YBE 131: Talking Hitting and Going Deep with Doug Latta

There is no shortage of hitting advice, particularly on the internet. Some good. Some not so good. And some just plain awful. Confused by what is information and what is misinformation? Doug Latta, aka "The Swing Whisperer", helps us sort out some of the information from the misinformation in part 1 of a three-part (yes, three part!) interview. Plus Rob (and Austin Wasserman) answer the Question of the Week (33:03) about what age to teach kids to pronate when pitching, especially with a change-up.

In this 39-minute episode, you'll learn:

• how baseball instruction has changed over the years (2:06)
• 4 things that Doug considers part of "the right swing" and one thing that is not (3:47)
• how "the right swing" was different in the past (4:31)
• what is a "high" follow-through (8:54)
• which is better: a one-handed or two-handed follow-through (9:43)
• whether wrists rolling over too early is a problem (10:07)
• why Doug feels travel ball is a mixed bag (10:33)
• one tip when selecting a travel ball program (12:19)
• why Doug feels bat speed, exit velocity and launch angle are irrelevant (14:18)
• the problem with teaching shoulders to "go uphill" in order to achieve an optimal launch angle (16:50)
• what "shoulder grind" is and why it's bad (18:17)
• a correct load vs an incorrect load (20:13)
• why moves behind the hitter are bad (21:52)
• whether a leg kick is considered a load and what to watch for when doing a leg kick (23:26)
• the one most important thing a young hitter must remember (24:42)
• whether it's important to be 50-50 in the stance—or only at heel plant (25:18)
• a common flaw in the first move from the stance that loses ground forces (28:06)
• the proper first move after heel plant (30:27)

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

• Doug Latta explains the concept of 50-50
• Doug Latta explains ground forces
• Austin Wasserman's wrist weight training swings, video 1
• Austin Wasserman's wrist weight training swings, video 2
• Austin Wasserman's wrist weight training throws
• The 2 lb wrist weight set (one pair) used by Austin Wasserman's youth clients
• Have a question for Rob? Ask Rob
• Leave a rating & review on iTunes for the YBE podcast

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