Before getting any deeper into upper body action, let's dispense with the "back elbow up" debate, hopefully once and for all.

It used to be every coach (and well meaning sideline parent) would yell "get your back elbow up". Then, for a time, every instructor explained that the first action in a swing is to bring the elbow in towards the body, therefore elbow up is wrong, it should start down.

Our view now - who cares?

• If the arms and bat move back, up and off the body with the back elbow underneath and the front elbow straightened out, good.
• But if the arms and bat move back up and out with the back elbow pulled back and up, also good.

You can't do both. You can't do neither - unless you don't want to effectively load. And that's what does matter. The upper body must create a load action which full engages the shoulders and arms to start the process of launch. Note: we said shoulders - not just arms.

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Now we're going to do something you should never do in actual swings - leave your arms up in the load position while we discuss your torso and torque and all that good core stuff.

The reason you don't want to leave your arms in full load for long is...

a) you can't anyway, the loading up will weaken
b) you don't want to be static, you want to be loose and in motion
c) you want the upper body stretch to generate elastic energy to propel the bat forward