staying inside ball/insider bat

[tom.guerry]

This clip uses same definition as Epstein of keeping hands in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJxkvsLXs2Q

[tom.guerry]

a couple of things to keep in mind with insider bat:

1- forces flat hands through contact/palm up extension

2-encourages hands staying in

REMEMBER:

the usual flaw is the way Mankin describes "drag"

which is that becasue of inefficient "transfer mechanics" (and as part of this, inefficient torso loading/inefficient stretch and fire of torso/ tendency to "rush"/part of good "transfer mechanics" is accentuating stretch and fire as well as transfomong this torso stretch into spatially and temporally adjustable quick bathead acceleration) the torso stops rotating early and the arms have to take over/compensate and extend often with premature wrist roll to get to contact.

The BEND on the bat allows the hands to stay in gives the feel of contact in the absence of a good torso stretch so they get the feel of the desired wrist/arm action through contact which includes:

unhinging of bottom wrist, top hand wrist still cocked and back arm/elbow/triceps extension through contact.

These hitters are still not getting optimal stretch and fire because the earlier upper pivot action is not understood and they get to the front foot early, but this is definitely a useful device.

[Shumro]

Tom
The guy talking is Sparky Parker and his web site is WWW.backbackback.com Several years back I down loaded his Ebook, Rotational hitting and how I teach it, it is basically the Epstien system but he bypasses the torque drill and really promotes the stride\weight transfer. He has a ten day program that I used with my 11YO this past year and it worked out really well. I have an insider bat that my 15YO uses and after the first week of using it he really started crushing the ball, although we did start using a lot of Teachermans teachings and he went from 5'5" 170# to 5' 10" 160# since June so who knows where the maked improvement came from???, but I know he really stays on the inside of the ball now.

Also I think from visiting his site that Parker is a trained Epstien Instructor.

Robby

[Pronk]

Definitely he pays homage to Epstein but says Epstein has weight transfer all wrong....

As an aside I've found the insider bat to be a pretty nice tool so far.

[tom.guerry]

I paid for his program but have never gotten it to download.

I think Epstein would be aware that the kids are getting to the front side too much too soon. So maybe sparky does not really understand the shift or transfer idea any better.

H-I one leg back leg hitting is where it's at

[tom.guerry]

FFS with the sparky quotes:

http://www.baseball-fever.com/showpo...9&postcount=31

http://www.baseball-fever.com/showpo...2&postcount=32


But remember, Epstein in context of Williams. Williams stressed cock hips, cock hands, hips lead (and stay ahead via slight upswing/can;t stay ahead if swinging down) then contact with unbroken top hand wrist (power push swing, top hand as power hand).

Williams/Epstein are not going to call their stuff "weight shift" given the conflict with Lau's weight shift and extension theory. Instead ted describes it in terms of hip action and Epstein as "dynamic balance" as aimhigh has said. I still prefer the H-I details.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...4687/index.htm

GAMMONS: Charley Lau theories are really the same and that you've been debating semantics?

WILLIAMS: I still say that what they do isn't what the Lau book preaches.

==============================



WMS: I don't think what you're telling me is right. My impression is that, even with all your great success, you don't really realize what you're doing.



This swing incorporates the single most important thing—not shifting your weight but getting your butt moving, your hips working.

Try to swing down. There's no hip movement at all there. If Don Mattingly wants to swing up, you're pretty well forced to move your hips, are you not? Two reasons I like slightly up. First, it incorporates your hips, which makes it possible to be quick and fast. Second, you're hitting in the exact plane of the pitch.

I don't want to cheat myself six or eight inches toward the pitcher. Why give him that?


It's a very little weight shift, more of an unwinding of the hips. A weight shift upsets balance.

I've heard around the Red Sox for the last five years is to keep your head straight down all the time, and it's a terrible thing. Mr. Brett does it sometimes and gets himself all screwed up. You know why? There's no way you can complete your swing.

I tried to hit every ball I ever hit in the air, and I made more outs on the ground than in the air.

But I still say, as good as these young hitters are, they still don't know anywhere near as much about what they're doing as they think.

[mcallister]

Insider bat = nice tool.

Do the tee drill their site discusses and place a tin can lid about 10 ft line drive high up middle. kids enjoy hitting the lid and sound.

It is good hitting station with minimal coach invovlement needed.

For example, I am pitiching live BP and can quickly peek over at a kid, catch a swing or 2 and continue on.

Also, I just gave the bat to a kid I am running through the Epstein program to bridge from the impact bat (contact drill) and going to live hitting with swift stik. I will be interested to see his full swing after a couple of days.

[Erik]

The girls swing in the insider bat video hopefully isn't what mechanics are forced from this product.

EL

[Teacherman]

I just watched the youtube video.

I love the bat.

But none of the kids were doing the same thing even though they were using the bat.

As Tom said they were getting to their front foot too soon.

They didn't have the quality stretch and fire.

I've never heard of Sparky before. He sounds like he means well. But 'inside the ball' does not describe what the great hitters are doing. And his definition of inside the ball....'the hands stay with the rotating body'.....is not what the great hitters do.

What that bat teaches and forces to happen is forearm rotation.....turning the barrel instead of pulling the knob.