WRIST

Objective:

• Train muscles of the top-hand arm to work in a straight line when snapping the bat through the ball

Set up:

• Switch Heels (OK for feet to be flat on the ground.  We do want the feet turned to a 45 degree angle)

• Back Elbow alongside the torso at the Belt (result is a slight TILT of the shoulders)

• Top-hand around the area of the back armpit (exact hand position will vary player to player) with top-hand palm facing up

• Bottom Hand on Front Hip (it is not involved in the drill)

Action:

• Generate force with the Wrist (not the upper arm or shoulder).  Snap the wrist straight forward.  Allow hand and arm to follow the energy of the wrist snap, straight forward out towards the Pitcher/field, until top-hand arm is fully extended.  We want to finish the action with the Back Shoulder pulled all the way Through, so it is past the torso and head.

• see final picture…in the drill we extend the top-hand arm straight out towards the ‘top of the pitcher’s head’ until the Back Shoulder is Through. In this particular picture we see the top-hand arm a bit past the straight-line extension position of the end of the drill.  In the picture, the upper arm in a position that is a result of bat momentum.

(OK to use a bit of a push with the back leg to create energy to help the Wrist Snap - head remains over back knee).

Help With The Drill:

• Initially, and until they understand ‘Switch Heels Position’ (in reference to their feet), kids may need help getting into the starting position for the drill.

What Will Go Wrong:

• Top Hand and arm will move in a circular motion. (When watching a batter, we see ‘circular’.  That is because of the momentum of the bat barrel.  The effort with the hands is straight.  Think of, ‘the quickest way between two points is a straight line’.  This explains how MLB batters are able to hit pitches going 100mph.  The direction of the effort they put into their swing movements is made up of straight lines.)

Fix 1: Stand in front of the player (in line with where the pitcher would be in relation to the batter).  At the completion of the action, straighten their arm out towards the pitcher.  Grasp their hand or wrist with one hand; place your other hand on the inside of their top-hand shoulder, above the armpit.

Give the arm a couple of gentle tugs in a straight line (out towards the ‘pitcher’), so they feel their arm moving in a straight line out away from their shoulder.  Verbalize: “Feel the arm moving straight out away from your shoulder and body”

It may also be necessary to instruct the player to relax their arm and shoulders (to allow the tugging of their arm)

Fix 2: Repetition (And patience …most young players have been intentionally trying to move their hands and arms in a circle, when swinging the bat, their entire lives.  They have to reset their perspective of how the body works in the swing, and retrain their muscles to work straight, not circular.)