Hands Back Hitter/Trainer

[Three A's baseball]

What are your thoughts and feedback. Every year for my son's birthday we get him a new baseball gadget for fun and then I incorporate it into his teams baseball practice.

So what to you think of this device.

[bbjunkie]

What are your thoughts and feedback. Every year for my son's birthday we get him a new baseball gadget for fun and then I incorporate it into his teams baseball practice.

So what to you think of this device.

Not much. We have one, but didn't get much use of it. A tee is still the best training aid for batting. We also have a portable net we use for batting or throwing practice, and a hit stick, both of which are very useful.

[Chris O'Leary]

What are your thoughts and feedback. Every year for my son's birthday we get him a new baseball gadget for fun and then I incorporate it into his teams baseball practice.

So what to you think of this device.

From what I've seen, I'm not convinced it reinforces the correct timing.

There seems to be a time lag between when the front heel drops and when the ball is tossed. The reality is that the swing should start with the dropping of the front heel, not after it.

[JackB1]

This device seems a little "gimmicky" to me. The main selling point is that it teaches the student to stride first and then swing.....not do it at the same time. But you can teach this with dry swings, off a tee, soft toss, etc. Also, the way that you step down on a string to make the ball pop up seems unnatural to me. You step and then wait for the ball to pop up. In reality, there isn't that long of a pause between the heel touching down and the swing beginning. (Am I correct guys?) I would think that this device might slow down a hitters sequence a little and cause them to be a little late on live pitching.

The main point here, it that you don't need any "gimmicks" to teach, "Stride-then-swing". A good old fashioned tee works perfectly.

[Kupuna]

It's a great training tool for hitters that can hit a real good fastball but have trouble hitting curves and off speed pitches. Grandson has always been a better fastball hitter than an off speed hitter. He said that he could pick up the spin and knew that the pitch was a breaking ball but could not properly keep his hands back. Junior used the hands back hitter to train himself to keep his hands back and seperate the stride from the launch. It really helped him make the transition to high school where he started to see as more breaking balls. You can give similar training during soft toss by double pumping before making the toss.

[Baseball gLove]

[QUOTE=AcidLake;977171]I'm not trying to make another dispute here, but here's Nyman's brutal (and somewhat accurate) criticism. Go to very bottom of the thread


Gotta love that bat drag!

[Chris O'Leary]

From what I've seen, I'm not convinced it reinforces the correct timing.

There seems to be a time lag between when the front heel drops and when the ball is tossed. The reality is that the swing should start with the dropping of the front heel, not after it.

It would probably work better if you hit the ball on the way up rather than waiting for it to peak and then come back down as you see some people do.

[Swing Coach]

Couldn't a coach or another player set it off and then the player has to step and swing with correct timing?

[Jake Patterson]

Couldn't a coach or another player set it off and then the player has to step and swing with correct timing?
I think part of Donny's intention was to develop a devise that would not need two people.

[BoardMember]

I think part of Donny's intention was to develop a devise that would not need two people.

But, he very quickly noticed that it forced a "form of separation" of the load/stride/swing sequence and jumped on that to market the product.

IF, your lower is striding, as your upper is loading, *AS THEY SHOULD BE*, the device works pretty well.

IF, you "stride and swing", without creating separation, the device is frustrating because you have to "pause" and wait for the ball to fall.

Donny also claimed that the "pause" caused a hitter to delay release, and taught him to hit the ball deeper in the zone.

The guy was a smart, and knew how to sell product because of his knowledge of the swing.

[Stealth]

But, he very quickly noticed that it forced a "form of separation" of the load/stride/swing sequence and jumped on that to market the product.

IF, your lower is striding, as your upper is loading, *AS THEY SHOULD BE*, the device works pretty well.

IF, you "stride and swing", without creating separation, the device is frustrating because you have to "pause" and wait for the ball to fall.

Donny also claimed that the "pause" caused a hitter to delay release, and taught him to hit the ball deeper in the zone.

The guy was a smart, and knew how to sell product because of his knowledge of the swing.


Yep - if you use it correctly it's a pretty good tool. And kids love it!

[Big Unit]

Can you explain me the use of the red rubber ban for that machine?

[bbjunkie]

Can you explain me the use of the red rubber ban for that machine?

I assume you mean the string, as it is the only red thing on the pictures I've seen. That is the triggering device that you must step on to pop the ball up.

Baseball Love - "I'm not trying to make another dispute here, but here's Nyman's brutal (and somewhat accurate) criticism. Go to very bottom of the thread"

I don't see a link that connects to Nyman's comments.

[Jake Patterson]

I don't see a link that connects to Nyman's comments. If you go to Paul's site it's pretty easy to find.

[Big Unit]

ooohh.....I see now! Thanks.

[Jim W.]

I think it is a good hitting tool if (as previously mentioned) used properly. My son would rather hit off the hands back hitter than the T. He is HS age and uses it to work on his load. I think it's called the Pro hands back hitter that allows it to extend out to work on opposite field hitting.

By the way, make sure they do not hit on the way up. It cost me a busted part when the bat came in contact with the popper. Use it what it was designed for and it is a very good tool.

[handyman11]

I've used the HBH for 3 years now , both personally , and with the girls I coach ...I think it's a great tool , if used as part of a hitting station , along with other drills .....

[Chris O'Leary]

By the way, make sure they do not hit on the way up. It cost me a busted part when the bat came in contact with the popper. Use it what it was designed for and it is a very good tool.

Would you rather have a busted part or a busted swing?

If teach them to hit the ball on the way back down (e.g. well after the front heel plants), their timing won't be right.

[Stealth]

Would you rather have a busted part or a busted swing?

If teach them to hit the ball on the way back down (e.g. well after the front heel plants), their timing won't be right.

Chris - nothing is perfect, but when you have a team of kids the HBH is a good tool as a hitting station. Remember - most of these kids will NOT practice at home. They don't have a dad that will throw them hours of BP on the side. As long as the kids are having fun, which they do with the HBH it's not all bad.

Also - when you do tee work how many times have you seen a player break up his swing into parts. They will stride, check themselves and then hit. Very similar to the HBH.

[Chris O'Leary]

Chris - nothing is perfect, but when you have a team of kids the HBH is a good tool as a hitting station. Remember - most of these kids will NOT practice at home. They don't have a dad that will throw them hours of BP on the side. As long as the kids are having fun, which they do with the HBH it's not all bad.

Also - when you do tee work how many times have you seen a player break up his swing into parts. They will stride, check themselves and then hit. Very similar to the HBH.

But then why not save the extra money and just use a regular batting tee (or just toss the ball up to yourself)?

At least that way you can reinforce the proper timing.

[Stealth]

But then why not save the extra money and just use a regular batting tee (or just toss the ball up to yourself)?

At least that way you can reinforce the proper timing.

It's fun - the kids like the HBH way more than a tee! As far as cost - parents will pay $300 for a bat, what's an extra $75-$100 dollars for a team?

[Jim W.]

Would you rather have a busted part or a busted swing?

If teach them to hit the ball on the way back down (e.g. well after the front heel plants), their timing won't be right.
You make a good clear point and I did not explain clearly what happened. My HS age son adjusted the popper (with baseball not whiffle ball) to have the ball pop up low and away in the strike zone. He hit the popper tube and bent it. If he had hit the ball at the top before coming down it would have been fine. I agree, you do not want to hit the ball coming down. I also like the way the ball can be adjusted to outside, inside, high or low once you get used to it. It is like a self toss but the toss is more consistently located.

As far as the timing debate, it is not a timing drill but a drill to reinforce separation and proper load as BoardMember stated above. You point about self toss is valid. In my opinion self toss is an excellent drill. But the HBH is a drill an individual can also do themselves and it does help them recognize the load separation and they seem to enjoy it more than a T.

I think it is a good teaching tool but is it necessary..... absolutely not.

[tadlock11]

By the way, make sure they do not hit on the way up. It cost me a busted part when the bat came in contact with the popper. Use it what it was designed for and it is a very good tool.


Hitter using the HBH hitting the ball on the way up.
http://www.zippyvideos.com/2079982077227136/3.07bthbhquick5/