work on hitting different pitches- lower pitches

work on lower body- take a high volume of swings w/ good lower body

barrel being sent rearword?

diagonal swing plane vs around the shoulders? launch swing at second basemen?

in between the elbow slotting, bat staying up, and the next phase- the bat has to travel in a vertical plane.

the swings where i turn the barrel in my hands out in front of my body look good because i am artificially getting to the back elbow up, lead arm up position and i am taking my lead arm out of the swing

my swing in the cage actually has some similarities in pattern to my dry swing- so- fix the dry cut

my hands are dropping, my lead arm straightens out, my bat lags, i throw my arms out front and torque the barrel out there

also- address the lower body and my load

in werth's swing- the back elbow doesn't flatten out or lose its angle or drop until very late- it stays upright, vertical, - and the bat moves vertically- until late

if my hand is always in front of my elbow- i am pushing my hands, just from a different source

address the lead arm because as long as it is hinging the bat around out front my swing won't progress

getting from back elbow ahead of hands and back (bat up), to back elbow under and lead arm up. back arm stays in right angle, near shoulder

bat stays in vertical plane

positivity, passion, a way of life

the elbow goes under and the bat stays in its original connected position until it flattens out w/ the elbow (which is staying tight and near the shoulder)

the hands don't start turning the ball, elbow and leard arm slotting, until the hands get past the elbow. before that, the hands and arms stay the same w/ bat up.

pay attention to posture

+ direction of rotation

put hands vertical at shoulder. swivel hands vertically, throw right arm, snap left arm. get bat coming around after hands get past elbow, coming early. keep right arm angle tight, at shoulder until it throws

the hands dont at any point or for any frames push the bat

load against back side, cock hips, keep a tilt over, throw hips forward w/ weight back

bend over at the waist and throw with the right arm

when i was rotating really hard- my hands would be at my shoulder in a good position- but then they would get thrown out by my shoulders instead of rotating the bat around in my hands. Maybe i need to get my hips to pull my hands in the right direction, and throw the bat head, and maybe rotate it around in my hands.

one knee- right hand swing into bag- keep bat up, slot elbow- turn bat from vertical to horizontal

seperation stop- cock hips, swing leg open to get seperation- keep hands behind shoulder w/ bat up, slot elbow in front of hands

half-swings- same thing as previous- but then turn bat in hands, throw right hand, vertical to horizontal

things to improve- shoulder drop, pushing hands in full swing, bat dropping too horizontal too early

stay through the ball/ keep bat up- rotate it vertically and through

the elbow slots down- the bat stays up until the hands start moving through the zone and the hands work vertically into the plane.

you have to try to work within the same framework as the hitters you are emulating. its hard to practice a mechanic outside of the context of the rest of the body.

sit against the back hip

coil against the back hip as you push out

work the back knee under as the hands go back

its about coiling and uncoiling the back hip joint

i need to figure out how to make it rythmic, natural, the seperation between hands and hip

address the amount of shoulder tilt in my swing

i did a clip trying to get my hips ahead of my hands and i did create alot of separation, although it was artificial. my hands also turned the bat decently. the thing is a had alot of shoulder tilt backwards- maybe a muscle memory thing because i usually tilt my shoulders forward alot and tilt them back to get to even.

rotate the bat around a vertical right forearm.

drills:

rotate forearm into bag

throw bat around shoulder- right

rotate forearm w/ lead arm going up

both hands- rotate bat around shoulder

hips before hands- band

hips before hands- w/ throw bat around shoulder

one swing i didn't look in the mirror and i swung straight down. the next i looked in the mirror and swung on a high plane

lead arm seems to be off, i'm rolling over early in my swing which creates that cool follow through, and my dry swing always seems to be a down swing. my best swings were the ones i was trying to rotate the bat around my forearm and uppercut the ball- i ended up not uppercutting the ball.

in my best ever dry swing, i got my elbow to lead my hands. i think this happened because i was focused on slotting the elbow, jutting the lead arm, and turning the barrel around my forearm.

keep the lead arm from pulling, throwing motion in the back, don't use shoulders. diagonal hand path, hand pivot point, don't push up w/ back leg.

the back arm comes through bent at an acute angle and the bat rotates around the forearm. the arm stays up around the shoulder and on a diagonal path to the ball.

in dry swings- too much puhs, or pull, w/ the arms and not enough turning the bat w/ the forearms. but better.

pat attention to timing and separation too.

go simpler, easier, until you can do something right and build off that.

don't go hard right.

get legs to work over this break. arms- just rotate around forearm, throw the bathead w/ right arm, maybe set load a little bit, separate.

legs: load against right leg, push up into ground into belly button and separate from hands. keep the hands up by the shoulder

keep your head behind

still throw the bathead

finish counter-balanced

raise the hands

drills:

leg up on bench x10

load x10

unload- stretch x10

you want to throw the bat backwards, rotating across the forearm, behind and above your armpit

its important to feel your back leg working- feel the load like in the one leg on the chair drill. also- make the transition from load to unload with the lower body fluid, w/ no stop.

i really feel myself loading the back leg and then exploding through the ground into my belly button to seperate my hands and let my hips pull my hands through.

back hip pulls the swing through- back shoulder doesn't push through. rear hip doesn't pull the swing through either.

use your hands not your arms.

turn your belly button to the pitcher hard.

my official goal for the 2010 baseball season is to hit .400 with 10 bombs. I think it will help if i look at other players that have done that before and how they handle themselves: for instance, I can have Dustin Ackley's quit personality and his calm at the plate + Derek Jeter's confidence.

my biggest enemy and the thing i need to overcome the most in my swing and in baseball is my lead shoulder pulling and my lead arm yanking the bat through

don't think, no mechanics. the only thing you are worried about is the ball and the contact you make with it. hang out with good people. don't attempt to understand. have faith.

engrain positives

details, calculation, rest + work, day in and day out, focus on positive

long in the back, stay on back leg, get back knee going before front foot lands. feel the bat head release before contact. yur the man. keep the front side quiet- throw the hands w/o the shoulders

automize these things. make them automatic

bat tipped off, during separation lean over at the waist, and cock the bat up w. hands. keep it in plane with back arm. keep pressure on back leg. stay through ball, on plane, down and through it with body posture and shoulders

keep your weight on your back leg when you stride

swing form the back w/ back knee and elbow- keep front side closed

throws hands through in a unit w/o shoulders

seperate, stay on the ball, swing without your shoulders, swing w/ your top hand through- feel your top hand throwing the bathead through and extending. stay through the ball and swing w/ your top hand like mauer- pay attention to the grip- keep bathead up

gould- feels what he wants to do, does it. all pitcher's are the same

seperate, hands throw first, stay on ball.

key is to keep head still, body still, to get best sight of ball. a little weight shift back and over back leg is good.

take away the outside half- great approach, stay on and through the ball.

Basically I need to spend more time deliberately practicing baseball.

tennis ball machine- need to take 200 tennis balls daily.

also need to deliberately practice seeing release points and the different stages of acute vision of release points:

1) see the hand as it is coming through

see the arm angle

see the grip on the ball

2) see the pitcher release the ball

grip

spin

trajectory

3) track the flight of the pitch

trajectory

spin

movement

4 pillars:

tennis balls x200

practice bunting- 50 bunts a day

practice hitting fastballs x50

practice hitting sliders x50

release point drills: 2 seam vs. 4 seam, curveballs, change-ups, see different stages of vision

routine- do swing slow in mirror

front toss routine: head position (eye patch), right arm, heel timing

practice different counts, situational hitting

read stuff that makes you say: "I better get busy"

after every game:

visualize the game. replay it in your head. note everything and visualize it how you would have wanted it to go.

keep a journal in order to get something out of every at-bat you have.

the ultimate test of your ability to hit is how you do when your swing is not on and you know it. today my swing was not on and i knew it and i went 4 for 4 with four hard hit balls and 4 quality at-bats.

have an idea in bp

stay away, one the ball- head on it, feet on it, shoulders on it- stay on the ground

work on seeing the ball

keep head still, body still, see ball hit bat.

now that you are seeing the ball really well, theres no need to try and pull the ball. stay on it and all over it.

swing without the shoulders

three things hold me back: 1) seeing the ball 2) fear of the pitcher 3) my takes sometimes show that swing isn't right where it needs to be. By the way, I am CRUSHING the ball in batting practice- my swing feels incredible. I'm just working on heel timing and throwing the bathead- making sure my weight is over the plate so i can stay through the ball, and trying to stay back- not jump out at the ball. Those are the two things- staying back and staying through the ball- because often when i get into trouble its because i am pulling the lead shoulder out or diving at the ball. as far as my hands, as long as i get them going back and up and have some tilt or cock to the bat- MINIMAL- but some so i can keep my weight over my feet. also- my legs are very athletic- cocked on my back leg, ready to drive, toes pointed in. head still, see the ball, see the top half, backspin it.

keep visualizing what you should have done when you don't get exactly the results you want.

stay intense focused- hard, and aggressive.

work the heel timing in front toss. take dry hacks working on it, off the tee, and then swing w/ a ball.

consistent mental training- consistency in thoughts, objectives

the basis of my swing is the back knee starting before the front heel is down, and the hands keeping the upper body back. The key to my stance and set-up is comfort- my hands are somewhat low but completely natural- i can completely focus on seeing the ball. in the swing, i'm just staying on the ball, through it, with my head, hands, shoulders and feet. I'm focusing on picking the ball up early and getting the bat head out, but within the framework of staying all over the pitch and seeing the ball really well.

I'm also working on my demeanor in the box- going up to the plate like i expect to do damage- which i do. i walk up confidently with the barrel of the bat in my palm, and swipe the dirt with my feet, and tap the plate.

i still need to work on boxing up the pitch- although i am seeing the ball better now even though i haven't established the consistent eye patterns i'd like to.

another key is that when i'm comfortable, i can be completely ready to swing when i lock in on the ball coming out of the pitchers hand.

being over the balls of your feet is also important. also- getting up on the plate in practice and hitting the inside pitch is a good tool.

back to basics:

seperation

heel timing

swing w/ right arm

do things everyday that will make you better even if everything else goes wrong:

tennis balls

eye patch drills

mirror- mechanics

work on the right things day in and day out so that even if everything else goes wrong in a day you will have established some good muscle memory that can move you forward.

visualize yourself getting 4 hits in a game.

"its very routine"

i expect to hit well so it doesn't excite me. I'm just trying to do anything to help my team win. team first.

stay through the ball and get your lower body working right- specifically, dead front side

aslo, get very closed w/ lower body

what i'm doing well: staying on the ball, staying on top

also, work on loading w/ the right arm

envision yourself walking into the cage: confident, focused like a laser beam

feel yourself tap the bat w/ confidence and prepare for the pitch like a warrior

practice hititng missiles

set goals, plan, evaluate

i would like to drive pitches batter to my pull-side . there are two components to that- seeing the ball and your swing. I can work on both in practice and concentrate on seeing the ball in the game.

to start with i need a mental image of what i want, and also a feel. There are alot of clips of players pulling homers so thats not a hard thing, and as for feel i can rely on past memories and cues.

past memories:

homers to left

feel: bathead out

bathead early

when visualizing what you want to do, be as detailed as possible.

what I want to feel. What i am thinking: bathead out, top half of the ball

go through your usual routine: tap the plate, box it up

"time the pitch with your rotation"

plan, evaluate

baserunning, quality abs, make the routine play

9/7

physical relaxation

stay through the ball

9/6

physical relaxation

slow load

direct hand path to ball

front toss routine:

eye patch, angled l screen 2x8

split grip 2x8 focus on a tight bat path

regular- right center- focus on keeping head down, shoulder in, feet square

also every day 4:

bunts, tennis balls, fastballs off machine, offspeed off machine

9/3

hit well today off live pitching. have to stay square and on the ball w/ feet, shoulders, and head. also, the first forward movement after you feel seperation w/ the top hand. also, whatever you do, quiet will be better than the best load done fast. also, keep it simple and basic. if you're weight isn't over your toes, than forget about any more advanced move. keep it simple. work off this idea.

9/2

gould talked today about keeping the barrel in the zone and the hands inside the ball. hit a little more athletically like evan longoria and pay more attention to relazation and recovery.

1 day is not going to make or break your performance in may, and you have to stay consistently positive and relaxed over the long run.

try to make things more simple. the simpler things are, the better they will work.

9/1

keep the right on on the ball the whole time. i say the ball 10x better when i practiced this. also, gould talked today about how hitting is adjustments, from pitch to pitch, as in what you are trying to do w/ the ball. one adjustment that i liked was- do less.

if you keep the right eye on the ball, it should feel like playing pepper

start the swing correctly with the upper body and lower body. I am still diving on my front side a bit and pulling out.

8/31

head still

bring everything down on the ball- make sure your bat angle isn't looping up

8/29

feel seperation

stride soft

swing w/ the shoulders

stay through the ball

8/29

still falling on front side and pulling head, shoulder, and lead arm off.

try finishing the right way, as in throwing everything oppo- even if the result isn't perfect

keep your head, shoulders, and feet square and on the ball

finish low w/ your top hand

8/27

a couple cues to think about:

keep a tight arc

stay through the ball

raise hands- especially on high tee

throw the top hand through- heel timing drills

coach mac suggested that I add a mirror drill where I set up the high tee and see myself work through the ball and after the high tee I take a couple regular hacks off the tee

i also need to incorporate some eyes closed drills w/ the mirror

right now my routine is:

mirror:

heel timing x15 eyes open x 15 eyes closed

stride (emphasis on back knee, heel timing) x15, 15 eyes closed

heel timing w/ bat x15 eyes open, 15 eyes closed

stride w/ bat x15 eyes open, 15 eyes closed

heel timing 1 arm swing x10

heel timing both arms x10

stride w/ bat x15 eyes open, 15 eyes closed

tee:

heel timing w/ right arm x15

heel timing w/ both x10

mirror: high tee, no ball x10

high tee x10

regular x5

heel timing both arms x10

work back through progression

i also noticed today how well gould stayed inside and on the ball. this is desirable

8/25

today in my morning session I did a couple of coach macs lead arm/back arm drills. I'm not sold on these because I'm not sure they accomplish what they are supposed to.

I always look in the mirror and feel like I can't put my hands or body in a good spot, and I don't feel particularly well either. I think the key is to get better, bit by bit, every day. I might need to think about working backwards, in terms of getting to where I want to be at some point. But I would also need a plan to get there.

Joe Mauer has a good swing that I might try to emulate.

I'm pretty sure that tee work is not the answer. I think your swing is worse off the tee and therefore direct tee work might should be avoided.

things to work on: seperation, cock hips, throw top hand through, flat swing (good finish)

i need to get a feel for a good swing:

couple things:

bat flying through zone w/o bodily effort

body loading, hands, w/ still head

quit, under control

feel bathead

loose, relaxed swing

joe cuddyer

ryan spilbhorgs

seperation

load body

maybe i'm getting too handsy- need to use body in right way

start the swing on shoulder- hands away, so you have a consistent starting point

working on: cocking front let, pushing off back leg, seperating hands back and up with the right arm, and holding the hands back while the back knee worked under was awesome. do that in the mirror, then do the heel timing drill, then add a dry swing, then go off tee. great. hands at shoulder, loose, deep grip- take bat straight to ball and finish low and w/ top hand (don't pull bat out from under) high tee, stay through the ball.

it appears that cuddyer is doing some things with his shoulders and hands, swinging them through, but keeping his head perfectly still.

notice cuddyers practice swing

my best thought on the day was getting the hands going back and creating seperation

8/24

cock hips/ heel timing

swing w/ right hand- do not pull out w/ shoulder or left arm, don't use shoulders in swing

keep head still, upright

stay through the ball

simplest, quitest possible manner you can accomplish these things

tomorrow in cage: bring video

1) 15 min: hip cock

2) 15 min: heel timing

3) 15 min: right arm

work on sliders and curveballs away- staying on the ball and through it

8/24

morning session:
got up at 5:45 to hit. I need to have a very specific and productive reason to get up and hit that early. My best idea is to simply work on mechanics and solidify really good ones so that when you get to the field later in the day you don't have to think about mechanics.
make sure you stay through the ball and get a good body load. try to throw the barrel, and not contort it through the zone in a way that might still get the desired results.

things I need to work on: finish (snap), dead front side, hip cock, heel timing

RC: 6/10
Middle: 3/10

get foot down, use hands

8/23

oppo: 8/10

right-center: 2/10

up the middle 8/10

left center 4/10

up middle 6/10

right center 5/10

load early

8/19

thoughts for today-

hit in the cages at duke for the first time off the tee. My initial notes:

tip at the waist (weight over feet, load body), cock the fuck out of hips and legs, stay through the ball, heel timing, and don't use shoulders, extend through ball w/ hands.

i used a couple drills in the cage that i thought were productive:

practice stride in mirror- side and front

practice start swing- knee and elbow going in opposite directions

heel timing

starting load w/ right arm

right arm swings off tee - backspin

practicing load w/ 1 arm dry swing

practicing heel timing w/ 1 arm dry swing

i need to stay productive in the cage- do drills on a daily basis that will serve me in the long run- stay moving forward and not searching endlessly for a magic drill or thought off the tee and ruining my swing in the process.

I will crush this pitching in fall ball this year. my swing feel quick and powerful.

8/19

today i hit off the machine and have three notes: 1) put the bat deeper in your left wrist (pronate it) 2) the load of the back elbow happens late like in a sidearm throw 3) its a tip, not a pull back

also, make sure to load the body as well like in david wright in the homerun derby

also, once i put the camera on in different positions, i didn't hit as well, signalling that my swing is not engrained enough yet.

8/19

have hands somewhat out away from body so you can pull them in in your load- this feels more powerful, i'm not sure if it is and if it is efficient or if its an accurate image and feel to link with my actual mechanics right now.

Also, the timing of the load is important, and I need to determine when it happens. My inclination is that the back elbow load happens later in order to have good rythym.

I also want to check in later and video my swing and see where my load is.

also important to note, david wright has had swings in the past where his elbow load/ tip is not so pronounced and in fact very moderate and statistics show he hit very well in those years.

david w. also seems to like to start from a flat bat in some clips. i can't really tell if his hands are out away from him or not.

also, check out the position that troy tulowitski is in on the cover of baseball america- he is flipping a ball to second base, perfect hitting position.

it also just strikes me that on the hitting illustrated clip page for david wright- the magic seems to be happening in front of his body, not in the back.

8/18

one thought was to start the swing slowly and start it with the right arm. I need to be able to line balls in the right center field gap all day in practice.

8/18 deliberate practice session

technique: heel timing

goal: to see the back heel up before the front heel is down on the camera off front toss

feedback: camera

1)

in mirror no bat 2x15

dry swing w/ bat 2x15

front toss takes x5

2) light front toss - focus on heel timing

3) evaluate on camera how my heel timing was and evaluate the drills I did

what i am going to do differently today is try to establish a feel for the heel timing instead of relying so much on the muscle memory of the drills. I am going to attempt to feel exactly what my heels are going.

video:

what I like about this footwork more than the previous clips (8/17) is that my front foot does not appear flexed or bent, like it is holding weight, which i would consider a negative thing.

it looks like i achieved the position of back heel up b4 front heel down in most of my swings, although there is variability.

one possible cue is to use the back knee as the start of the swing.

the heel timing is better in the takes than the swings.

i like the idea of adding heel timing drills like the ones I did today and yesterday into my daily hitting rout.

8/17 thoughts

stay through the ball- back shoulder through the ball

use back elbow load as rhythm - this is key - back elbow load/tip/throwing motion

back elbow load- maybe a tip

back arm extends when it snaps

w/ the split grip: tight arc, straight to ball- diagonal, snap knob back, no shoulders- you can take practice swings and finish right and then determine how well you did it by your finish off live

back foot compared to hands- knee and hips need to fire while hands are still back- heel up w/ hands back- simple, feet before hands

hands- in front of and across body

even feet could be another point to work on

hands: high, away from body, forward- pull hands back with right elbow- tip bat towards second base, load over back shoulder

another unrelated thought: search other fields for ways to progress: this blog and the website are a product of the insight i gained from william and warren using the web to track progress and right down notes. relatively progressive

8/17

these clips are from a batting practice where i was hitting the ball well.

positives:

somewhat direct hand path to ball

bat head path to ball somewhat direct

load is decent

signs of seperation

better finish on some swings- top hand rolling over, extending

signs of an aggressive move forward before swings

now all these positives need to be improved as well, and could have been included in the negatives. they all need improvement.

negatives:

contact point still too far out front at times. also a frame in there where my hands are out front and the bat is in no man's land- coming around the ball sort of

lower body action is still nonexistent

still need better hand action, less shoulders- could work on snapping lead arm

don't get barrel through as well with metal

for a really good example of what i'm looking for, the following video is a solid reference point:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcW74LwMm3w

evan longoria taking bp

in the following video i am swinging in the driveway while focusing on the heel timing and it is very apparent that i know how to achieve heel timing and know the feel of it in a dry swing.

8/17 thoughts

if you look in "the art of hitting .300' by lau you can see in pages 186-199 in all the swings that in one frame the front heel is up and in the next on it is down and the back heel is up. In these two frames the hands always remain back.

These are the critical stages i'm not getting to right now.

the two clips on hitting illustrated.com from the wbc of david wright and ryan braun also support that notion.

its really simple- feet before hands

8/17 deliberate practice

technique: heel timing

goal: to see the back heel up before the front heel is down on the camera off front toss

feedback: camera

1)

practice in mirror 2x25 - 25 w/ board under your heel - 25 normal

in bag w/ right arm x25 w/ board

practice in mirror x25

in bag w/ right arm x25

2) 20 swings of front toss focusing on heel timing: 10 starting at toe touch, 10 full

3) evaluate on camera how my heel timing was and evaluate the drills I did

it does not look like on camera from the side that my heel timing improved. It is also apparent that my back leg or knee does not drive before the hands because the hands are well on their way to the ball before my back leg starts to fire.

I am going to try to get a better angle on my feet in the future to evaluate my heel timing.

8/14 hitting

get foot down early, lean over (load body) and cock hips (and foot, show back pocket to pitcher) - then pick up ball

hands away from body- tip bat towards second basemen

take hands straight to ball in a diagonal

hands go out in front of body - bat snaps out front instead of swinging around the body

"foot down, use hands"

video of david wright on STACK mag is good inspiration and example for imitation

8/15

stay on ball- keep front shoulder and head down and on ball

get backspin off tee

learn the early stride: touch toe down, load body, cock hip, foot and leg. I can really feel my footwork (heel before heel) improving when i do this and my hips firing.

8/16

the advent of deliberate practice greatly helped today. mechanically I am hitting well because I am taking my shoulders out of the swing and starting both the load and the swing with my right arm. My only thoughts are get the foot down early and use the hands.

8/16 deliberate practice session

technique: cocking the hips

goals: to see noticeable hip cock in a session of front toss

feedback: camera

1) attack hips to band and work on cocking them:

6 sets of 20

superset with:

20 hip cocks in mirror

2) session of front toss: 20 swings, focusing on hip cock

3) evaluate on camera how well i cocked my hips, and evaluate first step: technique in a smaller session

2.

in the movie-player analysis, it seems that their is visible foot, knee, leg, and hip cock, so the drills that I did prior should be included in m daily routine because they seemed to be productive and worth while.

in other areas:

my heel timing is poor, and overall use of my legs isn't near where I'd like it to be. this is my biggest priority right now.

my follow through and shoulder rotation seems awkward and not ideal.

left arm snap is decent, and my load is decent.

the barrel path, which is straight to the ball on a downward diagonal, has improved and I like it. I'm hitting the ball deeper because of it too.

Also, the back elbow is slotting with the hands back very nicely, which is a very positive thing for me.