible “click” before impact, NOT at contact.
