Posted by: Coach C () on Sat Apr 19 06:37:00 2003

> Coach C, I have read many of your posts and feel you have a good grip on what you are talking about. However, while I agree a strong core (abs & lower back) add to the power of the swing I don't think the torso is responsible for 100%. Though I am a biologist and not an engineer I think I have a fair understanding of how and where power is generated. I think of power as being an additive property with lower, mid, and upper body parts adding differing percentages. I think the best hitters are strong in all three areas and have the mechanics to coordinate everything properly. Today's stronger athletes combined with good rotational mechanics account for the huge power numbers being put up in today's game. If the players of past were as strong, especially in the upper body, 70 HRs would have already been in the books. Imagine if Ted Williams could bench press 300lbs, combined with the incredible power he generated with his legs and hips many of his doubles would have been HRs. The same could pobably be said of most of the sluggers of the past; they generated most of their power with their legs and hips. I feel strong legs can compensate for a weaker torso and upper body. I will use myself as an example. At a very young age I had a major surgery which left a huge amount of scar tissue on the left side of my chest and back which inhibited muscle development; as a result I never developed much upper body strength. Until a few years ago I could not bench my body weight, 190lbs. However, I developed very strong legs topping out with a 450lb free weight squat when I was in college. Using mechanics like Mike described above which I obtained by reading Ted Williams' book like the bible I was able to generate enough power to hit balls over 400ft even with wood and a weaker torso and upper body. I didn't mean to ramble on so long but I had to get in my two cents that a strong lower body and proper lower body mechanics are an essential part for developing power in the swing. Also to address another of your questions, I think a short stride, 6-9 inches, starting from a stance that is slightly more than shoulder width is the proper starting point. Keep up the interesting posts, Coach C, and I would be interested in reading your comments.
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> James

I appreciate the kind words and though we may disagree, I have a feeling we may actually be closer to the same than you think. Could mean I'm wrong....but hear me out.

My chest and arms are not big, but throughtout my life I've always worked my core (lower back and and stomach). I've been involved with rotary training before there was such a thing discussed. I've had my batspeed measured up to 98 mph with the same bat Vladamir Guerrero uses and feel that none of that power was derived from my legs. However here is the irony, while my lower back and obiques take the brunt of the wear and tear, my legs feel strain as well, they need to be strong to stay in balance. What I discovered for me was that my body will respond to any action my upper torso does and in fact any movement from the waist down is only a positioning move to give the torso a platform to hit from. These concepts are not new to rotary action sports, in fact golf has been articulating it for years (Jim Flick, Jack Nicklaus, Jimmy Ballard, Davis Love, Bob Toski and I could give you dozens more). The funny thing for me is that in golf there is a stationary object and there is no need to stride, but in baseball people want to go forward (I guess to get a better look), but for the swing any forceful turning of the legs often creates a move termed in golf called coming over the top. Having studied hitting for 25 years I will tell you that at least 98% percent of the kids, high school, college and many minor league players suffer from this same move. It's very easy to detect this killer move and in my opinion it's undiagnosis by prominant hitting instructors and experts alike has sparked years of .....do this, try that, use your hands, don't use your hands, feel it here, no that's not right, how about this......I see this everywhere I go as well as on this web-site. Harvey P. termed it years ago as the magic move.......this magic move is a term used to identify the positioning of the lower body as the arms begin their forward movement.

If you have the magic move, striding is not necessary, without out it, the legs must go forward and turn so as to turn a give the arms room. Some examples of those that have used no stride in the swing are Larry Walker, Nomar Garciaparra, Jim Edmonds. etc. It's not that other big leaguers don't stride because they do, but I feel they would be even better with out it. Big leaguers stride for balance and feel power in the legs, not from driving and pushing, but from the tremendous strain placed on them during stabalization phase of the swing (they hurt from trying to stay in balance).

In pitching....Tom House, Nolan Ryan, Mark Pryor all advocate that if the upper body does what it's supposed to, the legs will work perfectly, I couldn't agee more with this concept. Balance is the key for all sports. One analogy of how the legs provide no power is a tennis serve, our legs are in the air, but it is the torso the provides the pop.

We can respectfully disagree on this and I have no problem with that, but for me the legs are stable (no easy chore) and my lower back and abs provide the bang!!! Got to have the magic move though!!!!!!!! Almost every great hitter I've studied over the years has this magic move!!!!!!!!!!!

I never had it in college, but have it now! It's unbelievable!