Dropping the Hands during Load- A hitch?

[GetYourBestSwing]

What do you define as a "hitch?"

This is a term I hear often when youth coaches try to explain little Johnnies swing.

Even when recruiting players or watching a younger player workout, their coaches will refer to how Little Johnny has a good swing, just needs to get rid of that "hitch."


Just curious what is meant and if there is a universal definition for it.


What I see as a lot of coaches explaining as a "hitch", I see a necessary loading pattern for some players. Taking away this loading pattern and just seperate their hands from their stride foot by taking the hands straight back to the catcher can be detrimental to this type of player in my opinion.

From personal experience, I have made quite a few players drop their hands slightly during a leg lift and pick their hands back up to seperate their hands and stride foot and get the barrel where it needs to be.


In my opinion, many view this as a HITCH.


Any thoughts?

[GetYourBestSwing]

Tony Gwynn

[Ifubuildit]

In young hitters I view it as a "Hitch" if thats what you want to call it. Often the arms will start down which to me is instant disconnection. Then they will never get them back up in the correct position at the start of the swing.

So what you get is a player who will consistently swing under the ball or if your doing Tee work will spend all day picking up the tee. Then wonder why they are hitting the tee.

Dana.

[FiveFrameSwing]

This topic was covered about a month ago in which it was advised not to bring the hands straight back, but instead to follow a "down & in" & "up" motion instead. IMO it's worth searching for.

[GetYourBestSwing]

Thanks

[skipper5]

My definition, based on years of being around struggling hitters:

A hitch is a last-second action of the hands that disrupts timing and/or launch-position. By definition, it's a bad thing.

1. Wrong direction: It can be a last-second dropping of the hands continuous with a failed attempt to get them back up before initiating the swing. We had a (otherwise) very good player this summer who somehow started dropping his hands below his belt and then bringing them back up to belly-button level, at which instant he was forced to launch from there. It occurred in a flash (fast hands!) (but not fast enough to overcome this flaw). He only did this in games--not BP.

2. Direction is OK, but hand-load timing is bad: It can be a LATE (by which I mean too late) loading of the hands back and/or up (towards a normal position)-- which begins at the same instant--foot plant-- that he intends to be launching the bat. He knows that it's time to "go". But then he tries to fit in some unfinished business.

[Ifubuildit]

Good explaination. You stated it better than I did.

[omg]

A hitch? Generally a good thing if you have talent and a bad thing if you don't.

[songtitle]

Down: Bad
Down and back up: Good?

[skipper5]

Down: Bad
Down and back up: Good?

IMO, young ballplayers should be guided strongly away from downward hand movement. There will always be successful exceptions, but for kids it doesn't usually work out well.
____________________

By my way of describing things:
As pictured in the gif's above, Boggs doesn't display a hitch; he's "hand-dropping"--hands come down, and swing is launched from there. (Is that Bogg's typical swing?)
Gwynn's hands come down and back up--I'd call it a hitch if it had disrupted his timing and/or launch position. Since it didn't, it wasn't.

[RKKay]

A hitch? Generally a good thing if you have talent and a bad thing if you don't.

100% accurate.

[Rajun Cajun]

What do you define as a "hitch?"

This is a term I hear often when youth coaches try to explain little Johnnies swing.

Even when recruiting players or watching a younger player workout, their coaches will refer to how Little Johnny has a good swing, just needs to get rid of that "hitch."


Just curious what is meant and if there is a universal definition for it.


What I see as a lot of coaches explaining as a "hitch", I see a necessary loading pattern for some players. Taking away this loading pattern and just seperate their hands from their stride foot by taking the hands straight back to the catcher can be detrimental to this type of player in my opinion.

From personal experience, I have made quite a few players drop their hands slightly during a leg lift and pick their hands back up to seperate their hands and stride foot and get the barrel where it needs to be.


In my opinion, many view this as a HITCH.


Any thoughts?

It really isn't a hitch. Yes he dropped his hands, but he also brought them back up as he was taking his negative move. Seems the hands dropping was sort of a timing or rhythm thing. But, look again and see his hands came back up as he loaded for the attack.