HLPVirtuoso😉

The famous three-tee drill. Listen to Grit’s commentary in the background. Look at the first tee roughly waist high. Now watch how high this young man finishes, leaning straight back with nearly vertical shoulders. The feedback? “Excellent.” Then comes the middle pitch: “merry-go-round” into “Ferris wheel.” That’s the instructional cue for a 10-year-old? “Remember, keep your outside approach, and the hip is going to snap rearward and take you to the middle pitch location.” What is this child supposed to understand and repeat from that explanation? Make his hip snap rearward because supposedly that’s what Aaron Judge does? Now look at how high the inside pitch is set and watch that same vertical shoulder action. Explain how this drill is helping him adjust to those different pitch locations. The kid clips the tees, and the feedback becomes “Oh!” And then this dumbass gives this young girl the developmental cue: “Just tilt.” Does she even understand what that means? Tilt what, in which direction, and for what purpose? Has anyone explained it or helped her feel the movement? “Just tilt” isn’t enough. Give her an explanation she can understand and a correction she can use. Grit, Teacherman, and Brandon talk as though there’s only one way to swing a bat. Calling it a “high level pattern” doesn’t explain why a child needs it or how it’s helping. Kids have different developmental needs than adults. How do you teach a child to “stay back” and turn it “deep” before they even understand how to engage both sides of their body? Pointing to Aaron Judge’s swing today doesn’t explain how to develop a 10-year-old. You have to consider the years of movement, strength, coordination, and adjustments behind that swing. How can you demand a tighter turn before a child has learned to move forward, accept pressure, and control that movement? The same question applies to throwing. “Stay back” means very little without understanding how to move and deliver force toward a target. You can’t skip the foundation because you want a kid to resemble a finished professional. And when they dismiss the purpose of developing the “down,” what exactly do they think that means? Do we start by teaching a kid to throw straight up into the sky before establishing the fundamentals of delivering the ball toward a target? Fuck no. There’s a progression to development. When Bonds, A-Rod, Frye or other professionals describe feeling “down,” are they saying the barrel travels straight down throughout the entire swing? No. A feel and the complete movement aren’t the same thing. The point of that down feel is maintaining connection keeping the shoulders and top hand working above the ball as the movement develops. Once the hitter commits, the rear leg and torso turn together, bringing the barrel behind the ball and through contact. You can feel down while the body’s turn changes the barrel’s direction. Different pitch locations require adjustments; repeating the same cue doesn’t explain those adjustments. So fucking bad. My criticism is of the adults responsible for the instruction. These kids are trusting you. Their parents are paying you. These years are critical, and instructors are responsible for what they reinforce. Encouragement matters, but “excellent” should mean something you can explain. Explain the purpose. Recognize the breakdown. Coach the correction. If you disagree with this criticism, address what’s happening in the drills and explain how it serves these children’s development. Calling yourself “high level” doesn’t put your teaching above scrutiny. These kids deserve useful instruction and adults who take responsibility for it. Where is the accountability?