Backspin Blogger

I would venture to say that just about all parents of young athletes want the absolute best for their kids. That is not something I believe could become a legitimate debate. The debate begins when the subject of how to be a good parent gets mentioned. There are an almost infinite number of scenarios and angles to look at this topic... but just like in Hitting Mechanics, there are absolutes in being good parents of young athletes. Smiling Young Athletes 1. Remembering that it is their life, their likes, their "want to's" , their time, their dreams... not your life, your likes, your "want to's", your time or your dreams. We all want our kids to be good at what they do, enjoy what they do, learn from what they do and have and chase dreams. But here is the hard truth from 40 years deeply entrenched in youth athletics.Too many parents are living their own dreams through there kid. I'm not going to write a report on the psychology of this but by observation, i...

Spending hour upon hour in the Batting Cages with hitters, studying batting mechanics online every night, Learning, not Teaching going to coaching conventions across the country to get batting tips, new batting drills and maybe a whole new approach, talking with anyone and everyone you may think can elevate your knowledge, maybe just maybe get video of every national league player and watch 2 months worth of video...most of those are processes all good hitting coaches partake in but the most important skill may have little to do with any of those. Its 2015, long gone are the dictatorship coaching styles that truly get the most out of the players. They exist all over the country but it is rare that a young athlete maximizes his or her talent with the proverbial, " Do what I say and don't ask questions style." There are multitudes of researched, documented reasons why this is the case. In some ways it is good and some ways it is a challenging time to be a coach. Becoming a ...

W aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttttt a minute!!!! Before you jump to the "hater" conclusion, please understand that I am one of the biggest fast pitch softball fans on the planet! So much so that half of our hitting camps annually are for the young ladies! We work with thousands of fast pitch softball hitters each year. I am a season ticket holder at the PAC 12 school near my hometown. After I did my first study on fast pitch hitting and 8 years on the road teaching clinics,  there seemed to be some answers on why girls hit like girls. Another disclaimer-Sometimes telling the truth hurts some feelings. 1. The actual fast pitch softball swing is no different from an elite baseball swing. SO WHY DO WE TEACH IT DIFFERENTLY? I have dozens of stories of showing baseball and softball swings side by side on video with virtually ZERO difference and the fast pitch softball coaches will swear it is different? We can't help people ...

Most hitters and coaches think that working on hitting is taking batting practice... they are correct but only partially. Understanding, addressing and working on all the  ingredients  of being a good hitter is the only way to maximize any hitters potential. Each fast pitch softball hitter is an individual and each has their strengths and weaknesses but going through this checklist may help identify both and get them on their way to marked improvement.        The swing  ·           The actual physical swing mechanics  ·         Creating a “sound or mechanically correct” swing gives the hitter the best chance for contact and force(power)      The phase we all work on the most 2.        The mental approach ·           Ignored by a lot of fastpitch softball hitting instructors(because of the lack of concrete ideas and it ha...

Extension and  Wrist Release  When discussing the topic of extension, most hitters think of extending the arms as the extent of extension. When in reality, that is only part of what creates “maximum extension . ” The forgotten or rarely mentioned element is the extension or release of the wrists. EXTENSION: I hear analysts always talk about the "big guys want to get their arms extended" ... true, and a circle is round. We ALL want to get are arms extended as this is a huge part of good swing mechanics. Let me bust a myth... hitters do want to get extended but it is extension TOWARDS THE PITCHER, not out in front of their body over the plate. WRIST RELEASE: Just like a golfers wrists do not rollover until well after contact, a hitter need to do the same thing. We call it wrist release where the wrist joints load and unload from side to side as opposed to rolling over. It is the last hinge to unload and bat will accelerate until wrists roll. WHY DO HITTERS WANT EX...

Front Leg Position WHAT:   The front foot should end up flat after stride. The foot should be somewhat closed (pointing at base coach) until after contact. The foot is the anchor to the ground during the athletic striking phase of the swing.  The front leg lands bent and athletic and stays bent until contact or right after contact. The front leg angle is a key factor in solid hitting mechanics. The front leg angle is generally at 55 to 75 degrees at contact point. This angle (combined with a proper base width) allows backside release to occur without drifting over the front leg. This angle allows the hitter to hit AGAINST the front leg, rather than allowing the body to drift over the front leg. This also keeps the hitter back or behind the ball with limited head movement.                KEYS: ·           The base (distance between feet after the stride) is a...

B ackside Release - The swing mechanics of the back leg Question:   What does the back leg & foot do during the contact phase of the swing? If you ask 99% of coaches, players, etc, the answer would be pivot,  squish the bug , rotate your hips, etc. FAULT:  This is actually a MYTH that has been passed down from generation to generation without really finding out what does happen. ***All premier hitters do NOT SQUISH THE BUG .   WHY:  If a hitter pivots or squishes the bug with the back foot; 1          They lose most linear movement which results in diminished power 2          Their margin for solid contact decreases 3          The swing mechanics start to break down immediately(Cast, dip, etc) 4          The hitter becomes strictly rotational 5      ...

The Five Areas of Hitting Development Most hitters and coaches think that working on hitting is taking batting practice... they are correct but only partially. Understanding, addressing and working on all the components of being a good hitter is the only way to maximize any hitters potential. Each hitter is an individual and each has their strengths and weaknesses but going through this checklist may help identify both and get them on their way to marked improvement. The swing  The actual physical swing mechanics  Creating a “sound or mechanically correct” swing gives the hitter the best chance for contact and force(power) The phase we all work on the most The mental approach Ignored by most instructors(because of the lack of concrete ideas and it has the widest variety of opinions, thoughts and ways the element is applied) This can be anything from their approach at the plate to practice habits Vision, tracking, pitch recognition and decision making ...

THE SLOT WHAT: The positioning of the back arm as it moves from the launch point to contact point. The hitter wants to keep the elbow close to the body. We use the term “staying connected . ” The hitter needs to keep the back elbow “connected” to the body. Contact is usually made here with both arms bent. This happens as the hitter rotates the torso towards contact.     FAULT : Hitters send their hands away from the body naturally (casting) which: Keep the front elbow below the front shoulder preventing "chicken winging" ·          Creates a long swing ·          Sends barrel out over the outside or past the plate, which then causes a wrist roll to bring the barrel back over the plate to contact. ·          Creates weaker contact position HOW TO FIX: ·         ...

The LAUNCH, or what I call POWER-LOAD position, is the point in the swing in which the hitter’s hand and body movements switch from going away from the pitch to towards the pitch. COMMON FAULT: If you do not get in proper “launch position”, your chance of maximizing each swing is very poor. Most young hitters land with too much weight on back leg, and hands  aren't  in proper launch position. WHY get into proper launch position? ·          Getting the hitter to the most powerful and efficient striking position possible. ·          Getting the hitter’s head and eyes in the best tracking position possible. ·          Loading is created by moving away from the pitcher (linearly) and turning the body slightly inward toward the plate (rotationally) .  LAUNCH SEPARATION  is making sure the hands stay back and the torso stays squ...