Do MLB Hitters "Squish the Bug?"

[@DanBlewett]

What do you think? Is teaching players to squish the bug wrong?

[@brentwebb1947]

Good for power hitters. Buy u want a slap, good drive or poke. What ever. I think what ever is working for the hitter and not changing up their stance year after year after year. That's the problem.

[@brentwebb1947]

So, like you said. Stop the video. So it's stopped and looks like squashing the bug. But yes, the momentum, of course, with the hips and continuing with it through the strike zone. Of course your going to be on the ties at end. The fact is do not take the swing and just wipe the hips. Bug is squashed. I look at all the power hitters in baseball. Load, eyes seeing and relaying, and turning on it. Pretty simple

[@RobertJohanssonRBImGuy]

it is

[@mattwest8146]

Great point coach. So many kids are taught improper techniques in baseball.

[@DanBlewett]

Absolutely - we're all still learning and getting better as coaches, so hopefully this keeps that going.

[@Pecosbill7]

When my son was playing Little League I took him to a hitting instructor. The instructor emphasized “ knee, hip, shoulders” with “knee” meaning a pivot on the back leg. After my son started high school and playing baseball there I decided it was time for me to play hardball again and joined a Men’s Senior Baseball League program. For many years I used the “knee, hip, shoulders” approach and even utilized the same hitting instructor. I could hit the ball with power, but not like I had done when I was younger. I attributed this to just aging (I was 50 at the time). I noticed two things and couldn’t figure out to address them. (1) if you just try to rotate your hind leg with the foot still planted in the ground, your spikes make it nearly impossible to fully pivot on your back leg. (2) By trying to just pivot on the back leg I was unable to swing the bat with a full range of motion. The only way I could bring the bat all the way around was to let go of it with my right hand on the follow through, which also brought down my power. When I finally figured out what was going on I emphasized bending the knee and dragging the toe as opposed to trying to pivot with the foot still flat on the ground. My power went up significantly as a result as my weight shift is more complete and both my hands can stay firmly on the bat during the follow through. Thanks for posting this excellent video.

[@cwj9202]

Excellent points. Squishing the bug prevents the hips from fully engaging during and contributing to the swing. Decades ago, Dusty Baker, unfortunately, was a proponent and a spokesman for that less-than-optimal approach.

[@DanBlewett]

it can still help youngsters who have their back foot stuck to the ground (hips not rotating at all) but once they stop doing that, then its time to stop squishing the bug for sure. no place for it at even medium levels of amateur baseball

[@uchihadabba699]

@@DanBlewett I have heard that squish the bug was not a good concept and I stay away from it. But it has been so hard to get my 10 yr old son to move that back hip that I had to go to it. I don’t plan on stressing this idea beyond but it helps

[@cwj9202]

@@Ireland831 -- I didn't say he didn't know hitting. I just emphasized that he taught the "squish the bug" concept, which the vast majority of HOF hitters did not follow. The remainder of his teachings was great. With younger kids, it is often very difficult to get them not to squish the bug--no big deal, as when they become older, stronger, and more athletic, they master the issue easier.

[@brentwebb1947]

Exactly what u just said. the power momentum shifting it.

[@k1ndh1ln]

Great for t ball and peewee baseball, but kills the hip rotation needed to generate power, or at least reduces power quite a bit.

[@DanBlewett]

100%

[@markstrohecker2111]

I think this a primarily a youth baseball thing (7-10u) when you are trying to get lesser players to swing the bat and rotate their hips. The better players will naturally do it correctly. They are just coaching to the lowest caliber player and unfortunately it is a phrase that sticks

[@DanBlewett]

We saw a lot of players have poor back legs well into high school. Im not sure as many players have high quality back leg actions as you assume.

[@trickwheel]

I feel the squish the bug is more for getting the youngsters used to staying balance and keeping the head in there during the swing. It seems to keep a level swing while opening the hips. Later after repetitive practice and learning to transfer the weight in a balanced manner they can adjust to a more forward transfer with a drag. In contrast to that, if you teach to drag the toe you will get a lot of off balance swing or a lot of balls chopped in front of the plate. Whether it right or wrong is debatable, but anecdotally I have seen improved hitting at early teen ages staying back and pivoting.

[@retayuan123]

Was that Harper, Josh Donaldson, and Soto?

[@cowboy15]

the goal is to shift momentum from back hip to the front with front leg blocking into the ground. "Squish the Bug" is just a bad terminology to explain the rotation of hips when starting a swing. maybe "pivoting the back knee' is a better explanation, but not as a catchy. at contact, how the back foot looks is not as important. some hitters have their back foot stepping behind their hip after rotating, for example, Miguel Cabrera.

[@dblankenship88]

Squish the bug has been outdated for a very long time. Sadly though we have people like Jeff Frye that promotes a squish the bug product and then consistently discredits anything he doesn’t agree with.

[@jacobcotto6291]

What is an optimal "feel" technique to initiate proper rotation of the hip instead of "squish the bug"?

[@DanBlewett]

Drag the toe would work well.

[@brentwebb1947]

It's the momentum bringing the back foot in. But still squashing the big technique. Watch Albert, Judge and Stanton. They squashing the bug but their power is going to shift it forward. Perfect example. Albert P. Stays loaded and just turns them hips. Absolutely power and Squashing it.

[@brentwebb1947]

Power hitters can just sit back/load, wait and turn on it. My daughter is a power hitter 14A ball. She sits back/loads, waits and turns on it. Squashing the bug but understand ends up on the toes sometimes (the force). She not slap hitting lol.

[@06racing]

It still is a good way to teach kids the hip rotation. I remember that it increased my hitting power by about 20%. Was barely able to make it over the infield's heads to over the outfield's heads easily. Then I took a few years off and couldn't hit because the kids weren't throwing anything in the strike zone, but were still getting called strikes. Eye level and a mile outside is not a strike.

[@RobertJohanssonRBImGuy]

Hips are located in the legs and wont rotate.

[@DanBlewett]

?

[@wojak91]

Good video

[@DanBlewett]

Thanks

[@brentwebb1947]

It is squashing. It just force from his body bringing it in some

[@DanBlewett]

nah, its really not

[@ariwarnicke-smith2984]

"Squishing the bug" is just a term that kids can relate to which is why its still used in teaching the fundamentals of the swing. 7-10 is the appropriate age for this particular gem of the past for sure. Keeping it fun, competitive and relatable is the most effective way to teach kids. "Saving the bug" may be more appropriate but most kids are squishers not savers!