In this hitting tutorial, coach, trainer and former D-I all-conference catcher Jess Nicola explains the proper placement of the elbow during an at bat.

Jess has been involved with softball for over 15 years including a successful four-year career at Monmouth University (N.J.) where she was twice honored as a 1st team All-NEC catcher.

For the last eight years she has been an instructor at Frozen Ropes, a softball/baseball facility. She also manages a 12U team and gives individual and team instruction.

 

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For as long as baseball and softball have existed there has always been the battle of elbow up versus elbow down.  When a child first starts to play, one always is hearing, “Elbow up, elbow up!”

But then why do some coaches say, “Elbows down?”

Which is right or wrong?

“Elbow up or down” is one of the game’s biggest misconceptions.  The truth of the matter is it really does not matter which one a hitter does.  The whole concept is based on comfort.  If the hitter feels comfortable with their elbow up they can put it up; if they do not like it, then they can keep it down.

As with anything else in life, there is always a catch.

Many hitting coaches or hitting instructors will teach younger athletes to keep their elbow down.  It is more for teaching purposes.  As the hitter grows she develops her “own” swing and her “own” comfort level.  At this time, they may put their elbow back up, but when it comes to teaching a younger athlete the elbow goes down for a few reasons.

The first and main reason would be many young athletes have a tendency to swing like a “golfer.”  They’re trying to hit the big home run.  Without understanding or perfecting the skill of using your hands to hit, the elbow up causes the back shoulder to drop.  When the back shoulder drops, this causes the athlete to swing up to the ball—the opposite of what hitters want.

Coaches teach keeping the elbow in and really harp on the concept of down to the ball or staying on top of the ball.  Many coaches will talk about bringing the knob of the bat to the ball.  This whole concept is easier to understand with the elbow relaxed and down because it becomes more of a natural movement.

A second reason is relaxation.  As a hitter you want to be comfortable and relaxed.  An elbow up causes muscle tightness and sometimes a tighter grip on the bat.  This restricts the hitter from being smooth while hitting and using their hands.

A lose relaxed grip allows the hitter’s hands to really whip through the zone and get power to the ball. Emphasizing the elbow down for younger athletes really helps teach them to learn to stay relaxed and comfortable while staying on top of the ball or swinging down to the ball.

I feel when it comes to teaching younger athletes it is smarter to teach elbow down.  They are young and still developing and right from the beginning we want to create good habits of staying on top of the ball and using our hands to hit.

By teaching elbow down and staying relaxed, the younger athlete is creating the correct muscle memory.  As they start to develop their own swing then the elbow can move around, but they need to learn the basic concepts first.