Aug
9
Fastpitch Softball Hitting Tip: Forget “Elbow Up”
Posted by admin Comments (32)
Why “elbow up” should NOT be forced upon young softball players or be taught as an absolute necessity to good hitting by fastpitch softball coaches. More at www.allaboutfastpitch.com
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Categories: Fastpitch Softball
@educatedkids
Not true. While yes many pro baseball players do hit with thier back elbow up however that doesnt mean that should be taught to young players. Film yourself hittting and you will see that the first thing that happens is the back elbow comes down. While its possible that having the back elbow up creates slightly more bad speed it also makes for a longer swing. A longer swing means more chance for error. So is it all about power or solid contact?
I play fast-pitch softball, and I haven’t played before this year, and before I was taught how to put my elbow up, I hit every ball, because, I didn’t have to bring my arm down, and it was just there. But when I put my elbow up, I always had to bring it down, which threw my timing way off. Also, what she said about aligning your knuckles AND putting your elbow up, it’s a killer, majorly uncomfortable. So thanx for the info Stacie!
You cannot swing the bat with your elbow up. You can start from there, but why? Why force a kid to do it? Film yourself swinging with the elbow up and see what the first thing you do is. Your elbow comes down. You HAVE to drop your elbow first to swing the bat. The elbow up thing is kind of an old fogey thing. Your grandpa might have taught your dad to do it and he taught you but that doesn’t make it right. It definitely isn’t necessary. Young players need to keep the bat up, not their elbow.
i play hard ball in Elite baseball with cuban players and it is elbow half up or all the way up to your shoulders .What you say should only be done in fast pitch softball
or half way up not all the way up
Youtube the swing mechanics of ANY professional baseball player who hits for average and power. Griffey, Ramirez, Pujols, Giambi, Ichiro, Rodriguez, etc… What will you find in common? back elbow up….. “recently visited a number of Baseball Coaching Websites” ??? please…..
You can not eliminate the elbow drop as you put it. the elbow has to drop into the slot in order to keep your hands inside the ball. And wether your elbow is up or down your back elbow has to go into the loaded/launch position at the start of the motion. which if you watch any professional hitter the back elbow goes back and then upward to some degree. As I stated before the elbow up or down is a style prefference. Not a mechanical flaw
The reason that the elbow down theory is in place is because it eliminates a step in the hitting process. The first thing the hitter will do with elbow up is drop it during the hitting motion. This will eliminate the elbow drop and give the hitter enough time to make contact with the ball. I also love the fact that she talks about the knuckle alignment. It is also important for a nice level swing.
Kalena499. I read Epsteins theories years ago. Very good infomation. excellent coach as well. But I follow a higher authority in Ted Williams, who taught Mike Epstein the science hitting. Read his book The Science of Hitting and youll understand the diference between style and technique. Williams theories are the foundation for rotational hitting. Stacie Id really like to the hear your reasons for WHY elbow down would be better and is it FACT or opinion.
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Thanks for clarifying Stacie – by the way, I totally agree with you about elbow down being a matter of preference and also agree that you cannot easily line up knocking knuckles (which is critical to clean – on-plane contact) with the elbow up.
Guys – the main point I’m trying to make (and maybe not doing such a good job of) is that elbow UP should NOT be taught as a “must-do” or as an absolute of hitting. Yes, there are reasons why down can be better but even that is not necessary as a starting point.
126STRNGNFIT is right: up or down is a preference, not a flaw and not part of mechanics
Just don’t agree with coaches insisting players keep the elbow up.
She makes alot of sense but fails to explain more around why elbow should be down. It is important to distinguish between “style” (elbow up) and “technique” or an absolute (elbow down). Reegardless if a batter starts with the elbow up or down, what becomes critically important to the swing is whether the back elbow properly “slots” at swing launch. Read up a little on Mike Epstein’s studies.
Elbow up or elbow down is the prefference of the hitter. Its nothing more than the style of that particular hitter. It has NO bearing what so ever on the mechanics of the swing it self as long as the hitter is going into a proper loading position.which WILL be elbow up!How high up is AGAIN up to the hitter and what works for them.But we can all agree that the elbow will be up and away to some degree. As long as the basic principles are followed.Elbow up is a style prefference, not techique flaw
There are subtle differences, they are not the same. Especially when you throw in the slap, not a baseball concept and is a fastpitch softball batting technique.
I bet they are high fly balls…….?
Very good point, I still see coaches in the Lower Mainland of BC still teaching this to mostly younger players. Not a good practice ……. that is standing in your stance like this prior to the pitch. You only need to do the “move” to elbow up and see how tense your muscles become, then put it down and see how relaxed your pecs, triceps, etc…become……remember a relaxed muscle reacts much faster than a tensed muscle……bat speed = hand speed while relaxed !
Ive been to a few hitting camps softball and baseball these camps were by some of the top college coaches and all them advocated elbows down. Like your sitting at a dinner table with your elbows on the table. The baseball coach I dont recall his name, but we were told he has sent more college kids to the majors than any other coach. He was actually a quest speaker at one of the softball camps
i always keep my elbow up and i hit bombs wen i play softball…..
The MLB logo guy has his elbow up!
Amazing lack of understanding of hitting consistently. Look at most of the top level hitters and the back elbow is up and also back during load.
Last thing there is no difference between a high level baseball swing and softball swing.
omg you are NOT supposed to have your elbow up when you play softb allllllllll
Let’s definitely be clear on that – dropping the hands is definitely bad. While I feel relaxed arms and elbows are good in general, even that is not not “necessary” as a starting point.
Can batters still hit well with the “elbow up” as a start? Sure, but there’s no good reason to FORCE a batter to start with that stance if that’s not what’s comfortable for them. It’s not a necessary to start that way (elbow up) to hit well and can actually cause more harm than good.
Please, do not misunderstand this woman when she says “elbow down.” The grip is one thing but if you drop your hands at anytime during your swing and you are facing a rise ball pitcher, which is about 99% of the pitchers you will swing under the pitch or pop up. Hands up, elbow down…not both.
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