My son (he's 13) has a hitting/pitching instructor he has been going to for the last 3 years (since age 10). I will call him coach "A"

My son has joined a new team that also has a hitting instructor that the team goes to once a week. I will call him coach "B"

My son has been seeing coach "B" since November (once a week) ..batting in a cage. This coach has my son in a 50/50 balance stance before the stride and load.

We have just started up with pitching lessons again and thought we would also like coach "A" to take a look at his swing (he hasn't seen him since last season)...Well, he wants him in more of a 70/30 balance (up to age 14) and I really think no stride.

So, which is correct?

Correct is a loaded question. Before the load comfort is the main thing, during the load is usually 60/40 ...but all it means is not to be out of balance. In Yoga you can have 90/10 of your body weight and still be balanced....but i just through that in to confuse you.....no matter where your lower weight shift brings you, from the waist up you must come back to balanced.

iowabbmom,
We're in SE Iowa. Where are you? Just moved here from Florida. A little colder!
When my son was 13 he hit with a no stride swing. This is a method with few moving parts, less problems. It can also be used to fix flaws which are created by bad movements. Coach A may see something in your son's swing and is going into safe mode. I don't know for sure. You need to ask him. The 70/30 setup might be to stop lunging, poor loading/rotation, etc. or is just what he teaches for every hitter.
Coach B's 50/50 stance is a generic starting point for all hitters. As your son ages his own preferences will dictate his style/setup. This is a good place to start and can't hurt.
My own preference is no stride. I have seen the 90+ mph fastball and learned to develop power without striding. My son hits more consistantly too this way. Hope this helps.

BBK3 -you have a PM

Yes, I believe what coach "A" teaches is the same for all hitters under the age of 14.

The stride coach "B" teaches is more of a soft trigger step.

We were hoping that our son could learn from both coaches, but I just don't think that is going to work.

Coach "A" claims without that 70/30 balance (no stride) the swing will be all hands, but yet when you stride and your foot is off the ground isn't your weight back at that point?

We had a scrimmage game last Sat. and he had a double and a single. He's not that big of a kid to be able to swing "all hands" and hit like he did.

quote:

Coach "A" claims without that 70/30 balance (no stride) the swing will be all hands, but yet when you stride and your foot is off the ground isn't your weight back at that point?

Actually, you are both right. Without a stride you have to create momentum somehow, so a 50/50 throughout the swing will not work. He can start 50/50 and load to a 70/30 and some even start with a 40/60 and load to a 60/40.

quote:

Originally posted by iowabbmom:

Coach "A" claims without that 70/30 balance (no stride) the swing will be all hands, but yet when you stride and your foot is off the ground isn't your weight back at that point?

We had a scrimmage game last Sat. and he had a double and a single. He's not that big of a kid to be able to swing "all hands" and hit like he did.

Sounds like you are leaning toward a swing with a stride. I'm not clear on this...did coach A teach your son to swing without a stride or is this new?

My son has been going to coach "A" since he was 10, for hitting and pitching. My husband was gone to Iraq for active duty at the time and I needed someone to work with my son.

Coach "A" was a college pitcher and has done a great job with my son's pitching. For hitting, he has taught him to load to 70/30 and no stride.. I do believe the no stride is better for the younger player.

The new team (13U) my son is with attends a weekly hitting practice with coach "B". It is a mandatory practice and is paid for by the team. Coach "B" has taught a 50/50 stance with a small trigger to load.

We have just started pitching lessons again and we had coach "A" take a look at his swing. Well, right away he wanted his stance back to 70/30 and no stride. So, of course my son was confused. I just don't want things to fall apart.

I think we will just have to see coach "A" for pitching.

Last year, he was more of a contact hitter. At 13, he's 5'5" and about 100#.. no "change" yet, but we did scrimmage last Sat. and he hit the ball well...had more power..so I am wondering if coach "B's" swing is working better for him.

I think we play again this Sat. so I will see how he hits.

Do not let him see both hitting instructors at the same time! It is a killer! Personally, I would stay with Coach B since it appears it is a "team" thing.

Some coaches teach the no-stride method because is just easier to teach and they don't know how to teach the stride (and the purpose of it). I think the approach of coach B is better. Keep coach A for pitching only and make sure your son is not been overuse (on games).

The forecast for Saturday in corn country is sunny and 60 degrees. It'll be our first home game after all the rain.
Using coach B makes sense. Especially when you're seeing the BA climb. It'll also help him to make a decision what he wants to do with his swing as he gains maturity.
Good luck this weekend!

BBK3- thanks and good luck to you also! Forecast does look promising for this weekend.

Our first tournament is in a couple of weeks so I hope we gain a few degrees by then.

I agree, Coach "A" for pitching and Coach "B" for hitting.

I may try to get some video of his hitting in the next few weeks and post it.

This is an interesting thread. I lean towards the 50/50 stance, then move to a stride that ends also with a 50/50 balance. Once the heel drops the rotation starts with the hips and the rest goes. I have seen the 70/30 or 60/40 stance and the move to a balanced stride and have always figured you need to end up balanced when the swings starts so why not start balanced? The issue is with the load, some take a slight load back, which can shift some weight, but its more with the hands. Also I see the load down, which I like, since it stays balanced. I understand that when you shift from stance to stride you must put most of the weight on your back foot, but I dont really see this as a weight shift, more of just part of the movement.

Well, just my 2 cents. Great thread on balance.

Aaron would stride with his front foot off the ground. The weight has to be 100% on the back foot. When he hit his back foot would be off the ground. His weight had to be 100% on his front foot. The ratios change during the swing. It depends upon where in the swing(and on the hitter).