Next phase

[Kevin G]

After 4 years of relentless work on barrel path, we are entering the next phase of Kev's development.

[Cannonball]

Kevin, nice work. Is he 14 now?

[mudvnine]

Much better......from the front view, it looks like he's starting to get the barrel to the ball from "behind" where he should be. Could possibly get the rear hip to drive a little better (compare frames 11 & 12 in QT if you can, and look at their rear legs/hips). With the barrel getting there, and a litter better "syncage" of the lower to the upper, he'd be even that much closer to Josh.

But for his age, he's doing what most his age don't.....nice job.

[Kevin G]

He turned 13 in August.
Hips are tricky business and easily misunderstood. I've been waiting for him to "recruit" them so as to be integrated correctly.
They are just now "awakening". Correct hip action is part of a "fully loaded" pivot system, which then puts a load on shoulders,
arms and hands. This can corrupt the precision of "contact parameters" that we've worked so hard on. As I've said many times,
this is pretty much backward to most training out there. But you couldn't have asked for a better season last year.
Power plus average....the holy grail. Better body to arms syncage will get him to the next level.

[pthawaii]

Looks pretty good to me. So what kind of activities were you doing that made up "4 years of relentless work on barrel path?"

[Kevin G]

Looks pretty good to me. So what kind of activities were you doing that made up "4 years of relentless work on barrel path?"

How much time do you have?

[scorekeeper]

I may be accused of throwing water on the fire, but I can’t help wondering what we’d see if we had pictures of every swing. I daresay that if I picked over all of the swings of just about any player, I’d be able to find at least one that was pretty darn good. But what does that swing look like when he’s fooled a bit with velocity, or the pitch doesn’t end up where anticipated? However, I do like seeing game pictures, and value them much more than BP pictures where the object is to throw the ball how and where the batter can most easily hit it,

[Bolts-Baseball]

I may be accused of throwing water on the fire, but I can’t help wondering what we’d see if we had pictures of every swing. I daresay that if I picked over all of the swings of just about any player, I’d be able to find at least one that was pretty darn good. But what does that swing look like when he’s fooled a bit with velocity, or the pitch doesn’t end up where anticipated? However, I do like seeing game pictures, and value them much more than BP pictures where the object is to throw the ball how and where the batter can most easily hit it,

I hear what your saying, but every hitter needs reference and starting points based on practice that they bring to live AB's... This is his, and it's not too shabby...

[scorekeeper]

I hear what your saying, but every hitter needs reference and starting points based on practice that they bring to live AB's... This is his, and it's not too shabby...

I agree with both statements, but I can’t help asking the question. When I was scoring a lot of MLB games, I was forced to closely watch a lot of swings I wouldn’t have watched so closely had I only been watching for enjoyment. In doing that, I saw some pretty good hitters look pretty bad and some pretty bad hitters look pretty good. The only real difference I can see without study seems to be that the good hitters seem to do it right more often.

So in the end, what I’m saying is, if you could get good vids of every game swing, it would give a much clearer picture than just taking a look at one pitch in a perfect location. I see exactly the same thing with pitchers as well, where pictures are shown of when they executed perfectly, not when they’re a little ahead. Behind, open, or closed.

[pthawaii]

How much time do you have?

As much time as you want to give up typing at the keyboard Fire away! If you'd prefer PMs or email, that's fine too.

[Bolts-Baseball]

It's like I tell my kid... Every good hitter can hit balls down the middle of the plate, the truly GREAT hitters can hit pitcher's pitches...

[Kevin G]

I may be accused of throwing water on the fire, but I can’t help wondering what we’d see if we had pictures of every swing. I daresay that if I picked over all of the swings of just about any player, I’d be able to find at least one that was pretty darn good. But what does that swing look like when he’s fooled a bit with velocity, or the pitch doesn’t end up where anticipated? However, I do like seeing game pictures, and value them much more than BP pictures where the object is to throw the ball how and where the batter can most easily hit it,

Here's a real quick response to part of this question.

These are swings from different days.

[Kevin G]

........and that consistancy in practice yields the ability to go deep on back to back swings as he did here in Cooperstown
when someone WAS trying to get him to miss it...........

[mudvnine]

Hey Kev, hope we can keep this on a teaching/learning thing (doesn't matter who's doing which one), and know that I think he's headed down the right path, so I'm not trying to downplay, or insult what you guys have done so far, so please don't take it as such. In fact, I've recently gone more down that path you've been on, working on getting the barrel path correct, and then building out from there.

Anyway, in the first three frames (1-3) of the above clip (oops had to edit, the above, above "front view" clip of him) he appears to be pulling the barrel (maybe knob is a better word) "out from under" to get the barrel "laying back", instead of "turning" it earlier in the swing to get it "behind".

IOWs, it seems that if he'd do the same thing with his hands earlier, without moving them forward as much, I think he'd sync up the swing a whole lot better. More as if the rear hip would be out ahead of the barrel (as in the case of Hami), instead of the rear hip trying to catch up to the it.

Again, JMO......your thoughts?

[Kevin G]

I agree with both statements, but I can’t help asking the question. When I was scoring a lot of MLB games, I was forced to closely watch a lot of swings I wouldn’t have watched so closely had I only been watching for enjoyment. In doing that, I saw some pretty good hitters look pretty bad and some pretty bad hitters look pretty good. The only real difference I can see without study seems to be that the good hitters seem to do it right more often.

So in the end, what I’m saying is, if you could get good vids of every game swing, it would give a much clearer picture than just taking a look at one pitch in a perfect location. I see exactly the same thing with pitchers as well, where pictures are shown of when they executed perfectly, not when they’re a little ahead. Behind, open, or closed.

Here is first swing of the tournament (HR to RF easily out).....got fooled a little w/ a change up...collapsed into his front side (good response), then
ended up being late....responded to that by driving hands right through....... that is an elite swing tool that you don't always stumble across on your own. We train for it.