Coaches:

 

I am getting ready to send you clips of swings from the clinic.  I will also send you snapshots of the Set Up / Connection / Contact / Extension parts of the swing.  You will need to download the Common Viewer which will allow you to play it back frame by frame or slow motion.  See below.

 

The video's will come in a separate email.

 

Go to http://rightviewpro.com/customer-support/downloads

Download and Save the CommonViewer to your DESKTOP

Save Attached Video Clips to your Desktop

Open CommonViewer; click Load, and Browse your Desktop for the saved video files and click Open to play

Note: If they do not want the CommonViewer (i.e., just to view normally not frame by frame or slow motion) they will need VLC Media Player to open the video clips. Here are the links to download the Free VLC Media Player:

For Windows: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html

For MAC: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html

**For the snapshot just double click and it will open in your default photo viewing program.

Remember that there is NO difference between a baseball swing and a softball swing.  Most parent coaches who haven't played beyond high school would not know that and would argue against you:)  Stress to coaches you come into contact with where ever you can that it isn't different.  Introduce them to Right View Pro.  The points of the swing that i concentrate on in my lessons are:

 

Setup: As long as they get into the proper position I do not care how they start.

 

Load: Nothing dramatic...I have my players lift front heal and turn in front knee toward home plate slightly to push weight to the inside of back leg.  I have them get separation between hands and ear.  I have them point the knob of the bat towards the catcher to provide proper bat angle.  This also allows for maximum torque and energy at contact.

 

Connection: Simply the front heal drives to the ground; the back elbow gets "connected" to their side.  This is where rotation starts, but it is important that they are not fully rotated at connection.  It just starts...by the back knee turning toward the front side.  Another key checkpoint is that the hands, back elbow are in line with the back shoulder and back thigh.  The timing of this is important...when coaches speak of timing this is what they are talking about...not the timing of the bat and ball:)  The timing of the lower body and upper body is very important to provide maximum power and energy to contact.  In most young athletes they use all upper body and the lower half doesn't get to contact.

 

Bat Lag:  The next step is that since they are all connected with the hands in the proper slot...they rotate to contact.  When they start rotating the bat drops into the hitting zone naturally and it is doing so at the far back part of the zone.  Bat Lag is where the bat head is directly behind the hands.  The backside is almost fully rotated.

 

Contact:  We want to see that the backside is fully rotated.  The front elbow is above the hands and  hands above the bat head and that there is good bat angle...not flat though he zone.  One old fallacy is the "Swing Level" comment you hear from parent coaches:)  The bat head snaps to contact...but do not allow them to roll their wrist.  Still need to be palm up ; palm down.

 

Extension:  I teach the girls to extend their hands though contact directly toward the pitcher.  I don't allow them to release the bat head until they are fully extend with their hands and arms.  When they are fully extended...they release the bat head.  They should be able to look right down their arms and bat and like a rifles sites they should have the pitcher as the target :)  LOL.

 

Finish:  They finish high...with hands up by the ear keep the bat head up.

 

If they do get this down...they will be swinging though a "BIG" zone.  Meaning that their bat enters the hitting zone at the very back of the zone and moves though he hitting zone with good bat angle to the very front of the hitting zone with good extension.  The longer they are in the zone the more their chances they have to make solid contact.  Good bat angle provides even more probability of solid contact because it travels though covering the top/bottom & inside/outside of the zone:)  If they swing early or late...as long as they are swinging though big zone it won't matter...they will still make contact:)

 

If you have any questions let me know.