Posted by: PatA (patrick_allison@reyrey.com) on Thu Apr 17 05:42:34 2003

I have a terrible hitch in my swing, when ever I lift my front foot up my back shoulder drops. I have tried changing my stance but nothing seems to work. What can I do to correct this?
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> > > > > > So where is the problem?
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> > > > > Tee work and repetition solves every problem
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> > > > I agree, lots of repetion. Practice striding, over and over again.
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> > > Guys, I think Pat would like some actual advice here. Of course practice helps everything, but you have to practice the right stuff. If he keeps practicing his swing as it is, it will further engrain the wrong mechanics in his mind.
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> > > Your back shoulder dipping is not necessarily bad. You have to dip it to some degree to match the plane of the pitch. You see, the pitch does not come in level to the ground. With the pitcher standing on the mound, the pitch comes in at a downward angle. To give yourself the best change at making contact, you need to match your swing plane to the plane the pitch comes in at (geometric plane). Each pitcher is different and each pitch is different. The way you match the pitch plane is by bending at your waste. This is where the practice comes in. It takes a lot of practice to correctly match the pitch plane every time.
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> > He said that as soon as is foot lifts he starts dipping. This is long before the stage of matching swing plane to pitch. Any dipping and swing plane matching should take place well after the stride has started. So, even though I did play the game, this problem is not a major league problem. It is an elementary, basic problem that can be resolved with repitition of correct striding. No need to complicate matters with THT, BHT and other issues.
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> You tell me where in my post I mentioned THT or BHT? Are you still hung up on that? I thought we could all grow up a little after what's just happened.
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> The hitch when you lift your leg to stride is not a bad thing as long as you get back into a good position. Many MLBers have hitches in their swings (Bonds, Bagwell, etc.). I believe they use it mostly for timing, and also to give the bat a little momentum. If your hitch is causing you to pop up then it's a problem. Otherwise, it might actually help you if you get back into a good position.
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> Which way does your shoulder dip, back towards the catcher or out over the plate? If it dips back towards the catcher, you need to practice keeping your weight more balanced. If it dips out over the plate, then it can be a good thing if you get back into a good position to launch the swing from.
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> Chris
I'll clarify my "where's the problem" question. The shoulder/elbow drop is integral in the rotational swing. I guess what I am curious about is, what do you feel is causing your shoulder to drop. What I see many times, especially with young hitters, is lateral hip slide. IMO this occurs because they were always taught to keep the front side firm. This seems to cause the hips to slide toward the pitcher as opposed to turning which leads to the upper torso simply falling away/lunging directly opposite of the front hip, does that make sense to you? Click the swing mechanics link at the top of the page and watch the illustration. If you want some good swing clips, email me and I'll send you some. Clips are a good reference to check what you are being taught against.