Squishing The Bug

Slow motion clips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHT0IvAMt8c

 

Thanks

Phreak, thanks for the slow motion clip and let me say that I completely agree with you. I posted that clip because it may appear to some that Jessica keeps her weight back too much or she is "squishing the bug" when in reality her hips and backside explode powerfully forward and she hits AGAINST her front leg rather than over the top of it. The slow motion helps prove that. I guess my point is to make sure that you are certain on what someone is actually doing in their swing (videotape helps) before you start tweaking their swing. We all want to help, but let's be careful that we are not causing harm or creating confusion. The Chris Oleary link below is what type swing I teach my kids.
http://www.chrisoleary.com/projects/Baseball/Hitting/RethinkingHitting/Essays/HighLevelSwing.html

I'm know that Coach Papa and Candrea have forgotten more about softball than I will ever know, but personally I'm not sure the walk through drill would be a good thing for Albert (since it appears to me that it may promote hitting OVER your front leg rather than against it. I think I prefer this Candrea drill to correct the no weight shift and spinning on the back foot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsoaE6B_To8

But, while they have their place to break bad habits, I don't spend a great deal of time on hitting drills (doing things unlike what they will actually do in the batter's box). I teach the entire swing, but break it down and teach the specific parts of the swing that my kids are having trouble on. I hope that something I have rambled on about is useful to somebody.

 

Mendoza has a model swing. Notice some of the other things she does; how she loads inside the rear foot, coils as she strides/separates, leads with the hip, throws the barrel to the ball instead of knob or hands to the ball, the tilt at the hips. Those are things that are missing on many teams in our area, including college.

PS: Notice, also, how her arms stay connected; her point of contact is not way out front.

 

To me, this is critical to a powerful swing that utilizes the lower body. I see too many girls sway back to load and then sway forward in an attempt to time the pitch.

 

Jessica or Megan

So here we have 2 theoretical different types of swings. Jessica or Megan. Which is correct? Or are they both correct, in their on way. Are we trying Dot I or cross a T? I like to target shoot and can bust the center with a 22 or a 300 mag, but have to do it in different ways. I get the same results. Is there a happy medium here or are these 2 swings so totally different. I don't know. If my DD hits like Jessica or Megan then I will be happy either way. I was talking our hitting coach and they said really stress the 5 points. Stance, load, contact, extension, follow thru. All that said. Would some teach their DD, NOT to hit like Jessica OR Megan. If so, why????? I would not turn my hand over for the difference in either one of the 2.

 

I believe you're comparing apples to apples. Fundamentally they're the same.

This is a baseball player, but the fundamentals apply to softball as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Oq6CU6sqGA