Learn how to improve your body rotational power with thoracic spine strength, mobility, and stretching exercises you can do at home for baseball and softball players.
Where Stride Landing Counter-Rotation Is And How To Get It (Flexibility & Strength Exercises)
This video post is going to answer the following reader question:
“What flexibility work do you do with your trainees to enhance counter-rotation of the torso as the foot lands open?”
This questions stems from how I teach hitters to ‘show their numbers’ to the pitcher during the load, as close to stride landing as possible. But for this to work, here’s the kicker, the hitter MUST land open with the bottom half…front foot open between 45 and 60-degrees.
This creates what some coaches call torque, or counter-rotation of the shoulders-to-pelvis. These are basic walking mechanics of the spine…and is why, as your right leg swings forward, so does your left arm. How do we optimize this action with our hitters using flexibility and strengthening?
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I’m about 8-weeks into an online gymnastics strength training course through GymnasticBodies.com myself. I’ve finished their Fundamentals course, and currently working through their Handstand course.
Photo courtesy: GymnasticBodies.com
CLICK HERE to get $25 OFF full price of $100 for their Fundamentals course. I don’t get paid if you purchase the course. I just LOVE what they’re doing, and believe ALL hitters MUST be engaging in this type of mobility and strength training.
(PLEASE NOTE: I’m not sure how long this deal will be up, so jump on it!)
Why am I putting myself through this training?
#1: as my wife will tell you, this is a gross obsession of mine.
And #2: I wanted to pick up a few things about body-weight training mobility and stability for my hitters.
One of my guiding principles is if you aren’t growing, then you’re dying.
And if you’re a coach that takes mentoring young athletes seriously, then you MUST be subscribing to the same proactive learning principles.
So, in the above video, we go over:
Rotation v. Anti-Rotation (acceleration v. braking systems)
Rotation stretch – hold each side for at least 30-secs
Rotation strengthen:
Windshield Wipers – do 10 repetitions each side
Anti-Rotation strengthen:
Side Plank (anti-side bend) – start off with holding for 30-secs, then increase by 15-secs after mastery
3-Point Plank (anti-rotation of pelvis) – start off holding for 30-secs, then increase by 15-secs after mastery.
ENJOY!
'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!!
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Discover the best functional wrist and tendon strengthening exercises you can do at home if you have pain* for baseball and softball players. Learn the best wrist exercises for advanced grip strength, bat speed, and pitching velocity.
*If you’re having wrist pain, then see a medical professional first before doing any of these exercises. I am not a medical professional and DO NOT pretend to be one. This is only my advice after doing the research and connecting the dots.
Wrist Exercises VIDEO: Improve Hitters’ Flexibility & Strength In 2-Weeks
This wrist exercises post is for Coach David Michael Enciso (DME). He mentioned having a couple girls that had stiff wrists, and was wondering about stretches.
To those that don’t know, I’ve been doing Gymnastics body-weight strength training through GymnasticBodies.com over the past four months. That link will give you $25 OFF their Fundamentals course.
I don’t get commission on that, I just think what Coach Sommers has put together is excellent training for baseball and softball players! By the way, Coach Sommers was the former US Olympic men’s Gymnastics coach. I’ve also recommended his program to quite a few of my hitting students and parents online and off.
I personally finished the Fundamentals 4-week course, and moved onto the Handstand course, which I’ve been working on for the past 2-3 months months.
However, I’d recommend my players completing the Fundamentals course first, then moving onto the Foundation courses, before moving onto Handstand.
In the video above, I show you all the wrist stretches and strengtheners that I do on a daily and bi-weekly basis for my Handstand training.
The wrist stretches alone got rid of a painful pinch on the backside of my right wrist (my throwing hand), that I’ve had for the last 5 years, at the bottom of the push-up position…the pinch was gone in 2-weeks!
Do the THREE stretches EVERYDAY as prescribed in the video,
AND
Do the FOUR exercises 3-sets X 5-repetitions each wrist, 2-3 times per week.
PLEASE keep me updated on any changes you find in your hitters, from these wrist stretches and exercises.
Make sure we’re swinging smarter by moving better 😉
'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!!
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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!!
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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.
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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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CLICK the RED Button below for the #1 Strategy To Repeatable Power. The Feedback Lab hitting lesson program is clear focused Step-By-Step online video feedback & accountability in less than 48-hours...
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Train Ugly: Transition To Game Swings In Less Time With Random Practice
My friend and colleague, Lee Comeaux, Shared this video with me, and I just had to share it with you. CLICK HERE for a post I did awhile back, showcasing 8 science of successful learning principles that are validated by empirical research.
This video goes into one of the principles mentioned in that post, the art of variance…Or “training ugly” as Trevor Ragan calls it in the video (CLICK HERE for his website).
Below are my bullet point notes from the above video:
1:10 – performance is best because you do things that have higher levels of retention – does practice promote better retention?
2:00 – What is a skill? Just Technique? 1/3 of the equation
2:45 – Read, Plan, Do
6:00 – How to practice this…Block (or Massed) Practice
7:00 – Random Practice
8:00 – Studies showing the benefits of Block versus Random Practice
9:15 – Coach Tom Black explains WHY Block Practice is more attractive to coaches: ego and/or seeing immediate gains with it, answer the WHY – easier for coach to let go of Block Practice…find better ways to track progress (transfer and retention to games test)
11:15 – WHY do we see dramatic gains transferred to competition with random practice? When Block Practice, we’re eliminating Reading and Planning from the motor learning equation. Random is like the game! “You play volleyball, you don’t drill volleyball”.
14:25 – taking a Growth Mindset into practice…Random Practice is more challenging, will make more mistakes, will be uglier, better for us, prepares us better for game situations
TRAIN UGLY Coaches!!
PLEASE share below how you’ve used this OR will use this with your hitters and players…
THANKS in advance for your responses 😀
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.
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Discover the best examples of how to give positive constructive feedback when coaching youth sports, baseball, and softball. Learn the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic feedback, and why giving high information feedback is important.
What Every Coach MUST Know About Giving Feedback To Hitters…
My in-laws had just come over for Easter Sunday, and we were watching my 2-year-old son Noah hit balls off his little tee in the backyard. What transpired was an ah-ha moment for me in giving feedback to hitters…
My brother-in-law was the fielder, and in between swings, my mother-in-law was feeding his tee more balls. Whenever Noah would angle to hit the ball away from my brother-in-law, my mother-in-law would come over and help Noah angle correctly, by moving his body with her hands.
It dawned on me that I’d never given him feedback like that before. I typically just tell him to “hit it that way,” and he angles his body naturally. Which is the better way? And does it matter? There’s a growing body of research and study that reveals the science of giving feedback to hitters.
First, let’s see how you’d answer the following 3 questions…
1. Do you give verbal feedback between each swing?
OR, wait till the end of a round?
2. Do you use internal cues like a focus on the feet?
OR, focus on external ones outside the feet?
3. Do you physically move the player into a better position yourself?
OR, do you allow the player to make adjustments on their own?
How’d you do? Don’t worry about being wrong…
In this post, we’re going to look at how science answers the 3 previous questions on giving feedback to hitters…
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.
1. Do you give verbal feedback between each swing? OR, wait till the end of a round?
To give this section some context, check out Daniel Coyle’s post about the Z-Boys by CLICKING the image above…
Daniel Coyle, in his book The Talent Code, talks about The Language of Ignition. He shares a story from Skip Engblom, the guy who coached the Z-Boys surf/skateboarding team in the 1970’s.
Enter Coach Skip… (by the way ‘unowaime?’ is Skip-Talk for ‘you know what I mean?’):
“When it came to skateboards, we got all systematic about it, practiced a couple hours a day, four days a week. There’s no instant gratification, man. Everything boils back down to training, doing it over and over. So I never said much. I would just be mellow and say ‘good job, dude’ or ‘nice shred,’ and sometimes something to up the ante, toss in a little carrot, you know, like ‘I heard so-and-so did that trick last week.’ And then they’d all be trying like crazy to do that one, unowaime?”
…”Here’s the deal. You’ve got to give kids credit at a younger age for feeling stuff more acutely. When you say something to a kid, you’ve got to know what you’re saying to them. The stuff you say to a kid starting out — you got to be super careful, unowaime? What skill-building really is, is confidence-building. First, they got to earn it, then they got it. And once it gets lit, it stays lit pretty good.”
In giving feedback to hitters, pretend words are precious. Imagine that every word you say costs YOU money. The less words you use, the smaller your bill is at the end of a session. Make your words more impactful, more purposeful.
I wait till the end of a round (5-swings or so) to give feedback. And even then, I’m quizzing THEM on what they did or felt, NOT telling what I think. This works wonders in giving feedback to hitters that makes coaching sticky.
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2. Do you use internal cues like a focus on the feet? OR, focus on external ones outside the feet?
Stabilometer, photo courtesy: hospimedicaintl.com
I found a study by Charles H. Shea & Gabriele Wulf that was published at ScienceDirect.com titled, “Enhancing Motor Learning Through External-Focus Instructions and Feedback”, thatilluminates a piece of the giving feedback to hitter’s puzzle…(CLICK HERE for the study abstract):
They had four groups who practiced balancing on a Stabilometer:
Group 1 – Focused on balancing with their feet (internal),
Group 2 – Focused on balancing by looking at a marker on the Stabilometer (external),
Group 3 – Concurrent feedback watching deviations from the horizontal on a computer screen and telling them the line represented their feet (feedback/internal focus), and
Group 4 – Concurrent feedback watching deviations from the horizontal on a computer screen and telling them the line represented the markers (feedback/external focus).
Study conclusions:
Both external focus of attention and feedback enhanced learning.
Learning benefits of an external attentional focus seem to generalize the feedback given to the learner.
Feedback generally enhanced performance and learning, suggesting that one function of feedback might be to promote an external focus of attention.
According to sports performance psychologist and distinguished PGA Tour mental coach, Gio Valiante, elite golfers use an external focus during tournaments by “moving towards the cup”. In other words, they aren’t focusing internally about their mechanics.
Giving feedback to hitters works in the same way…I use feedback markers when working on footwork. I urge them to “get to the markers” (external) instead of a focus on their feet (internal).
3. Do you physically move the player into a better position yourself? OR, do you allow the player to make adjustments on their own?
Great golf book on the mental process. It has nothing to do with hitting, but at the same time has everything to do with it.
In a book by Gio Valiante called Golf Flow, he recalls a class session where he’s also a professor at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida…
In the middle of class, that was being video recorded, he asked a female student to walk up and try her hand at sinking a putt on a 6-foot artificial turf green he had set up.
The first try was rushed, and she missed horribly beyond the cup.
The second try she took more time to line up, and the putt came up a bit short.
The third try she took a little more time, made a few mechanical adjustments, then sank the putt!
Please note that during the test, not a word was said to her.
Dr. Gio Valiante then had everyone in the class watch the video back of her whole session. He instructed the class to analyze what key adjustments she made after her misses.
The key here is that the female student made the adjustments on her own. Just like the Z-Boys skateboarding example above.
This has major implications on giving feedback to hitters…
Returning back to my mother-in-law’s reaction to Noah, when he was lining up to hit the ball off the tee…
The ah-ha moment for me was seeing Noah’s brain turn off as my mother-in-law did the dirty work of moving him into the right position. In other words, he didn’t have to think about the adjustment, and make it himself.
Based on the research of this post, this leads to a longer learning curve. So:
Keep verbal feedback (or cues) short and punchy,
Use external focuses (i.e. video analysis, “hit it over there!”), and
Make sure when you’re giving feedback to hitters, that you allow for natural adjustments to be made like in the case of Dr. Gio’s female student and my son Noah.
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At about the 2-minute mark, Perry and I discuss putting together a subscription based coaching program for coaches which would have access to our courses and have weekly coaching calls to mentor coaches, Twitter bantar…pitching philosophy used to be 70% fastballs, mixed up/down & inside/outside, then moved to away/away and down/down because hitting was hard to lift far away, then hitters started lifting those pitches – Moneyball & analytics, hitters focus now on swinging up and everyone on the field can go oppo bomb, teams will start elevating fastballs which will set in motion more stuff, odds of “up swings” getting to high heat will be more challenging, is the idea of throwing fastballs down “stupid”? Perry did micro study…MLB – RHP v. RHH: FB up/in = 84.6-mph BES, SL down/away = 82.2-mph BES, CB down/away = 80.1-mph BES, & CH down/in = 86.5-mph BES (chose pitches that would be in that FB tunnel), a hanging FB (located down/away) is more likely to get hit harder than any other hanging off speed or breaker because every hitter is focused on the FB.
At about 12-minute mark, Perry study comparing middle three, upper three, and above three part of the zone with off speed and breaking (hanging stuff) versus the bottom three parts of the zone with fastballs…he counted number of hitters that averaged 90-mph BES…12 to 1 hitters favoring fastball down versus changeup up (12X more likely to avg. 90-mph BES), not a fair study, just a ballpark, today more likely to hit a fastball down than a hanging changeup up,
At about 14-minute mark, locked lead arm follow up, reader saying not many hitters using locked lead arm…Williams and Choo both lock lead arm and pull the ball – can locked lead arm help going to opposite field, every Major League hitter locks lead arm, may not talk about it, may not practice it, but when they hit their hardest bolt – they’re doing it, Perry talks about one of elite Fastpitch Softball hitters in the country Todd Budke locked lead arm(YouTube video of him hitting oppo dinger) – facing guys that made Randy Johnson look like a thumber 80-86-mph velo from 46-feet, bent front arm results in more balls fouled back, evidence of what happens when guys hit up/in pitch – they’re doing it with bent lead arm, can we do better than that with locked lead arm? What happens when all fastballs go away EXCEPT the up/in fastball? The “adjustable” hitting mindset isn’t going to work anymore when pitchers get more EV efficient
At about 23-minute mark, do young hitters from High School on down learn how to “hunt” pitches or wait till pitchers get better? Thank God pitchers still make mistakes, but what pitchers are being taught right now is to stay down with fastballs, sliders, etc. It’s predictable. When pitchers TRY to be EV efficient, things will be troublesome for hitters, the basic hitting approach of today is like a 2-strike approach (the “adjustable” swing), the adjustment will be much harder for hitters when EV tunnels are enforced, will happen at Big League level first, Greinke example using certain pitches to take hitter’s attention away from where hitter’s strength is, creating shiny objects, get swing down right, then figure out how to apply it,
At about 33-minute mark, I ask Perry his advice on how to teach 6-8yo to get more on time, Inner Game of Tennis book drills – 100% on-time 100% effective with swing mechanics (not about swinging as hard as you can), take and control “A” swing – best swing, being on-time to that pitch,
At about 38-minute, 30-sec mark, Perry talks about over under load training, we talk about Axe Bat and DriveLine 20% over/under $600 system, Perry asked Gray Cook’s advice about over/under load training in 1992, Babe Ruth did overload training, end loaded is key, does Axe bat’s 20% over/under go far enough? No. Is it effective? Yes, but it doesn’t go far enough, would you get stronger with light weight in gym? Heavier weight is better, especially end loaded, hitter has to work their butt off with end loaded +10 and control line drives, hitters will “cast” with an end loaded bat – but hitter MUST keep that from happening, Perry over/under load study +10 and -10 results were astounding looking at video of players and data – consistency numbers went up and recruitment of lower half, fastpitch softball Frosh case study 6-weeks no change in mechanics went from 55-mph to 62 or 63-mph BES, Reactive Neuromuscular Training (RNT) – this is what overload training is doing, feeding the “mistake”, Cook bands, TheStartingLineupStore.com Anchor Bat +4 to +6 and -5 wood bats over/under load system, locked lead arm, end loaded bat, and releasing barrel into “belly button” catcher’s glove,
At about 58-minute mark, Perry’s effective velocity timing sticks, change length of bat and weight – hitter is learning to adjust timing, training body to be more sensitive to timing, using different size, color, weight balls, “Riiiiight Now” Drill for 6-8yos to train timing, keep conscious mind busy, so unconscious mind can get to work,
You can find Perry Husband at EffectiveVelocity.com, use EV25 coupon code for any of the online courses. @EVPerryHusband on Twitter, and @PerryHusband on Facebook.
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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:
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.
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.
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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!!
My responses below addresses the numbered questions above (slightly edited)…
“Garrett,
That sounds like a similar approach to Jaime Cevallos’s Positional Hitting! Video analysis is a great source of external feedback, but like everything else, can be relied upon too much, or obsessively at times. I’d prefer the hitter work out the kinks for at least 5-8 swings before filming again. This can be supported in Peter C. Brown’s book Make It Stick.
Hitters are their best own evaluators. Nobody else can tell them how or what they felt on a particular swing. I’ve had hitters like this, and typically it stems from mom or dad (or somebody) giving them the answers all the time growing up. Not letting them make their own mistakes, and learning from them. Young hitters have to fail on their own, then struggle for the adjustment…and if they need help after that, then coach can pick them up. This has Daniel Coyle’s book The Talent Code written all over it.
“Practice like you play, so you play like you practice”. If you have to compete in a 100-meter sprint, you can’t train like you would for a marathon. Marathon batting practice sessions (taking 8+ swings per round) are useless to a game swing. My hitters take 3-5 swing rounds, and then get a brief break. They’re also required to swing as hard as they can – under complete control – for each swing. CLICK HERE for a great testimonial case study post from one of my San Diego dads, on the turnaround his two High School boys experienced making this switch.
Mass practice off the tee is no good. The tee position must be varied after each swing. This is talked about extensively in Peter C. Brown’s book above as the Art of Variance. Also, please refer to preceding point #3.
Hitting cage bombs gives a short-term boost to self-confidence. And hitters who don’t do train for the “100-meter sprint” will break during competition.
Self-confidence is gained through working the process, staying the course, and not obsessively focusing on outcomes or their competition. Gio Valiante’s book Golf Flow is a great resource for this type of thinking.”
BOMB!! 😀 lol
My question to you is…What are the one or two biggest mistakes you see coaches or players make in practicing like they’re going to play?
Please REPLY in the comments section below…
'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/2015/04/Struggling-To-Hit-In-Games-But-Not-In-Cage-Or-Batting-Practice-Discover-Game-Like-Baseball-Softball-Hitting-Stations.png800800Joey Myershttps://hittingperformancelab.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/hitting-performance-labs_c90c0362088ef1d3d528f3078f4f8ac1-300x75.pngJoey Myers2022-11-14 09:15:592022-11-14 19:54:33Struggling To Hit In Games But Not In Cage Or Batting Practice? Discover Game-Like Baseball Softball Hitting Stations
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).
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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
, by Dr. Victor Fankl and his theory of “Paradoxical Intention”
, talks about The Language of Ignition. He shares a story from Skip Engblom, the guy who coached the Z-Boys surf/skateboarding team in the 1970’s.
, he recalls a class session where he’s also a professor at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida…
book drills – 100% on-time 100% effective with swing mechanics (not about swinging as hard as you can), take and control “A” swing – best swing, being on-time to that pitch,
, 
:
! Video analysis is a great source of external feedback, but like everything else, can be relied upon too much, or obsessively at times. I’d prefer the hitter work out the kinks for at least 5-8 swings before filming again. This can be supported in Peter C. Brown’s book 
.
written all over it.
is a great resource for this type of thinking.”
