Several years ago while traveling in Missouri, my son and I stopped off, as we often do, to take advantage of a commercial batting cage to get in some strokes.There were no openings, a team was using it.Every machine was being used. The coach was busily walking from one end of the cages to the other giving them baseball hitting tips, shouting out instruction to his hitters.
“Get your back elbow and keep it up!” was his main cry.
“Get the back elbow “ is one of the most common statements used to instruct young hitters.How can this make a hitter better? Why do coaches around baseball teach this?
I asked, “Coach, is this how you teach and prepare for a baseball game?”
He answered , “Yes, when they finish their practice.”
Then I asked, ”Coach, why do you tell your players to get the back elbow up?”
And he answered honestly, “I really don’t know why. But everyone teaches it.So I teach it to.”
Let’s explore some baseball hitting mechanics.What happens when the back elbow is up as the hitter goes to the ball.Many students who come to me will have their elbow up, and we will immediately adjust the elbow so that it is not up, but approximately 45° from touching the backside.
By raising the elbow to 90°, we change the grip on the top hand, making the knuckles over-rotated, and unless the hitter makes an adjustment, prior to contact, this grip will cause him to roll his hands, losing club head accuracy to the ball.
What about MLB players?Have you looked at one on TV and viewed them keeping their back elbow up?Professionals who begin with their back elbow up always make a stance adjustment as they make contact in the zone.
What should the back elbow be doing?It is there to support the top hand on the bat.If your elbow cannot do this if it is as high as the hand.It gives much better support to the grip and to the top hand by being under it—not equal to it.
When checking a hitter, as he approaches the ball, the elbow should be under the bat in the formation of a “V”—which we call a “Power-V”.This keeps the grip correct and the hands in a state of strength.
Youth Baseball Tips: The role of the top elbow is to support the bat.You’ve lost support and your baseball mechanics fail when the elbow is up.We do not want this.
“Get the Back Elbow Up” is one of the worst things that you can tell your players.
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June 5, 2009
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um…yes
What a farce! The back elbow has to come to the ribs! If you dont do this…you surround the ball! Idiots teach elbow up first! The elbow has to be taught to come to the ribs..then with the hands in above the shoulder does the elbow come up …after learning to jam it into ribs! Why do people teach what they do not know!
Bob Sirtak
The Art of .400