Bat Drag Is Not Caused By Barring the Front Arm

Almost all swing coaches out there would say that barring the front arm to start the forward swing is bad.  When you ask them why, they explain something like, "the bat will never square up"  or "you'll get bat drag."

I find this funny because actually just the opposite is true.  By having a barred front arm to start the forward swing, the barrel enters the zone much earlier and stays square longer.  Babe Ruth did it.  Ken Griffey Jr. did it.  Their swings were the most beautiful because they were the most effective.

Here is Babe Ruth, in my opinion the most underrated player of all time when it comes to swing mechanics.  Watch his swing.

Ruth had a ton of bat drag.  Watch this swing over and over again.  Pay attention to the movement itself.  One can see that Ruth was an absolute master of movement by watching this swing.  I'm not a fan of Ruth.  I'm a fan of the swing, and Ruth just happened to do it the best.