Posted by: sportsdoc7 (sportsdoc7@msn.com) on Fri Dec 7 10:44:31 2007

> The reason is simple. Balance and control.
>
> The hitter will have less balance and thus less control of his body because his front side has started to fly open prematurely.
>
> At the point of touchdown with the front toe, the hitter still has time to recognize pitch location. If the foot is opened before touchdown, shutting the swing off to take a ball is a tougher task.

Thanks for your response Jimmy. I think also however that the key to not swinging at bad pitches is to recognize them. This is primarily a neurodynamic function involving many parts of the brain. As a neuropsychologist I know that response inhibition (not swinging at bad pitches) is a function of neural processing. The neural processing always occurs before movement of any part of the body because it is the brain that sends the signals to the body as to not only how and where to move, but whether or not it should move at all.
Mechanics are important in determining how much bat speed will be generated, the plane of the swing, balance (which indirectly can affect power) etc., but it is not your toes that tell your body "don't swing at that pitch". Your brain is responsible for that.

Merry Christmas
Sportsdoc7