UNDERSTANDING the "ROLL of the WRISTS"

When you receive our Power Rotational Swing DVD, watch the hitters hand positions and understand the basic terms of rolling the wrists. REMEMBER that the wrists are still in the bottom hand palm down and top hand palm up at contact. We DO NOT want the wrists Rolled OVER before contact. They will flex sideways and apply leverage to drive the bat head into the ball..this is more of a snap, followed then by a true roll after contact. The term "roll the wrists" has been around for years and the two motions got lumped together in a generic fashion. This term does not do a good job of telling kids how to use the wrists to help power the swing. To eliminate this confusion...we are using new terms to help teach this more accurately.

Too many coaches get caught up in having the kids learn every term and technique, with the instruction as confusing as a physics class. Many coaches can't agree between themselves on what specific techniques are correct. The kids have too much to think about. Its better they develop a feel for a good swing. Many kids, once they have a solid base of fundamentals down, just try to use the hips and hands to throw the bat head thru the ball. Hitters need to be able to concentrate on the pitch and just react by swinging explosively.
Good luck,
Coach Ken

Good fundamentals are needed but if your athlete has a slight flaw but is hitting great....Don't ruin a perfectly good swing by trying to make it Perfect! Always be monitoring and making sure the drills are done correctly but generally speaking, leave the HOT hitters alone.

The Mechanics of the Throw, Snap and Roll

1. The “coil step” or “windup“. Here, the hitter takes a short quick step, landing lightly with the foot closed..ON THE FRONT OF THE FOOT WITH THE HEEL UP.. If not completely closed (toe pointing towards the plate), the foot lands no more than 45 degrees open (for a right hand hitter, pointing between first and 2nd base). At the same time as the step, pull the hands back, to slightly cock or coil the body. The lead shoulder will turn in..away from the pitcher and the body angle automatically adjusts (after some drilling of course) so the hips will open at the same angle that the ball is approaching the plate. The rear elbow stays down and close to the body. The weight slightly shifts over the back leg. We do not want a premature shift of weight to front foot.

   
   Body "Coils" with short step

   **** As an interesting sidenote, this hitter is shown in 4th grade. He is 5'3", 95 lbs. A good, (but not elite) athlete, he has worked hard with us the last year, helping develop the rotational system for beginners video. He has drilled consistently and now has very few flaws in his swing. He is a line drive machine and has hit baseballs 260'....an impressive power display for a youth of that age.

2. The front heel comes down, and the hips explode open. The rear hip.. with a push off the back foot..rapidly turns. Combined with the straightening of the front leg, ( which drives the front hip back)... this creates a violent snapping open of the hips. This rotational power transfers up the trunk to the upper body...The upper body takes this rotational force and uses it to extend (or in other terms to throw or push) the arms. The hands and knob of the bat, are thrown towards the center of the ball as fast as possible. The hitter tries to keep the arms and hands fairly close to the body and inside the path of the ball. Both of these movements should be somewhat similar to the "feel" of throwing a ball. Short step with arm coming back, then hips explode open and we throw the ball. Its important for the kids to develop a “feel” for the swing rather than being too analytical. The lead arm soon reaches its extension and can go no further on its straight path to the ball, ***Its important that we stay on a straight path...hands inside the ball path and aiming to the center of the ball …The bat head will have lagged behind the hands…
   
   
   Hips drive open and start the rotational swing
   
   

3. The wrists will then“SNAP” the bat head around into contact with the ball. The wrists are actually flexing sideways or snapping sideways to whip the bat head into the ball. . ..The lead hand's forward travel has reached a relatively fixed position, so the continued drive of the top hand... off the rear hip rotation and upper body rotation, will explosively help snap the bat head into and thru the ball. Both wrists flex sideways to help the snap be explosive. The hands provide leverage on the bat handle. Because the lead hand is in the relatively fixed position, the bat pivots at the knob, thus we see a 2nd, faster level of bat speed and power as the bat head whips on this axis. If the hitter just dragged the bat head around into the ball, without this whipping action, the bat speed would be much slower. In the past we have lumped these motions together and called it the wrist roll, but by going into the details more, it's better explained this way. The "snap" and "roll" are more accurate terms than the generic "wrist roll" of the past.

   
   Bat head is "snapped" into and through the Ball
   
   

4. After contact we continue to drive the bat head thru the ball.. Here the wrists will been seen rolling. The top hand finishes its drive or push. The lead wrists roll to allow the bat head to continue on its same path for a good follow thru. At the full extension position...Both arms are fully extended, hips are fully open with the hips and the end of the bat facing the pitcher. The wrists are only ˝ rolled over with both thumbnails pointing up. Ideally, the wrists then continue to roll over and we finish with the bat in a position that feels natural. Do not try to pull the hands up into a golf-ish finish..just let it finish naturally.

   
   Full Extension after Contact with a good follow through
   
   

   By aiming at the center of the ball, the hitter maximizes chances of good contact. If the bat head drives thru the ball below the centerline, underspin will occur...with rising line drives and homeruns. If the bat head is above the centerline, topspin line drives and ground balls occur.

Like many programs, we always have used the term "throw and roll"… our kids understood it and developed well, without overanalyzing the swing. If you throw the hands as fast as you can…you cannot roll over the wrists until the lead arm reaches full extension…These things will happen naturally . It has worked well in our past teachings and most seem to understand well, BUT coaches constantly analyze this stuff. A few seemed to think we advocated rolling over at contact. We have always considered the flex or snap...as part of the overall rolling of the wrists…so this article should eliminate any confusion and help us teach this more effectively. I wish we had done a better job of explaining it this way, in the Power Rotational Swing video, but this gives the throw,snap and roll breakdown more completely. We do our best to set general guidelines for presenting mechanics. In the beginners video and from now on at the web site...we will be using these updated terms.

As you watch the PRS video or your athlete in slow motion, you will be able to notice these two individual steps outlined above. But remember it still must be performed as one explosive motion in the course of the swing. Its a throw and snap of the wrists, driving thru the ball and rolling thru to full extension. Not much time for thinking of anything but exploding thru the ball.

Remember, though, to teach kids to get a "feel" for the good swing. Lots of the information is fun to know and good for the coaches and parents to make sure the drills are done right. No one coach, book or video can present all the information you should look at. Each athlete is different and you will have to do what they need to learn a good swing.

In closing, the less the kids have to think about, the better. They stay much more natural and loose. Its not always easy. We try to set the general guidelines and as the parents and coaches...you ultimately must be able to describe the techniques differently to some kids who don't pick it up as quickly or easily.