FENCE DRILL does it help?

[wogdoggy]

any thoughts on the fence drill? How can you stick the bat in your belly button stand in the same position make a swing and not hit the fence? What does this drill promote except a linear movement to the ball.Do you want to teach that linear move just to promote keeping your hands inside the ball.Have someone toss a ball to you and see if and how hard you can hit it.Does anyone condone this drill and if so why?h

[Ursa Major]

Hey, Woggy. Fair question, even though it resulted in both JBooth and I getting kicked off Nyman's site. And, I was chatting with Steve Englishbey about it just this afternoon. (Forgive the apparent name-dropping; it in fact is the first time I ever talked with the guy.)

After talking with these folks who are much smarter than I, I've concluded that it may have an initial, temporary advantage to some kids to show them they need to keep their hands back as they rotate. Maybe just have the coaches do it to show that it can be done; there's a bit of "shock and awe" value to it.

The risk is that, absent a whole lot of focus, players will "cheat" to avoid clanging their bat against the fence by simply bring their hands forward during the swing or leaning away from the fence. So, I would say that it's okay for kids who disconnect their arms from their torso too soon, but you definitely should stop it as soon as you see this "cheating" commence, maybe even ceasing its use after just the first practice in which it's used if necessary. Many people feel any potential advantages are outweighed by the risk and should never be used. I'm not sure what alternative drills should be used instead.

[wogdoggy]

I cant even get close to doing this drill.lol.Now if I step back a good foot or two I have a shot. are you and booth proponents of the drill?

[jbooth]

I cant even get close to doing this drill.lol.Now if I step back a good foot or two I have a shot. are you and booth proponents of the drill?

I'm 6 feet tall and I can stand with my toes 20 inches from the fence, take a normal swing and not hit the fence.

You MUST keep your hands at your shoulder, turn JUST your shoulders, leaving the hands and bat alone as you turn. The bathead and your hands do NOT move from their original RELATIVE position to the shoulder until you have rotated far enough that your chest is facing the pitcher. THEN, you move your hands AROUND your body toward your front shoulder.

As Ursa said, it's not a good drill if they don't understand what it is trying to accomplish, and they do it incorrectly. Also, you shouldn't stand so close that you make the swing totally artificial, but you shouldn't stand so far away that you can swing without emphasizing keeping your hands close to the body and moving them around the body with the shoulder rotation.

The main purpose of the drill is to learn that the bathead is the LAST thing to move, and that you have to keep your hands back at the shoulder and close to the body as you rotate.

Sounds like you just don't know how to do it.

Here's me doing it;

http://firstpickclub.com/video/fencedrill.mpg

[wogdoggy]

nice job john.I couldnt do that.

[hiddengem]

nice job john.I couldnt do that.

Yes you could, with a little guidance.

[MSandman]

I'm 6 feet tall and I can stand with my toes 20 inches from the fence, take a normal swing and not hit the fence.

Jim,

I guess that depends what you mean by "normal". Sure looks to me like disconnection of the arms from the torso. :noidea

[bbjunkie]

Great job. Now, forgive my ignorance, but do you consider your swing rotational or linear?

[wogdoggy]

disconnection, i knew i'd hear that.:noidea

[MSandman]

disconnection, i knew i'd hear that.:noidea

And???

BTW, does anyone see the image I posted right here w/in the thread? I only see a hyperlink to the JPG. Thanks.

[wogdoggy]

I see it and I know what you are talking about.i;m not here to argue but to learn and benefit.even though booth can do the drill Im not so sure if its the right thing to teach or use for any reason.I WANT TO BELIEVE,BUT I CAN"T.:noidea

Gem does anybody use this on a pro level?

[hiddengem]

Jim,

I guess that depends what you mean by "normal". Sure looks to me like disconnection of the arms from the torso. :noidea

Those pictures have absolutely no compaison to JBooth pictures. Jim is doing the drill to prove a point, as to how the fence drill works. Both Troy and Nomar are about 6-10inches further off the plate than Jim is, and the balls they are hitting are out over the plate. If those pitches they were hitting were in on the inside corner and up a few inches, you would see differen't positions in both of them.

[MSandman]

wog,

I'm not arguing either, please forgive me if my post implies an argumentative tone. It's tough not to online... whenever one present's a counterpoint, even w/ NO intended malicious tone, the fact that it's questioning or disagreeing can come across that way.

I have the same questions/doubts you do about usefulness of the drill.

[jbooth]

Jim,

I guess that depends what you mean by "normal". Sure looks to me like disconnection of the arms from the torso. :noidea

It's a DRILL!!! Drills are designed to give the athlete a "feeling" of what needs to be done.

The f--ing drill doesn't have to be a picture perfect swing. The DRILL is giving me the feeling of keeping the hands in and keeping the bathead back, and using the shoulders to move the bat. It's training a feeling to have when I make a game swing at a moving ball. You just don't seem to get it.

[jbooth]

Great job. Now, forgive my ignorance, but do you consider your swing rotational or linear?

It's rotational.