Posted by: tom.guerry (tom.guerry@kp.org) on Sat Oct 11 11:51:36 2003

Sandman-

You are doing a great job with your kid !

You also have the ability to demonstrate well with video.Thanks.

I would video analyze your son based on a biomechanical/kinesiological type model which I will explain below.

I would encourage you to stay on the journey,get your own questions answered,but ,of course,keep it as simple and unconfusing as possible for your son.

I would recommend you find one or a few role models and let him see the side by side visuals comparing himself to them.In addition to overhead and side shots,the front shot(from pitcher) is an important view.Your kid is getting close enough at an early age that he is likely to be able to look forward to a life of good enough mechanics to not hold him back./prevent him/even facilitate appraoching his potential.He is at a stage where he can still learn an awful lot visually(this fades in many).I would get him full of good images and have him start learning to discriminate what works and what doesn't and how the look compares to the feel.

In traditional jargon,I would agree he has a long swing,but it's not that long and it will get better/shorter/quicker if you have an idea what to shoot for.Let me try to describe my model.Feel free to question/criticize.If you are interested,I could make more specific comments about your son and how to interpret things like "long" or "wrapping" or "uppercutting" in light of it.

By biomechanical/kinesiological model,I mean focus on how/what muscles you use when,especially what the sequence of motion is.I think this helps reduce the perception/reality gap by making the image of what you feel you are doing better resemble video reality.There is neverthelss always some gap between the surface appearance and the actual workings of the individual's neuromuscular system.

As pointed out by Nyman,the sequences the body prefers are similar between overhand throw and rotational hitting.In the case of throwing,Nyman has pointed out the primacy of arm action/sequence in organizing how the whole body moves to best throw the ball("buggywhipping').I believe the same is true for hitting,that is "arm action is king",primarily how you use the big muscles to move/load and "connect" (create connection for launch) the arms.As Jack has pointed out,"transfer mechanics" are paramount.Mechanically,he has explained this in terms of how torquing the bat/bathead to accelerate it "backward" into the plane of the swing is of utmost importance in the early part of the swing(load/pre-launch/early launch).Later in the swing (on the "approach" and through contact)the handpath shape/circularity/hooking/"BHT" is the key to transferring/transforming rotational energy into batspeed(creating a predictable/low timing error acceleration/trajectory of the bathead).

I believe the previous discussions here on scapula loading(a biomechanical/kinesiological view of human motion) and how it relates to/differs from "counter rotation" also points out the importance of thinking in terms of "shoulder(scapula)/arm action" as a key segment/link in the kinetic chain,even the most important segment.What may create a lot of confusion is that this shoulder action is ultimately controlled and fine tuned by where/what you sense/feel your hands are doing.However,if you anticipated and adjusted right early in the swing,no independent hand/small arm muscle action adjustment is necessary and the great swing feels effortless.This is ,I believe,a better/fuller way of explaining how/why "the hips lead the hands".Hip action is the center of lower body action.Scap/arm action is the center of upperbody action.The hands are the final link to the bat,perhaps what Nyman might describe,from a motor learning perspective,as the final determiners of the "working point" which is the sweetspot of the bat.

Here is the universal scap/arm sequence I see and how it is coordinated with the lower body,assuming at least some stride.Your son already does some(more than vast majority of hitters this age) of this well.

1- Bend/flex slightly at waist,flex slightly at knees/begin to lift stide foot."One-piece" action of torso arms and bat move the bat a bit in the horizontal to vertical direction.

(A word about "weight shift"-the weight has to shift to the back foot as the stride foot lifts.From this point on until "heel drop"/blocking with front foot,the weight/center of gravity should move forward.This requires a "stable back hip" which means ideally the weight stays on the inside of the back foot and the hips don't "sway" back then forward.Coiling/rotation around the hip as the weight proceeds forward is a better description of what needs to happen.The "launch" sequence is triggered with "drop and tilt".Good/predictable launch/acceleration requires the blocking/resistance at heel drop to reliably boost/assist hip turn velocity(momentum) to maximum.If the center of gravity has gotten too far forward(past weight bearing portion of front foot),launch efficiency is degraded,and you are forced into a defensive swing.)

2-Back arm internally rotates synchronized with internal rotation of stride leg.Bat "cocks" more vertically/toward opposite batter's box primarily as a result of back arm action(not as a one-piece torso/arm/bat action).This phase is associated with cocking of the hip by pinching the waist in the front accompanied by an inward/backward turn of the whole body(all of this-steps 1 and 2- is detail about the sequence of the "inward turn" portion of the swing).No "counter-rotation"(upper and lower half separating/twisting/coiling) yet.This phase loads the hips.

3-Back scap loads/pinches-one of Nyman's key observations.This phase involves pinching the back shoulder blade("horizontally aDducting the scapula to "load" it) as well as lifting the back elbow("aBducting" the back upper arm/humerus).What is necessary is creating a stable arm/shoulder configuration("forming the box") for good "transfer" later/avoiding "dragging" or casting.The shoulder joint accomodates a lot of complex/mixed motions of the arm/humerus in the socket.There is especially a limit/trade off as to how much you can lift/aBduct the humerus and extend(point back) the humerus at the same time.This results in many different individual "styles" of stabilizing/loading the arm/shoulder complex,but in any case the sequence needs to have the arm internally rotate first(associated with hip cock and stride foot internal rotation)before the scap loads and the arm/back elbow lift/extension is maxed out.This is seen very well on Nick's Guerrero 01 clip for example.
The scap loading motion finishes "cocking" the bat toward the pitcher.It is synchronized to the stride going out/legs spreading apart(leg/femur aBduction).This combined upper/lower body motion permits "counter-rotation"-see Guerrero again.Not a whole lot,but some backward twist of the lower/mid torso as the hips resist turning back/create stretch.A slight amount of counter-rotation is the feel of "winding the rubber band".You need some,not a lot.What limits it is smoothly transitioning to the next phase of shoulder/arm action which is where "pre-launch" THT starts.This is part of Epstein's fuller(incorporates steps 3,4)description "wind the rubber band as you stride to balance with the weight slightly forward at toe touch"-we aren't at toe touch/"balance" yet.This phase loads the torso and starts the coil of the spine.

4-Back scap stays loaded,back arm stays maximally extended/abducted,back arm now externally rotates as lead leg externally rotates(this is why lead foot "should" be open at toe touch).Bat begins to "uncock" accelerate back toward catcher and into plane of swing.Torso is no longer "counter-rotating".Hands still stay back because of accelerating THT/torquing action of bat assisting in keeping torso back as coiling action of spine/muscle loading/stretching continues.Just after external rotation of back arm and lead leg together,INternal rotation of the lead arm begins.This phase continues the loading/coiling of the body.At this time,the body is also finding the right degree of bend at the waist to get on the plane of the pitch as location is being recognized.Even more important with regard to timing is the setting of swing radius.This is determined by when the next phase (triggering of launch/Epstein's "drop and tilt") "interrupts" this first pre-launch THT phase.You must have what Nyman describes as total body eccentric to concentric muscle action to provide uninterupted transfer of force and momentum.This gives the feeling of the hands still going back,then being "yanked" forward at launch as described by Epstein.THT must continue until upper body/arm loading is interrupted by connection and launch.Interrupt sooner and you get a shorter swing radius/low load situation.Interrupt later("let ball get deep" in a timing sense more than a spatial sense)and you get a more stretched out lead arm/longer swing radius/higher load type situation.Some degree of "hip cock" is retained.

5-"Drop and tilt" (still no "launch" yet as defined by when torso turn/connection begin to drive circular handpath/hands still stay back).Front heel drops.Weight shift blocked(feel weight shift back over inside of back thiogh)unless you got stuck too far forward.Hip "uncocks",hip turn goes to maximum velocity/momentum which is ideal time to "uncoil"/transfer momentum going up torso.This takes some time to get to shoulder link.In meantime,"pre-launch THT" continues as bat continues acceleration backward and into plane of swing.Lead arm internally rotates more,back arm reaches slot by ongoing external rotation.Back arm still fully lifted/extended,back scap still loaded.Final connection is established as front scap "loads".The word "load" does not denote a particular position,only the fact that the associated muscles are oriented and put on stretch in a way that best prepares them to transmit force and momentum.The longer the interval before launch interrupts loading,the longer the swing radius and the more the FRONT scapula slides around over the front of the chest before it loads.At launch.there is then full connection with the setting of the initial swing radius and setting of the swing plane with regard the angle of the torso that the bat will then swing out/fire in.Front elbow needs to stay "up"/internally rotated.Epstein's "drop and tilt" explanation is a good one for this phase.Quite a bit(including accelerating pre-launch THT) happens between heel drop and the time that the torso actually begins driving the handpath.It is easy to feel,but hard to see unless you are looking for it on high resolution(clear and many frames per second).See for example Nick's Bonds and Guerrero clips.Top hand must stay back/loading /keeping position with respect to rear shoulder.

Launch

6-Approach to contact:For optimizing swing quickness and ability to cover plate with a minimum of adjustment including better bat angle for maximizing contact zone,the belly up/hook the handpath technique is preferred.For the most part the handpath stays circular for middle/out(can violate this for very outside without loss of "connection",but timing error tolerance becomes very narrow).

Handpath can be hooked by pinching of front scapula and/or flexing lead arm at elbow(without losing internal rotation of lead arm."Spine angle" is maintained through contact and lead elbow stays up/in plane.

In the outside location/longer radius handpath/higher load swing,the lead arm will be stretched more across the chest and hip turn will be less by the time of contact.(See "number"/raw data by Zig in thread from March).

Enough for now.