Hitting p's and "cues"

[Deemax]

As an instructor/coach I have heard and used many different cues regarding hitting. Some I considered great, and others not so much. I then read a quote from a very experienced and successful baseball man where he stated "There are NO always or nevers in this game nor are there any bad cues. It's all about how the individual athlete applies things." There is a lot of truth in this quote which leads me to the idea behind this thread.

I want to know from players/coachs/instructors/dads what cues they have given different hitters with different swing issues....Cues that worked for your students, or cues that worked for you as a hitter (comments from Beemax and Hiddengem would be appreciated for this portion).

What I want to avoid is an arguement why you feel someones cue is wrong, handle torque, which guru knows more, and anything Mike Marshall related.

Im truely fascinated by what diffrent cues have worked for others when facing certain flaws with an individual swing in different age groups....What "clicked" in you, or your students head in relation to hitting cues?

[ralanprod]

I'll throw out one...

A cue I started using with my son (9yo) was to imagine hitting the pitcher in the mouth with his lead elbow when he swings. (I'm pretty sure I read that one here)

It has helped him remember to keep the elbow from dropping. It's a cue that's real easy for kids to understand too.

[beemax]

One of the most recent cues I have received involves breathing...

I was told to inhale as I load back and exhale as I swing. I found that my mechanics stayed consistent while doing this and I actually felt stronger doing this.

Without getting too technical I focus on expanding my stomach as I inhale and sucking it in when I exhale. This tip was given to me by a trainer and I have found that it helps your core stay solid and strong throughout your swing.

For me I think it is helpful because I can tend to think about too many mechanical things during my swing. If all I focus on is the simple act of breathing as I load back and exhaling as I swing I have found that my mechanics actually benefit from it.

On Steve Springer's CD on the mental side of hitting, he talks about breathing in this fashion. He says that he has talked with guys who say that A-Rod does this, and when he does it, he visualizes that he is blowing the ball out of the ballpark, which he does often.

Just a little cue that has worked for me this offseason and I plan to use it during the season. Not sure if it would work with younger kids, but like was said earlier, there are no bad cues. Some work for people while not working for others.

[Deemax]

What about different cues for bat drag?

[Deemax]

I'll throw out one...

A cue I started using with my son (9yo) was to imagine hitting the pitcher in the mouth with his lead elbow when he swings. (I'm pretty sure I read that one here)

It has helped him remember to keep the elbow from dropping. It's a cue that's real easy for kids to understand too.

I like the concept, and will be curious to try it.

[MSandman]

What about different cues for bat drag?

I can't claim success w/ these cues yet, but I'm eager to have my son try them.

Based on some recent comments offered by JBooth:

It's like jumping onto a merry-go-round. You time the hands to jump onto the shoulder rotation. You don't wait for he shoulders to pull the hands, and you don't pull the hands ahead of the shoulders. You have to time it right.
http://www.baseball-fever.com/showth...=73328&page=10

... as well as a video clip someone made (FlippJ?) of Manny awhile back:


... I'm hoping the following cues will help shorten/quicken his swing.

1. Make the hands/bat keep up with the turning shoulders. As soon as the stride foot lands, before opening the lead shoulder, have the rear elbow starting to slot (and the bat barrel starting to move). This is a timing issue. If he waits until his stride foot is down to start the hands/bat, he ends up spinning his shoulders ahead of the bat, resulting in slice shots off the inside of the ball (very similar to a golf shank). Getting a mental image of the bat "getting onto the merry-go-round" might help him better connect the bat to the turning body.

2. Make the bat knob point DOWN (towards plate) during launch (as opposed to OUT, towards opposite batter's box). Like many youth hitters, during their stride, he tends to drop the bat barrel behind his back, causing the knob to face the oppo batter's box, leading to some bat drag.

Again, I'm not claiming any success w/ these cues yet, just planning to work on these a bit.

[Go Cardinals]

What about different cues for bat drag?

This has helped me a lot... especially, it helps eliminate bat drag...

Don't yank the handle off, turn it...

[FiveFrameSwing]

Key Cues -- by Dave Hudgens

Key Cues for Hitting Success
-- by Dave Hudgens

http://www.hittingworld.com/Key_Cues_for_Hitting_Success_p/art4.htm

[Go Cardinals]

I also think, "just make contact..."

Also, if you are pulling off, hitting oppo helps.

[cosmo34]

Swing like a man

Not talking about corkscrewing yourself in the ground, just swinging hard. When I'm working with guys, and I can tell they are thinking too much, I distract them from any mechanics of the swing for a little bit, and give them something else to chew on. Almost every time, it starts to fall in place for them very shortly after that.

Most of the other things I use aren't technically cues, just rather short bits of info. I'd post them, but they usually have too many profanities laced into them for me to put on here.

Since I usually only work with high school/college level players, I'm not doing much but refining and troubleshooting. I just pick apart their swings and critique from there, so I don't usually have any "go-to" cues for hitting. They change with every hitter. The most important thing is to just find a way to relate to them what I'm trying to get across, without having them think too much about it.

[Drill]

For young kids up to high school if they don't finish there swing. Or if they just get to mechanical.


Turn your belly button to the pitcher when you swing

Or turn your belt buckle toward the pitcher when you swing



drill

[Deemax]

Describe cues given to hitters who have dead hands... How do you get thier loads started when they dont have one?

[Stealth]

If you are a boxer and throw a punch, what do your hands do? They go back (body loads) before you throw the punch.

[LClifton]

Describe cues given to hitters who have dead hands... How do you get thier loads started when they dont have one?

"Could you move the knob toward the catcher as you stride?"

(I watch what the rear and front elbows do, and watch for bat "wrapping".)

The goal is to get the lead shoulder stretched, rear shoulder pinched.
If they are too tense / tight,,,they tend to counter rotate.

[ShawmLee]

If you are a boxer and throw a punch, what do your hands do? They go back (body loads) before you throw the punch.

You never boxed. did you? I wish you guys would quit using that analogy. Richard used it all the time too. If your are actually trying to hit someone, you seldom load or cock you hand back. You throw it from where it is. If, all you are doing is hitting a heavy bag then you can load all you want and get as much power as you want becuse the bag doesn't hit back.

It's kinda like a slow pitch swing. You could probably hit a baseball farther with a huge slowpitch swing, if you could hit the ball. Probelm is, it's by you before you get the bat around.