Posted by: Pro_Hitter (andygreen29@hotmail.com) on Thu Oct 30 07:38:16 2003

Tom

Very insightful stuff. I wish I had a swing beside each description so I wouldn't have to follow it in my mind's eye (which is not always as sharp as I'd like it to be). Anyway, let me say this, I'm fairly sure I don't understand the intricacies of a swing as well as you or Jack, but I can speak from a measure of experience towards a couple of your ideas (that I'm not so sure I understand/agree with).

You speak of implementing counterrotation into the swing, and although I must admit that there are big league swings that do do this, I do not feel it is a necessary or even innocuous way to teach the swing. If you look at a power swing, there is "sometimes" a MINIMAL amount of counterrotation before the swing; however, it never happens so much so as to move the head. If you were trying to inwardly rotate your shoulders (towards the catcher) prior to swinging, that "counterrotation" will oftentimes (and most times for that matter) cause the head to be pulled off of the target (the ball). Try it, put your head on your lead shoulder and then counterrotate, if you are like me...your head will come off the ball and that would happen before you even picked up your stride foot. The reason I address this is because I had to correct this problem of "overcoiling". The fix for me was a strong scap load absent of counterrotation. This scap load locked my hands into the right path so they could come along for the ride. However, I do agree that counterrotation will increase batspeed (but we must remember that batspeed is not the goal here...the goal is consistent hard contact at maximized bat speed..not necessarily maximized bat speed with occasional contact). In my mind's eye while I'm hitting, I lock my hands in with the scap load and then I forget about 'em. There is nothing else for them to do but react when they are called upon by the rest of the body.

I guess my main point is that I find counterrotation to be an extremely dangerous teaching tool. If it is done just ever so slightly, it is not a problem; however, how often do we as hitters do anything in moderation :) I know I don't. I believe that the overwhelming philosophy in a hitter's mind is (understand I'm not advocating this): "if something is working...do it more". Thus, a hitter naturally believes if counterrotation is causing batspeed to increase..well heckfire, I'm gonna do it even more. I guess I just want to remain practical. I haven't had any success counterrotating and I definitely haven't had success teaching it in my lessons. Success, I find is in the scap load and then just forgetting about em. Let the lower half lead ya!!!



Pro-
>
> As with most "cues",the "in unison" description/feel can be
> interpreted in many ways,some good,some not so good.When I
> hear a cue,I like to think of how it might make sense and be
> interpreted successfully,because there may be something to
> learn from it.It must be valuable to someone,or it wouldn't have
> become a cue important enough to spread around.Is there
> important info in the "cue" that might shed light on questions we
> have about how the swing is ideally produced.I think a sign of a
> good theory is that it is compatible with a great number of cues
> IF they are intepreted correctly using a good swing model.Let me
> try this one as an example.
>
> We know from exhaustive slow mo back and forth high
> resolution video analysis of great hitters that maximum
> separation/"x-factor" happens AFTER front heel down and
> BEFORE launch9handpath starting forward) in most cases.How
> could this ever be reconciled with rotating the body segments in
> unison at launch? How could there be a value in trying this as a
> swing "key" ? Here is one possible explanation.
>
> Every power swing is taken including the same basic loading
> action as follows.
>
> 1- inward turn/backward rotation of whole body while stride foot
> lifts,body bends at waist and back arm and stride leg internally
> rotate together to cock hip/pinch waist in front.bat cocks from
> horizontal toward vertical some.Center of gravity starts forward
> when stride foot lifts
>
> 2-stride foot goes out as back scap pinches.bat cocks some
> toward pitcher.weight continues shifting forward.hip still
> cocked.body does start coiling some at this point with feeling of
> "winding rubber band"
>
> 3-stride foot and back arm externally rotate together while back
> scap stays loaded and back arm stays extended/pointing
> back.This means front foot opens,back arm starts down into
> slot,bat starts uncocking and hands stay back without any further
> "counterrotation",but still with ongoing loading/coiling/separation
> going into toe touch with weight slightly forward and hips still
> cocked."prelaunch THT" has started as bat uncocks/starts
> turning back toward catcher.no launch yet because hands are
> still back.bat "centered" and uncocking some at toe touch.(If you
> scap load and move back arm to slot right you get a good load,if
> you use wrong muscles/sequence you wrap and lengthen
> swing).This action permits ongoing loading/hands staying back
> without any additonal/excessive backswing/counter-rotation
> which could lengthen the swing.
>
> 4-to get best possible unloading of energy,you can't "pause"
> between loading and unloading.you have to start unloading
> while you are still loading.You have to start unloading the lower
> body while the upper body is still loading.On the other hand you
> can't stretch the muscles too much or you lose effective
> contraction.To accomplish this ideal reversal from coiling to
> uncoiling,you can think of the "unloading sequence" or "launch
> sequence" as interrupting ongoing loading as it proceeds in #3
> above.For inside location,interrupt earlier.for outside
> location,interrupt slightly later("let ball get deep" more in a timing
> as opposed to spatial sense).earlier interruption will be with
> shorter swing radius/low load situation allowing quick turn.later
> interruption will be longer swing radius/higher load/slower turn.
>
> Launch sequence is triggered by front heel drop which blocks
> ongoing forward motion of center of gravity,stabilizes axis of
> rotation and assists uncocking of the hips in getting rotation
> going.
>
> Now we have finally reached the point at which turning in unison
> may or may not be a good cue.When you drop the heel and
> uncock the hip and turn the torso,does it happen all at once(NO)
> or does it feel like it happens all at once (MAYBE).Physically it
> will be impossible for everything( non rigid human tissues) to
> suddenly turn together.In fact what we see is continuing
> separation as the hips rotate open while the hands are still back
> (but bat already turning via prelaunch tht).If the hands aren't still
> back at this point,you can not unload well.So how might the feel
> of turning in unison help? perhaps it prevents getting
> overstretched.perhaps it creates more consistency in the
> dynamics of unloading.For example,Nomar has said the key to
> triggering the swing is tightening up the front shoulder.If you
> think of dropping the front heel and uncocking the hips and
> pulling things open from the front(not push things open from the
> back which can mess up consistent coiling/uncoiling) and
> tightening up the front shoulder(loading front scap) all together.
>
> This "feel" may not correspond exactly with reality,but it fits with
> the image of always loading consistently with the hands staying
> back and the bat turning/uncocking until interrupted by the
> launch sequence which cretaes efficient uncoiling with tight
> connection yanking the hands forward at launch.It helps to have
> awareness of the pre-launch tht phase as an ongoing phase of
> loading as you open the front leg and drop the back elbow
> together(without losing scap load or arm extension/pointing
> back) that comes after a slight winding of the rubber band as the
> back scap loads.Then I think the unison cue can work well.