The Rope Bat® is an incredibly effective and challenging swing trainer for softball and baseball that forces the user to swing with their body, not their arms and hands, just as MLB hitters do. Hitters may struggle at first because they have never had to swing using their body in a sequential kinesthetic chain which results in a connected, fluid swing. Because the Rope Bat® is flexible and not rigid like a real bat, hitters MUST connect their body to their arms and hands to correctly to hit the ball with authority. You have to take the “slack” out of the rope to get the 6 inch “sweet spot” to the ball consistently. Momentum and rotation are required to facilitate centrifugal force which increases bat speed exponentially. The instructional video on the website shows you step by step how to quickly learn the proper swing using the Rope Bat®.
This is 16 year old Michael, whose father is an MLB hitting coach. You can see in the 3rd and 4th picture from the left he is so connected he has taken the slack out so well it looks rigid! The 3rd picture also shows the “lag” position. The 4th picture shows he is still on plane after contact.
The Rope Bat® does a great job of teaching “lag”, or letting the bat head stay behind the hands as long as possible as you rotate toward contact. Releasing the bat head too early is a cast, and robs the hitter of bat speed and power and prevents hitting the ball on the sweet spot.
The Rope Bat® also forces the hitter to get the barrel “on plane” early, or making the bat path come down, then level off through the hitting zone resulting in a line drive. Again, this is done by connecting and using the body’s large muscles in a kinesthetic chain from the ground up. The swing starts with the hips, followed by the upper body’s core muscles, then the shoulders, then the arms and hands and finally the barrel of the bat…or more specifically the “sweet spot” of the barrel. In a nutshell, the body controls the sweet spot from the very beginning of the swing until contact…the hands simply hold the bat.
The Rope Bat® is one size fits all. Youngsters who use a 26 inch bat to professionals who use a 34 inch bat can use the same Rope Bat®. By simply gripping the bat on the number that represents the length of their real bat, they place the “sweet spot” the correct distance from their hands to “feel” where contact should occur.
The Rope Bat® forces the hitter to keep the hands well inside the ball and close to the body because they know they cannot hit the ball with the rope. They have to hit the 6 inch sweet spot. This muscle memory transfers to the real bat.
The hitter receives instant feedback each swing 3 different ways: They feel it, see it and hear it. They can literally teach themselves because of this feedback. They can make needed corrections each swing without anyone telling them what they are doing wrong…they know and they can and will correct it. They are invested in their swing…they OWN it and become proud of it. This is AUTHENTIC learning. The Rope Bat is a hitting coach! It always tells the truth.
If you want to learn to switch hit, the Rope Bat® is the perfect tool! The instant feedback and the fact that it’s so light weight enables the hitter to get many more reps in without tiring, as they would with a real bat.
The Rope Bat® can only be used with Smushballs (included in each order), Whiffle® balls, or Jugs Lite Flite baseball or softball size rubber balls. Do not hit real baseballs or softballs…they will destroy the Rope Bat and not give the hitter any feedback.
The goal is to swing through the ball, not just hit the ball. A monkey can hit a ball…Google it and see. A monkey cannot make a smooth, connected swing using the entire body…but you can! The Rope Bat® makes learning a great swing much easier and transfers to the real bat quickly…and it’s FUN! Since it is one size fits all, from those who use a 26 inch bat to a 34 inch bat, the whole family can learn how to swing it and see who’s got the best swing! It could be you, Mom!
Take a look at our unsolicited testimonials and see what parents and coaches have to say about the Rope Bat®!
