Harold Klein recently asked me for help in getting his swing more vertical. His playing partners keep telling him that his swing goes from Catcher's Mitt to Catcher's Mitt. Harold, a lefty who is 74 years young, says he has a bad left (trailing) shoulder and wants to know if I have any drills that will help him get more vertical lift in his swing.
The first thing you should do, Harold, if you haven't done so already, is have your shoulder looked at by a professional. A good Occupational Therapist or Physical Therapist can examine you to determine if your pain could be from a rotator cuff problem or just arthritis or bursitis. If it is something like these latter two conditions, they may be able to give you some exercises to improve your flexibility and reduce the pain. If it is something more serious, please see an orthopedic surgeon to see what he or she would recommend.
Once you get your shoulder issue under control, there are a number of drills you can do to improve your verticality. One of my favorites is the Butt On The Wall Drill. Another is the Cactus Drilll which will really help you learn your "place in space" at both ends of the swing. If you want to improve the amount of lift you achieve in your swing you need to learn where your hands need to be at the top of the backswing and as you finish close to your right ear (left ear for all you righties out there!). Working off the Cactus Drill you can do some one-handed exercises like the Hitching A Ride Drill using your forward arm only to swing back and up through the finish. Just remember that when doing any drill, particularly one-handed drills, that position is extremely important. If both of your hands can't come together at the top then you are not doing the drill correctly. Watch today's tip for examples of this.
Keep it vertical!
The Surge
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