Posted by: Jack Mankin (Mrbatspeed@aol.com) on Wed Jun 18 01:00:20 2003

>>> I fixed a problem in my swing last year- I wasn't turning my hips hardly at all. A coach told me to "squash the bug", so I started to turn (more). When I found this site., I started to think I might be turning them too late.

From watching the frame-by-frame swing on the "mechanics" pages, it looks to me like the hips are all the way open by frame #C. Isn't that early, compared to the text about ?

Another post deep in the archives says the hips should lead the shoulders by about 30 degrees; you don't want to have that three-stage, stride-then-hips-then-shoulders segmented thing going on. But sure looks to me like this sketch guy has more than 30 degrees going on between his hips and shoulders.

I ask because I want to know- how do I know the proper time to open the hips? I think I had been doing it too late (so I'd end up finishing in about the right position, if a bit McGriff-helicopter-swing-ish), but now I'm worried I'm doing it too early, and I'll pop everything weakly to right that I don't miss completely. How would I know if I do it too soon? <<<

Hi Mike

Welcome to the site. --- Most clips show the batter as viewed from over the pitchers right shoulder or from across the plate. I choose to view the swing from some where in-between. The clip traced on Swing Mechanics was shot more from a 45 degree angle or from above the area where the first baseman plays. Therefore, from this viewpoint, the hips appear more open. But I think that if you look at how far the belt loops rotate from Frame #B to #C you will see a rotation of the hips to be about 20 to 30 degrees as the lead heel plants and the hips start to open. And from that point, the shoulders rotate in unison with the hips.

Mike, when working on your swing mechanics it is more important to note when the shoulders rotate than when the hips open. There is no direct connection of the hips to the bat. It is the rotation of the shoulders that supply the power for the swing through the arms to the bat. The importance of hip rotation in the swing is in how much it contributes to shoulder rotation. Position of the shoulders at launch and then at contact is more important than hip position.

Jack Mankin