Teaching timing, and effective loads

[Deemax]

There are many styles and variations of loading. Lets list some of the best ways to teach a load and its timing.

Ill go first.

I started showing my son some different ways to load and get a running start. I kept showing him different styles until he found something that fit well with him. Picking up a loading action was not the hard part for him, not even a little bit. I found that the biggest difficulty was getting him to find a feel for when to start his load off of live pitching.....timing.

Heres a drill I made up to try and help him develope a better feel for timing. So far it has worked really well. I have noticed alot of improvement over the course of the past few weeks.

We call the game Tip, Tip, Tip, N' Rip.

Tape up a whiffle ball with three or four layers of athletic tape. The game will be played with a real bat, and the whiffle ball needs to be heavy enough so that it does not dramatically slow down as it reaches the plate.

Go into the street and set up one base where second base would usually be. The hitter needs to run to the lone base and then back home again before getting tagged or hit with the ball otherwise hes out.

As soon as the hitter gets into the box he needs to continue tipping the bat (tips can be big, small, fast, or smooth. Continued circles or wiggles of the bat are also OK.) until the pitch gets there. It is the pitchers job to continue mixing up the timing between his pitches so that that hitter has to mix up the number of times he tips/waggles/circles before they go into thier load. One time make them tip it 3 times, then 7, then 4...ect. What I noticed as the game continued was some of the personal style that my son put into it, and the improved timing of his load and swing. The varied timing in between pitches really seemed to help.

I would love to hear of any games or drills that revolve around loading, and the timing involved with it that have worked for your students or kids.

[wrstdude]

Too much running for me! I like the idea of the variations of the tipping amounts. I like the game to be close to "You hit it-you get it."

[Deemax]

Too much running for me! I like the idea of the variations of the tipping amounts. I like the game to be close to "You hit it-you get it."

Thats the main reason we play with one base

[Go Cardinals]

The best thing that has helped me with timing (timing the load of upper body and lower body) is just taking some bp. I absolutely love taking bp.

[Dirtberry]

Dee,

My most effective one is when throwing live have the batter take pitches of different types with just their trigger, then take 5 pitches by triggering then firing off their pivot like there is a bat sticking out of their backside hip and they are trying to blast the ball with their hip with out bringing the bat, then hit 5 pitches. Repeat as many times as you want. This drill and the “Batters press” are magic.

[tom.guerry]

My recollection is that DMAC was dubious about there being any system for teaching timing.

My thinking was and is that the Epstein(WIlliams) system does have a framework for this, which permits a useful blend of the mental and mechanical to accelerate learning of "timing".

When kids are younger, I think it is more a matter of general "hand-eye coordination" and the more variation in how they get the sweetspot on the ball the better. Variable loads and heavy loads are probably good. Alos small balls and small sweetspots you can feel, golf whiffles, broomsticks, lots of variation.

When they are ready, then the structured epstein approach is a good one to learn the mlb lateral tilt pattern and how to adjust.

Usually you learn the pattern best learning the maximum tilt/axis not getting as much upright/swing up for low ball on inside.

Then you focus on up/down on the fly without lunging for high ball but still getting axis more upright. The timing should be about the same/contact at about the same depth as you adjust either by taking longer for axis to get more upright, then having a shorter/quicker swing (high heater), OR taking less time and having a longer swing that matches/lifts low ball (and offspeed).

You can also work on low ball plus delaying sitting on back leg for offspeed.

Then you can learn timing for outside ball which epstein does not address in much detail (pinball analogy not too informative).

lau and mankin are good for describing the different upper body (Mankin - direction and timing of handle torque) and slaved lower body (Lau and Peavy) front leg firmup timing.

Still, the epstein approach of look in OR out and get a good pitch based on this and then adjust up/down on fly is the eventual goal.

When the level of play is not so challenging, you can look fast OR slow or take other mental approaches (look up to get ball in air/look to hit behind runner,etc) depending on situation and level of play.

So if you work with a kid understanding how adjustmentds to the torso/spine angle are made primarily by shoulder "tilt" (slaved to forearms finding the matched plane and synched with weight shift/firing of hips) and even later lead arm connection angle adjustment ("weathervane") and how weight "shift" has to synch, then there can be some consistency in how you structure the training/environment.