Posted by: hank king () on Fri Feb 14 12:15:52 2003

Last night I had a person who could not hit a lick, try to tell me why I was wrong and how I was wrong. The fact of the matter is he had no clue on what he was talking about, and he did not want to understand what I was trying to say. Everyday I check this board to read the e-mails and they are no differant than the people who come into my cage and try to teach their kid how to hit. These people could be looking at the best or worst hitter in the world and would not know the difference. So, Hank Kings of the world without listening to all the information that's available and fully understanding it don't pop off like you know. You don't. That includes me, when I have a problem I call Jack and I ask, bacause I do not know everything all the time.
> > > > > > >>>
> > > > > > >>i believe that we can all get better as well, and i also believe we can all get worse. i read this site front to back, and i understand that there are some serious flaws in the writings that i would not want any young player or accomplished player to try to implement into their swing.
> > > > > > i can speak freely, and i will, a friend of mine,who is also a basball man, found this sight and called yesterday to ask me to read it and give him my take on it.
> > > > > > there are certain things in life that remain the same, and hitting is one of them. so do i think i know it all, no, but i've studied it, i understand it, hitting is not going to change. we've all read books by the great names, and although there are some slight diffs. there are certain key points that are the same in all of them. this theory here directly goes against things in hitting that have been proven correct for over a hundred years.
> > > > > > i'm sure jack is a great guy, and i'm sure everyone chatting here has there heart in the right place, but lets not reinvent the wheel.
> > > > > > i realise i just got here, i also realise i'm a bully, but i'm not going to sit here and let bad habits be formed without disputing the info. every theory is not ment to be taught.
> > > > >
> > > > > Hank-
> > > > > you said:
> > > > > "there are certain key points that are the same in all of them [books by the great names]. this theory here directly goes against things in hitting that have been proven correct for over a hundred years"
> > > > >
> > > > > Please specify what theses things are. Its hard to respond without something concrete to discuss.
> > > > >>>
> > > > >>
> > > > >good point, just to go to a couple and then i gotta run.
> > > > 1st, shifting the bodies wieght forward to some degree against a firm front side. this does add power to the swing! for example, a rotational hitter will have some percentage of his wieght left on his back side foot at contact, based on what i read it would seem to be 50%. a wieght shift hitter could have as little as 0% of his wieght on his backside foot at contact or maybe 30% depending on how strong he is and what he is comfortable with. now, if the hitter ways 200 lbs. and he delivers his full body weight or even 70% of his wieght he is going to gain an advantage of power over a hitter who leaves 50% or more of his wieght and drive energy plugged into the ground behind him. the key to a wieght shift is that it is short very exposive and the hitter be strong enough to hold himself behind his firm front side. there is your leverage point, there is torque.
> > > > how many hitters do we see with there back foot slightly of the ground at contact, griffey, big frank, arod just to name a few pretty good ones, and i'm not going to teach a player to have his back foot in the air at contact, the degree to which you take the wieght shift is personal, it has alot to do with strength and skill level.
> > > > another point of the teachings here that i just couldn't endorse is the idea that the hitters entire front side rotates simaltaneously, this is going to teach young hitter to spin off there contact point.
> > > > a hitter must keep his front shoulder directional to the pitcher as long as possible, this will help him to hit to all fields. also the chest and head must remain on the ball at point of contact, if for no other reasons than vision and the desire to hit the ball to the off field when it leads you there.
> > > > these are some direct diff. for you, that are key elements to hitting
> > >
> > > Shifting your body forward to some degree may add power to a ball hit in that direction (more forward and toward the pitcher). But the ball is not there with a rotaional swing. The ball is hit much deeper in the zone. Shifting your weight toward the pitcher does not add power to a ball hit deeper in the zone.
> > >
> > > And if you do a simple experiment you'll see the difference. Stand as if you're in your stance without a bat and shift weight forward as if to swing. Now stand in you stance and rotate. You can feel the power difference as long as you understand where the contact is made.
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >well now, you seem intersesting to talk to, and you bring up one of the most important elements of hitting. POINT OF CONTACT. when using a wieght shift approach to hitting it is important that you look for the ball aliitle more out front, roughly between the front side foot and front side knee, depending where the ball is pitched and what field you will hit it to. a hitter can get extended and be compact at the same time, these creates very hard hit balls and allows for elevation much easier. the key is, you better get your stride down firm and you better get your backside going. the hard hip turn allows the hands stay in while getting extended forward, combine this with a high finish and you can get a very whippy fast bat.
> > i feel bound up in my hands with a rotational swing, and a contact point that is too deep. what you asked me to do feels like i'm sweeping the bat through the zone, and i like a gradual downward stroke, that levels off alittle out front, but behind my front side knee and then gets turned over for a high finish, creates alot of batspeed and torque
>
> I don't like your terminology but you should feel "bound up in my hands" in the rotational swing because you're not used to it. If you keep the rear elbow in the slot I think the sweeping feeling will go away. It seems to me, your weight shift technique puts a premium on hands and the rotational technique puts a premium on the larger torso, leg, hip muschles. And because of that a rotational hitter can generate "earlier" batspeed allowing for more decision time. A rotational hitter can delay longer because of the explosive nature of the rotation while a weight shift hitter has to start the hands earlier to get up to speed to hit the ball. This requires more execution time and allows for less decision time making the linear hitter more vulnerable to pitch speed and location and IMHO less bat quickness.
>.
>.i don't care if you like my terminology or not, that is your problem. i i disagree with "well you should feel bound up your not used to it". a hitters mech. must allow him to natually and easily advance from one step to the next and so on at a very fast pace wiith out feeling tied up, the body must be loose and free. hitting is not just one mighty rotation where you jerk your hands in to a deep point of contact.
you make some good points with the vulnerabilities of hitting, but they are the same vulnerabilities whatever your mech. now your talking approach to hitting, that is completely diff. from mech and requires a true understanding of the strike zone, a hitters strengths and weaknesses, the pitchers abilities, situation in the game etc...mental aspect, and i don't care what your terminology on mech. or style of mech. if a hitter doesn't have a strong of how to approach hitting none of it is going to work.