Lesson 2: The 46/60 Swing in Kid Words

Ten parts of the swing, in the order we teach them, with one cue each.

The 46/60 swing, in order: stance and ready position, gather, load with direction, launch position, the bump, let the arrow go, barrel above and hands inside, contact, extension, finish. You do not teach all ten in one practice. You teach them in this order across the season, one or two at a time.

The reason

Kids get buried in cues. “Elbow up, squash the bug, keep your head down” is three cues, two of them wrong. One order and one cue per part means every coach and every parent says the same thing, and kids can actually use it.

Show, explain, feel, drill, test

1. Show do each part yourself slowly, then fast. Kids copy what they see before they understand what they hear.
2. Explain one cue per part, in kid words (below). Say it the same way every time.
3. Feel have kids freeze in each position like a statue. Tap the spot (back hip, front foot) so they feel where it is.
4. Drill build the swing one part at a time on the tee. Add a part only when the one before looks right most of the time.
5. Test ask a kid to teach the part to a teammate. If they can say the cue and show it, they own it.

Say it the same way every time

• Stance: “Ready like a shortstop.”Fixes: Stiff, straight-legged stances. Knees bend, weight on the balls of the feet.
• Gather and load: “Small and easy, load the spring.”Fixes: Big sways and leaning back. The move back is small and starts early.
• Launch and bump: “Foot down, hands back, bump the hip.”Fixes: Swinging while the front foot is still in the air, and spinning without moving forward.
• Let the arrow go: “Let it go.”Fixes: Arm-only swings. The body turns and the barrel gets let go like an arrow off a bow.
• Barrel and contact: “Barrel above, hands inside.”Fixes: Dropping the barrel and casting the hands away from the body.
• Finish: “Through it and finish tall.”Fixes: Stopping the bat at contact. Swing through the ball to a balanced finish.

What to look for

• What wrong looks like

  A coach or parent yelling three cues during one swing.

  The fix

  One cue per rep, said before the swing, never during it. Save the rest for next practice.

• What wrong looks like

  “Keep your head down” and “squash the bug” from the old days.

  The fix

  Replace them: “eyes on the ball” and “bump the hip.” Old cues create old problems.

• What wrong looks like

  Teaching barrel path to a kid who cannot get his foot down on time.

  The fix

  Go back up the list. Fix the earliest part that is broken first.

Take it to the field

Print this lesson and clip it to your clipboard, or keep it open on your phone at practice.

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Lesson 2 done?

Mark it complete after you run it. Run any practice again whenever your team needs it.

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