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On low our outside pitches, tilting forward is problematic as you are trying to view an object with 1 vs. 2 eyes. The hula hoop idea is fine if you are trying to hit a stationary object like a golf ball. Here’s the deal. It is crucial to be flexible in two aspects of the swing….the upward trajectory of the bat (10 to 15 degrees) to meet the downward ball trajectory and the angle of the hands relative to the barrel (dependent on pitch location). Over steepening the barrel (along with exaggerated shoulder tilt) makes it much more difficult to hit moving pitches, because the barrel is only on plane for a short time. Also….have a look at how these swings are finished. The front arm is bent awkwardly and away from the body to reproduce the hula hoop arc. All great hitters who make consistently solid contact (Bonds, Aaron, Griffey JR.) have both of their arms forming a tight V with the bat at contact time. Teaching a hula hoop swing completely seems to rob you of using the long levers of the arms and the final barrel acceleration from the top hand pronating. I’m certainly not advocating true level swings, but over steepening is also highly problematic. I believe this has much to do with the ills of modern hitting and why Judge strikes out 30% of the time, and the greats (Aaron, Bonds, etc.) struck out four times less often.

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Will give it a shot and see how it works. Currently in the middle of recording a 7 day transformation series, but I like the thoughts!

Did it work

What are your thoughts on the lead elbow? How should it be? Here is what and why we teach the bent lead arm through contact. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Z8lxmdlixprehYk.html

I find the lead elbow cuts up as rotation from back leg cuts to allow bat to remain on plane. To me and my hitters, the launch speed and maintenance of bat angle matters far more than lead elbow angle. It looks more pronounced in taller hitters than in shorter stockier hitters. By the time the elbow seems to be elevated they have already made ball contact and the speed of the launch and maintaining trajectory does the work.

It all depends on where the pitch is. If you have a lower pitched ball then you will have more tilt in order to get the barrel down to the ball. If you have a higher pitched ball you will have less tilt (but there should be some). With no tilt during the turn the plane tends to be flat causing the bat to exit through the ball on a lower plane. What I mean by flat, is parallel with the ground. You have to understand that even with a flat plane you can still hit grounders, line drives, homers, pop ups, etc. Where you make contact with the two round objects (bat and ball) is a big piece of how the ball will fly. However, the thought here is to create a consistent smooth path so we have a better chance of making contact with the specific part of the ball that we want. When we start to create a plane but then change the plane mid swing the consistency is just not there.

The drill is not intended to focus on the top hand specifically. It's set up to feel and see the plane that is created upon the inital turn amd trying to maintain that plane as long as possible. Pitch height determines how much tilt is needed with our body which then influences how steep the plane will be. Higher pitch = less tilt = flatter plane to finish. Lower pitch = more tilt = steeper plane to higher finish. And yes, I agree the top hand was in a funky position there. But again, not the point of the drill.

Thanks for the feedback and letting us know what you think is important for drill work. Ken Griffey has a nice swing for sure, no doubt about that!

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Not sure what you mean by slow swing?....it's a feel drill purposely done slow to mid range speed to feel what is happing. Thanks for viewing and providing your feedback though!

@@fullcountbaseballandsoftba8789 you are teaching the chicken wing front elbow.... you need to teach release the bat with extension on swing plane.... not up out of the zone.... your are teaching the youtube swing.... the slow bat path...

@@happy8kiddo We don't believe extension being driven from the front elbow. In some of our other videos you will notice we talk about extension coming from the top hand releasing the barrel to a "choke" finish. Lead arm helps create the turn from inside-out and out-up, while the trail arm helps create length with the barrel on the ball. Again, thanks for your thoughts and suggestions on what we should/shouldn't teach.

Whatever happened to a level swing through the zone? I wonder what Tony Gwynn would say about this drill

Thanks for your input and view.

@@fullcountbaseballandsoftba8789 don’t worry I struck him out yesterday at are first game