So what "CANNOT" be disputed when teaching?

[spiritandtruth]

After reading the thread on the proper way to hold a bat...it made me want to ask this question.

If there are multiple ways to hold the bat and one isn't right or wrong over the other if they vary slightly then let me ask this.

When teaching baseball what does almost everyone agree upon that's virtually irrefutable?

I see some websites out there with some ( what seems to be ) very respected teachers and the flavor of their site is that if you want to do it the "right way" then do it like we're telling you.

Then I'll see a totally differing way of doing it somewhere else.

I'll watch videos on you tube of people demonstrating certain baseball techniques and then in the comment section under the video I'll see people write things like, "this guy sucks and he has no clue what he's talking about cause you're not supposed to hold your hands that way and this drill is an absolute waste of time."

So that kind of stuff all over the place makes it difficult for a novice coach to know what to teach so that he's teaching effectively.

In all honesty..............does all of this simply boil down to "to each his own" no matter what you're teaching them about baseball?

[callyjr]

After reading the thread on the proper way to hold a bat...it made me want to ask this question.

If there are multiple ways to hold the bat and one isn't right or wrong over the other if they vary slightly then let me ask this.

When teaching baseball what does almost everyone agree upon that's virtually irrefutable?

I see some websites out there with some ( what seems to be ) very respected teachers and the flavor of their site is that if you want to do it the "right way" then do it like we're telling you.

Then I'll see a totally differing way of doing it somewhere else.

I'll watch videos on you tube of people demonstrating certain baseball techniques and then in the comment section under the video I'll see people write things like, "this guy sucks and he has no clue what he's talking about cause you're not supposed to hold your hands that way and this drill is an absolute waste of time."

So that kind of stuff all over the place makes it difficult for a novice coach to know what to teach so that he's teaching effectively.

In all honesty..............does all of this simply boil down to "to each his own" no matter what you're teaching them about baseball?

watch videos of the pros and you will be able to decide.

Cally

[Jake Patterson]

After reading the thread on the proper way to hold a bat...it made me want to ask this question.

If there are multiple ways to hold the bat and one isn't right or wrong over the other if they vary slightly then let me ask this.

When teaching baseball what does almost everyone agree upon that's virtually irrefutable?

I see some websites out there with some ( what seems to be ) very respected teachers and the flavor of their site is that if you want to do it the "right way" then do it like we're telling you.

Then I'll see a totally differing way of doing it somewhere else.

I'll watch videos on you tube of people demonstrating certain baseball techniques and then in the comment section under the video I'll see people write things like, "this guy sucks and he has no clue what he's talking about cause you're not supposed to hold your hands that way and this drill is an absolute waste of time."

So that kind of stuff all over the place makes it difficult for a novice coach to know what to teach so that he's teaching effectively.

In all honesty..............does all of this simply boil down to "to each his own" no matter what you're teaching them about baseball?

There are different variations within a range of effective movements. These variations are based in part on body type, philosophy, ignorance, etc... I would offer that baseball is the worse sport when it comes to the number of "experts" that exist in the game. The problem is many of these experts are developed through experience - whatever that may mean- and not on science. Some of the worse instructors/clinicians I have seen are former pros. They confuse their ability to do something with their ability to teach it. Very different animals.

To understand the grip you would have to first have a basic understanding of what happens during the swing (And you can see there are varying opinions here). If you were to look at Coco Crisp, Youk, Garciapara, etc and try to make something of their pre-launch grips it would drive you nuts. The key is setting your players up for future success. Look at the grips of those who are very successful and teach that. There's enough clips here on this site to allow you to determine your own opinion. I like what Ted Williams said - take the bat and bring it over your head as if you were chopping wood. That's your grip....

[jofus13]

IMHO, the only thing that cannot be disputed is that everyone sees things a little differently and explains things a little differently, and what may work for that person over there may not work for you or your kid

[TG Coach]

The over/under on this thread is 100 reponses. I'll take over. I'll also bet by the time it's over the conversation isn't about grip anymore.

[Jon Doyle]

I've got the over for a large.

What can't be disputed? The fact that you hit a round ball with a round object...bene even that can be disputed

[Chris O'Leary]

In all honesty..............does all of this simply boil down to "to each his own" no matter what you're teaching them about baseball?

The approach I take is to see what most hitters do and what most successful and durable pitchers do and then comparing individual teachings to those benchmarks.

In many cases people teach things (e.g. linear hand path, level swing, squishing the bug) that major league players do not do.