Posted by: RQL () on Wed Feb 20 17:07:02 2002

My 10 year old son gets a lot of swings in from live pitching due to the fact that he has an indoor batting cage. I typically do the pitching rather than using the machine.
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> > > > > During the cold months (since the room is not heated), I generally pitch tennis balls and we switch to batting cage balls during March - October.
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> > > > > My question is...I recently went to a 'clinic' and it was pointed out that my son is casting a bit and should focus on throwing the knob at the ball. With nearly 3 years of built in muscle memory - what drills can I use to correct this situation?
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> > > > The best thing you can do is nod politely, say thanks and ignore theses well meaning people. If they want you to throw the knob at the ball, then they don't understand rotational hitting. They probably think Mac casts as well. Look at the clips that are mentioned here and the clips on setpro. If you find any top pros throwing the knob, let us know. Especially if they are hitting for power.
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> > > > One other thing. Take care of your arm and elbow just like you would your own kid's. I'm 46 and can't throw bp anymore because of my shoulder and over use.
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> > > > Mark H.
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> > > >>Many of my h.s. kids go to instructors who teach them to throw the knob at the ball and they have them release the bat at the pitchers mound to get the feel.The bat is usually landing around the mound or a little further,then I used rotation and let go and it traveled 30-40 feet out into the outfield,nearly 3 times as far.They now see the speed from one form to another.
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> > i know barry bonds said he throws "the bat" at the ball...i suppose that could mean something different than "throwing the knob".....i don't think that "throwing the bat" at the ball is necessairily incompatible with rotational mechanics.....
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> .... When a player says he throws his bat at the bal, he means he throws his hands through the ball. The knob thoery is correct in thoery, but incorrect in inside fastballs jamming you thoery. I am currently playing college baseball, and the current rule is always to keep your hands inside and above the baseball. This doesn't mean use an inside out swing, it just means to get your hands through the zone while staying somewhat close to your body. If you need a good model of staying inside the baseball, look no further that Nomar Garciaparra or Todd Helton. They are golden models.

>>Jamie,The knob theory is not very correct even in theory,it often leads to the hands driving through the zone.The problem with this is we don't hit the ball with our hands!! we hit it with the barrel and when the hands are driving the knob at ball the barrel is usually draging behind.Yes the hands do stay inside the ball otherwise the ball hits you in the forearms.Think of the zone as where you make contact now on any ball that is pulled the barrel is what went through the zone the hands were further back.Releasing the barrel through chp gives the feel of bat being thrown but its the barrel not the knob that is referenced to.