Announcement
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Posted by Patrick Piteo on
Feb 25 2003
at
04:00PM PST
Monthly Feature - "A Common Hitting Flaw and How To Correct It!" We all want our hitters to have a quick, short and compact "A2C Swing" that gets the bat to the ball as quick as possible. What is the single most common mistake that causes a girl's swing to "GO BAD"? I think "Pulling The Front Side Out Too Early" is the most common flaw I see this time of year. This flaw causes fly-balls, pop-ups, frequent foul balls and a drastic lack of bat speed. The batter prematurely pulls the front shoulder out. This causes a "domino effect" of other flaws. The front shoulder will tilt upward, the hands then drop, and the barrel drags to create a "Undesirable Long Swing". Coaches need to quickly spot this flaw and "coach" the hitter to correct it immediately. Coaches should emphasize.... 1) The hitter's front side and hands must first move in the direction of the ball. 2) Your shoulder moves or rotates during the swing, not before, not after. 3) Make sure you maintain proper balance before, during and after the swing. 4) You must rotate at the proper time to generate power and to execute the proper swing for each pitch location. Every pitch location requires some degree of shoulder rotation. But young and older hitters must learn that pitches on the inside 2/3rds of the plate require a greater degree of rotation. The inside strike requires maximum shoulder rotation in order to "Pull" this pitch. Hitting a strike on the outside 3rd of the plate involves much less or minimum shoulder and hip rotation. Spot and eliminate this flaw as early as possible. "Pulling Off" the ball is what we call this common flaw. I think that the first step toward curing it is teaching every hitter on your team including the "power" hitter and the "contact" hitters to "GO WITH THE PITCH". Hit the ball where it is! Do not try to "WOMAN HANDLE" everything. You can't "Pull What You Have To Punch" and You Can't "Punch What You Have To Pull". VISUALization" - Use it to build TEAM ESTEEM and SELF ESTEEM! "Visualization" is the process of seeing things in your mind. It is an important part of building confidence and poise. I always tell my pitchers to "visualize" the perfect pitch and then "throw it". I tell my hitters when you are on deck, "visualize" hitting a double, in the gap, off the wall and then do it. Sometimes I have my players sit alone and they are to visualize every possible play they can possibly make during a game. They are to "see themselves doing everything perfect"! I want them to see us scoring, playing solid defense, and even celebrating the win! I sometimes do "VISUALization" as a group activity going from player to player with each player giving a "play-by-play calling" as our players make outstanding play after play on offense and defense. How can you do something, if you can't imagine it? See my point? I do not spend to much time doing this, but it makes a great change of pace or "rainy day" activity.
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