Posted by: Coach C () on Fri Apr 25 21:54:20 2003

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> > > C,I can agree with the feel concept and I can agree with knowing what your hands do,however I have seen many swings of Ramirez doing rotational swing IMO.I would like to point out another part of the swing and get your take on it as well as others.The point in the swing where the front toe touches I feel is one of the most important in the swing,how the body is balanced at this point is critical whichever style you do.To show this point and tell hitters how they should look at this point is one thing but to teach hitters the proper [feel] on how they get there is most important.I see guys so often never get off their back sides and their swing plane is thrown off and they lose batspeed from poor hip rotation to enhance shoulders,however even more of a problem I see guys stride for fastball to that point and when they don't get it or they are set for a middle in pitch and it is on the outer 3rd they drift with their hips past the point of power[the loaded position that sets the body in balance to hit a certain pitch.Either they have hip shift forward trying to wait for the offspeed to get there and they move past the point of power forward with not much left or they have set for the inside pitch and have already pulled the hip or lead shoulder out just enough to not have the higher load needed for the away pitch.Your thoughts..
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> rql-
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> I think you are on the money with the toe touch position and how to get there.I like your "2 tee drill" described in the early March post.Has your e-mail changed? I keep getting delivery failure notices.Send me your updated e-mail if you get a chance.Thanks.
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> tom.guerry@kp.org

I agree with you also. This is what I call the magic move. Hip sliding or popping the hips is definitly not the magic move. This to me is where golf and baseball are the same. Clearly the swings planes are different, but what is the same is the slight lateral shift of the lower body, with the upper body staying behind the ball or back. Bob Toski (prominant golf instructor) has said in all of his years of teaching it's the one move that he still struggles to teach. I have a kid on my team that makes the perfect move through the ball and he was born doing it. As strange as this sounds and it's open for debate, I feel it's the way the elbows hinge in the baseball swing. A notorius high ball hitter can not make this move, but a great low ball hitter can very easily. The reason a low ball hitter can is becasue the elbows hinge way different. Low ball hitters hit below the elbows, while high ball hitters like to hit above the waist. Take a look at Robin Ventura's swing (a low ball hitter). Then look at a Jeff Bagwell's (high ball hitter). The width between there elbows from launch to contact are considerably different. I've played golf with Robin and he hits the golf ball a mile with accuracy, I can't say for sure, but I bet Bagwell is all over the place because his elbows hinge is way different. It took me several years to understand and then duplicate this elbow hinge, but what I found was that with it the body works through the ball perfectly.......as one, with effortless power. There are other reasons why Robin struggles at the plate, but his level of effort through the ball is considerably less. I would love to talk more about this with you if you'd like, but this problem you stated I believe is tied to that. Have I lost you yet......sorry it's very complicated to explain, but when learned it's easy to understand. In golf it's call effortless power, where the legs, hips, torso, arms and hands are all connected.....effortless power. Ted Williams had this move in my opinion.

I'll read your two T-drill post.

Coach C