Posted by: Graylon (g_dunc@hotmail.com) on Fri Dec 21 23:04:12 2007

> > > > THG,
> > > >
> > > > You state...""In the 2nd clip it Pujols is using more energy and has an overall more aggressive move toward the ball. His aggressiveness is seen as his back foot comes completely off the ground while coming forward significantly. His hip turn as well as his core turn are much more dramatic as well.""
> > > >
> > > > This all occurs because he was a bit late, but he brought the barrel to the ball do to a slight lean back.
> > > >
> > > > The violence in the body vs. the smoothness of the body in the two clips is due to not being on time vs. being on time. When you are on time the swing is much smoother and less rushed and ridged.
> > > >
> > > > Had he been on time, his barrel would be on track to the ball without the need to clear his body out of the way with the lean.
> > > >
> > > > When MLB hitters take batting practice, there is almost never a backward lean because it is easier to be on time. The game is sped up and adjustments are made on the fly...backward lean.
> > > >
> > > > Jimmy
> > >
> > >
> > > Jimmy,
> > >
> > > This is why we have different opinions on how to hit, we see something different in the clips. Like I stated earlier, in the first clip I see him making an adjustment to a pitch that he is early on. The swing doesn't look as smooth and it appears that he is reaching out for the ball. The second clip looks like he is generating more power because of where contact is made. There is no forward lean and reaching with the hands. All of those things slow bat speed.
> > >
> > > Graylon
> >
> > I agree with you Graylon. This is what I see.
> >
> > Clip #1
> >
> > Pujols is moving forward a lot more than in his usual swings, which means he was probably fooled on speed (at first)
> >
> > Also right after he loads his shoulders and begins his swing you can see that he is straining to slow and hold his hands back.
> >
> > When he hits the ball it looks like he got under it a little bit and hes lunging at the low ball.
> >
> > Clip #2
> >
> > he was on this pitch
> >
> > thing of beauty, i just watch his legs during and after contact,
> > its like watching a desert eagle fire in slow motion
>
> Pujols doesn't load his shoulders in order to rotate them. He loads his legs.

Jimmy,

Pujols loads against his back leg and he loads his hips, but watch his shoulders, the lead shoulder goes down and the rear shoulder goes up, also, watch his back elbow it also goes up which is him loading his shoulders. Now IMO he is not loading the shoulders in order to just rotate them, I believe it is a little more then that, he turns the lead shoulder down and the back shoulder up, so the first move with his shoulders is to reverse this action before they rotate. He does that by the raising of the front elbow and lowering of the back elbow after the lead hip started opening when the front foot gets down. This is what causes the seperation between upper and lower body. This gives you early bat speed with high adjustability.

Graylon