Posted by: Jimmy () on Thu Dec 20 00:57:46 2007

Should rearward tilt of the torso really be desired by hitters?

I think that when a hitter experiences rearward tilt it is a competitive reaction to being a tad late with bringing the barrel to the hitting zone.

As the eyes recognize the pitch coming in to the zone there is a sense that they may be slightly tardy with the barrel. As a reaction to this, the hitter slightly leans backward to help clear his body a bit more, bringing the barrel closer to the desired position at the point of contact.

Here is a clip of Pujols on time (no backward lean!)

http://www.teachersbilliards.com/cgi-bin/i/Hitzone/Pujols5.gif

Here is a clip of Pujols a tad late with an on the fly adjustment (slight backward lean)

http://www.teachersbilliards.com/cgi-bin/i/Hitzone/Pujols7.gif

You'll notice that his head torso and back knee are all perpendicular to the ground when he is on time.

Jimmy