By 
One of the most difficult aspects of learning the rotational swing is developing and understanding what almost all instructors call staying “grounded.” 10 years ago, circling the baseball and softball fields, this term was virtually unheard of among most coaches and instructors.
So what is connection? Why do I need to be connected as a coach? As children, we grow up and our intuition tells us that when we take something, whether it’s a fly swatter, a garden pole or even a little toy hammer like dads and swing it, we bring our hands to the object we are hitting. This is the natural instinct of all young humans. Even if it’s the coffee table we just left a mark on and Mom and Dad don’t have a happy look on their faces. The learning connection is contrary to what we have all learned as children.
In the world of spin swing, connection is the engine that drives the ball hard. You’ll hear all kinds of discussions on internet blogs and websites about linear and rotational striking methods. Even among those of rotational purity there is a debate about which method is best. None of those more pure debates about connection. It’s probably the only thing everyone realizes has to happen in the rotational swing.
So how does the connection work and how do I know if I am connected on my swing? As the batter steps into his stance, let’s assume that he is in a good athletic position and that he has the bat in position ready to swing. They are leaning forward in his pose with their knees slightly bent. The bat sits at a 45-degree angle in your hands or in the ear hole of the helmet. In short, cut the helmet in half if he sees them from the rear arm side. Or the catchers vision of the batter.
Depending on where you are as an instructor with that particular hitter, you may or may not advance. One of the first things I do to a new student who comes to me is to slow down for a period of time. I do this to help them develop better swing rotation methods. Most of the students who come to me suffer from what a good friend of mine calls “turnover deficit.” If you take them out of step and teach them how to rotate first, you will see immediate results in ball speed and power. This, in my opinion, not only applies to the rotational strike but also to the linear strike. Having taught and used both methods, I am quite comfortable with that statement.
Now I have a hitter who has good batting stance and decent rotation skills, but is off going to the ball. The disconnection takes many forms in the rotational movement. I will refer to them a little further down in this article. For now I will say that the disconnect is a leak that breaks the rotational motor. Power bleeds out.
When the batter swings toward the ball, he concentrates on the first spot where he is going to see the ball. I have heard many coaches look at the hip. That view is the first point to get a good clear view of the ball. When you start your swing, your toes touch. This creates a linear motion towards the ball. At the same time, the hands move towards the receiver.
(I’m talking about an advanced student in this example) On the ball of the foot, the rear hip is fired (as I teach) against a firm bent front leg. The bat knob then initiates the movement of the bat as the hips and core of the body begin to rotate. The core of the body is now driving the swing. This is THE motor of the rotating swing. As the rear arm begins to move with the rotation, the arm begins to move into the slot. The arm should be away from the body and the hand and forearm are stacked on top of each other. If viewed from the front with a tee facing the batter, the back arm would be parallel to the tee. This would be as described by another hitting instructor who is a good friend of mine. When the bat becomes parallel to the ground during the swing, this is the Bat Lag position.
At this point in the swing, the knob of the bat should be directly perpendicular to the axis of the hitter’s spine. If I stop the swing right there and take a pencil and put it on the knob of the bat pointing towards the hitter, it should be in line with the belly button. This defines a CONNECTED swing. The arms don’t move, they just hold the bat and allow the central rotation to drive the swing at contact. The other key here is to hold that position for as long as possible during the rotational portion of the swing in contact. The barrel and weight of the bat force the wrist to loosen creating a whiplash effect through the hitting zone in contact with the ball. The rotation engine combined with the connected hitter and the uncocked wrist is how the best hitters in the world drive the ball hard in today’s game.
Disconnect – Engine switches
There are a lot of things that can happen during the course of the swing that will cause a hitter to come off or break the box as some instructors call it. The “Box” is the angle of the lead arm that maintains a “Ready” position with the bat over the shoulder. When viewed from in front of the batter, it would appear as if they had a box formed with the arm and the bat.
Is it so:
- Bringing hands to the ball.
- Drop the rear elbow inward (closer to the body) as the first movement creating Bat Drag.
- Drop your hands and then go to the ball.
- The bat is not parallel to the shoulders in contact with the ball (Created by all of the above)
- Throw hands.
- Open the front shoulder too soon.
I hope this article has given you a better idea of what the term connection means in the context of the rotational swing. I strongly suggest that you see a qualified hitting instructor to help you better connect with your swing so that you, too, can learn to drive the ball hard on all parts of the field. That’s what connection in the rotational swing is all about.
This image shows an example of a connected swing. The arms are in the L power position and are driven by core rotation. The bat in contact is in a slightly upward swing plane.