Brandon's Journey Continues

[Teacherman]

I was hoping timing wasn't the problem. I suspected it played a role.

[Pronk]

Loren and I think alike because Timing stuck out at me, and I thought Naaw I am crazy. Now let me explain why I thought it might be timing. I see a really sharp blur at contact on the mis-hit ball, where the others seemed squared right up. As I typed that I thought naah, I'm nuts that blur has nothing to do with timing.

[Teacherman]

Today's effort...

[Stealth]

I think he is improving, keep at it. I like the progress. I wish he would stride and get a little movement forward but the swing is better than it was!

[Pronk]

I like that arc.

[Stealth]

Teacherman - remember way back when I kept saying his hands were not in a ready position to hit? I don't think that's the case anymore.

[Sandman]

He looks a bit like a golfer who reverse-pivots (reverse C). I'm sure Donny's familiar w/ that term? Look how much of Pujols' ass we see near contact, compared to Brandon's and how much Pujols' rear toe drags. Brandon appears to be standing up during the swing and tilting back instead of staying bent a bit and turning?

I'd like to see him, as someone recently said out here, "really cut loose". Fire those hips into the swing enough to see that front foot rollover. Don't worry if he hits the ball hard or where it goes, etc.. Keep turning the hips through the swing instead of leaning back to make room to clear out w/ the arms.

Just my 2 cents. Certainly have to commend the boy's (and his Dad's) persistence though.

[Teacherman]

He does lean back and he's working on that.

I don't think Pujols is a good comparison. Quite different in their starting points. Pujols is really spread out. Brandon used to be spread out.....see my avatar. But, we learned that restricts him. So, he's looking for middle ground.

We're looking at him compared to Jeff Kent and Manny, currently. They are more upright hitters.

I have a side by side of Kent on my computer at home. Unfortunatley, I'm at work and will be all day all night. Today and tomorrow. (Big Tournament this weekend). I like the Kent comparison although it highlights some problems also.

There seems to always be problems.

BTW, I've mentioned before about how his practice swings always seem to be no stride yet in a game a small stride appears. I don't know why or how or what. It is a little strange. It just happens. Just like in the avatar. His workouts during that time were no stride.....yet.....there is that little stride.

[Sandman]

I remember the avatar swing from B-F. I like that one better, and I can see the small stride you refer to.

As someone mentioned, it'd be nice to see a flat-out full effort Happy Gilmore swing. See what his lower body can do when not being so "deliberate" about it.

Have fun at your tournament, Minnesota!

[tom.guerry]

As compared to Manny, lookng at back foot action (no toe drag phase), there is little torso stretch/cusp creation in Brandon's swing.

The weight shift needs to support the second engine so it resists better and forces the first engine (hips) to support it rather than end up just following the first engine.

Without the resistance/cusp, the lead arm can not engage right and can only pull/fly out following the hips.

It might help to break out the arm action one handed top hand and bottom hand as Manny demonstrates on the clip that Jeff A has on his site.See Manny link here:

http://www.swingtraining.net/Swing.html

One hand top hand is a lot like loading for overhand throw, the main difference being that in hitting, the scaps do not pinch/load symmetrically, but alternately.

Top hand is important to optimize load and in getting weight to shift forward well,but he may need more work on bottom hand so it can be equal partner, not overwhelmed by top hand.

Should be able to use bottom hand/lead arm like Manny or Edgar with donut to hit through ball (second engine in control, not hips), not around ball.

Another advantage of hitting OPPO field is it forces more forward weight shift more toward oppo gap which helps second engine resist first.

[Teacherman]

Tom,

A lot of people make a big deal out of righty throwers batting lefty and how because of which arm is dominant, that it helps them hit.

From our perspective, I call that bs. Not that it doesn't help some.

Why? Because the lower body is opposite direction.

At least that is my excuse today.

[Teacherman]

Another thing to add here.

Clearly Brandon's lower body needs work.

Equally clearly is.....Brandon is a better hitter at this point in time than ever before. You guys don't know that.....you'll have to take my word for it. He has to beat out several players to get on the field at his school. He is better prepared for that than ever before. It will take the starter failing, and any others ahead of him failing, before he gets a chance. But, he is prepared.

His ability to square bat and ball has improved immensely.

And, this is at the heart of the difference between PCR and the Second Engine. Or at least between my teaching and Englishbey teaching.

Starting with the lower body and locking in the upper body with extreme tension so that they learn high quality rotation first is ass backwards in my mind.

Kids need to have fun and/or produce. Depending on their playing level, without that they aren't in the lineup.

It is my feeling that if you teach them the ability to square bat and ball you can always work to add a better lower body. They will still be playing to take that step.

But, if you teach lower body stuff with the goal of high quality rotation and they don't learn to connect and deliver the bat to the ball, they won't be around for the rest of it.

IF you give kids a little connection, they will hit. May not hit for power at first but they will hit.

You coaches who have 7th, 8th and 9th place hitters who aren't getting it done but you need their glove in the lineup or you have no other options..........I highly recommend you start with connection..........the Second Engine.

As Loren says.....give them some form from which they can find function.

[dmac]

With school and practice right around the corner, here is what I would do if he were my son. Right now, the top half looks much, much better than ever before, so stay with it. On the lower half, he does not seem comfortable striding, so what I would do is have him go with his old no-stride, but widen the stance a little to give him a better, stronger base to hit from. That way he won't have the stride thing on his mind when he is trying to hit, but will be hitting from a nice strong base that is wider than what he has right now.

When he gets home in the summer, then work on the stride again.

[Pronk]

I might be committing a sin here but I am thinking of the Yaeger clip I watched on getting off the back side. I know that the particular way he decided to term the lower half as pushing off the ground, is a bit of a controversy, but in rewatching the explanation and the sample drill he has you do to feel this, I couldn't help but think about Brandon here. In the clip he is showing really solid forward momentum as evidenced by the back knee being a ways ahead of the back foot as the front foot lands flexed and begins to block forward momentum.

Now to some degree you had that argument with Jim Booth about pushing vs. hips leading etc., but I am not talking about that so much. Yaeger clearly shows that the before the front foot has completely landed, the back foot is coming up, and the hips are already moving so in essence it's more of a form vs. function argument, and frankly I don't care about those so much.

In any case, and possibly Donny and Tom can correct me on this (and possibly Yankee Fan) but what I think would really help here is that 1st phase Yaeger talks about of loading that back leg, while maintaining nuetral spine angle (not leaning back). This is similar to how a movement expert would teach a kid to make a cut-back in football or a crossover in basketball. In order strongly cut-back when running, the cut-leg has to get loaded, while the player doesn't lean out over that leg, and maintains a good center of gravity. If they sway over the lead leg, the cut-back won't work. I think Yaeger is describing the same basic premise, where the back leg gets a load mostly by getting all weight off the front leg for a time (any number of ways to do this), without completely swaying over the back leg. This sets up a harder "push" toward's the front leg, even if you don't like the way Yaeger phrases it.

I edited out the Palmiero clip because I need to find a better example.

[Pronk]

Here is a good example, and these are just links, I didn't combine and sync them or anything: