Posted by: Jimmy () on Wed Feb 13 11:52:05 2008

> > > I do think they showed it all, although I couldn't really see it myself. I'm not sure they were advocating ending on the tippy toe as much as getting on it (which means most of your weight is on the front leg) at some point during the swing. I'm now in the process of doing a brainwash process on my son as he's confused to the point of inertia on his swing.
> >
> > The natural forces within a quality swing bring the hitters back foot to its tippy toe at contact for a brief moment. The only way to achieve it correctly is to not concentrate on it but to do every thing else correctly.
> >
> > Trying to achieve the toe position at contact will only cause poor mechanics throughout the rest of the swing.
> >
> > Jimmy
>
> Hey Jimmy
>
> Some of the best hitters in the majors have their back foot off the ground when they hit the ball. Their back foot is moving forward during the swing and comes to rest after contact. The back foot is what starts the lower body in motion and puts the rest of the body into motion for the rest of the swing.
>
> How can you do something after it has already happened. The swing starts at the feet and goes up so if you do this wrong how can the rest of the swing get it right??
>
> Just my comments
>
> David for your son there are always different ways of seeing how a swing is made and of course then are different interpetations. If you think about how you throw a ball overhand when you throw your hardest your weight is forward and your weight is off your back foot and you would not throw with your weight going back onto your back foot. This is a great analogy in comparing bug squishing to heel up.
>
> DAve P

Hi Dave,

You are correct about the back foot coming off the ground, but it doesn't happen until the bat is in the hitting zone. Many things within the swing need to happen before the back foot reaches the position that you speak of.

There are many details within the swing that happen that the hitter does not focus on trying to achieve. This is one of those details. When hitters do try to achieve this "tippie toe" position, the correct rythm and balance within the swing is disrupted putting the hitter into a less productive and efficient position.

Your analogy to throwing is accurate to a point. The position of the back foot does go into the air when you throw, but it does not stay there. It comes back down to the ground just as the back foot of a hitter does.

The hitters foot needs to come to rest at the ball of his foot after it rises to the "tippie toe" position and should not remain at the "tippie toe" position to the end of the swing. This should not be confused with "squashing the bug".

Hope this makes sense.

Jimmy