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.
I also called it a “bleeding barrel” in this post that analyzed Paul Goldschmidt’s swing. A flat barrel can cause:
- Racing back elbow bat drag,
- Launching the turn too early, and
- Inconsistently barreling the ball.
The biggest reason is because when the hitter flattens out the bat at or slightly before landing, it shifts the center mass of the bat behind the center mass of the hitter.
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…
