Squishing The Bug

[TNSoftballDad]

Sorry, I guess we're re-routing the OP, aren't we?

Eh, it's alright. I think the original conversation has resolved itself of its own volition/momentum.

[ManitouDan]

Without starting any war what is the difference between a RVP slaught swing and the englishbey swing? Is the difference in terminology only ? MD

[pixsguy]

now, back to the bug issue...daughter played with the boys until she was 9...then started playing with funny looking yellow softball at 10u..."baseball" swing stuck...she always end with weight on front foot at contact and back foot always on the toe...after impact, she looks liked she squished some bug...how is this for form...

[tai2000]

I can clearly see the bug guts under the toe there...

[bucketbutt]

Form looks pretty good IMHO.

Just my 2 cents.

[dittoz]

Quite a picture!

The rolling onto the toe will be tough to call in a single still shot, but typically you'll see a bug squisher with weight on the ball of the foot as opposed to being more up on the toe.

Fear not that this debate will rage on forever as to correctness - best in the business doing it, etc. As long as JoeSchmoe doesn't start posting here, we can have a good-natured discussion about it and all can continue to learn

[Lefty's Dad]

Okay this thread was brought up again and i had to take a look for the first time. DD just started her third year of playing, after one season of rec. she wanted to give it a go in the real world and has had "some" success. I remember telling her to "squish the bug" but honestly I'm not sure DD ever listens to me, I'm just "DAD". Never mind that she hears the same thing from her "real" coaches.

[TNSoftballDad]

To me, neither one of those photos looks like she is "squishing the bug", particularly the bottom one.

Given a couple more weeks to observe kids reacting to that, I'm seeing some naturally come up onto the toes, or more accurately, off the ball of the foot. Now I'm wondering if the words solely as a cue for younger players are that bad as long as the player is actually doing the right thing?

[ssarge]

Lefty's Dad

Taylor's weight distribution looks pretty good. Of courrse, the devil is in the details. There are a lot of ways to GET to that position, and the timing is variable as well. Can;t jusge either from a still (need video).

But it appears her weight distribution is pretty good.

I recognize the following comments are unsolicited. And I offer them ONLY in this context: the worst POSSIBLE thing anyone could say to a 3rd year player would be "I don't see anything you could improve." That would basically mean that she was as good as she was going to get, other than through gradual refinement.

And I can guarantee you that she is not. Not after 3 years. And not with the mechanics as pictured.

Again, snapshots are just that - one moment captured in the middle of a highly complex sequence. So I am making some guesses, here.

All that said, the upper body position in the above photographs is not ideal. There is a great opportunity for improvement.

Essentially, Taylor is "disconnected." Meaning that her arms are no longer in sync with her body. This will affect power (bat speed), bat quickness (different thing), and consistency of contact.

She also is probably arching her back (especially in the big photo), which in my experience is something hitters do when their brain senses that bat speed is inadequate. This kind of arching can serve to push the hands forward, accelerating them slightly. But it is not ideal. Alternatively, she may be arching to clear space for the hands in order to hit the inside pitch, Creative, nut again, not optimal.

The photo posted by pixsguy above is a pretty good comparison of what the arm / upper body position should be at contact. Minor issues, but pretty darned good. Take a look, and see if you can identify some of the differences. If you are interested, I'd be happy to continue the dialog on where you can possibly go from here.

Again, not criticism. For a second year player, she is doing some things very well. But she has an opportunity to make some changes which may be initially painful, but which will lead to significant improvement of results over time.

Best regards,

Scott

[Gone in 2.6]

I'll echo Scott's suggestion to view the earlier posted pic as an example of good posture and
hand/arm position. Was going to reply yesterday but quite frankly was too lazy.
Luckily Scott's a giver.