Posted by: Doug () on Fri Oct 31 20:30:38 2003

Lance Berkman has said "it's like carrying firewood", this is my feel. Can't carry firewood very well by bending at the waist, got to feel my legs get down to have leverage.
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> Interesting. Makes me think of sit to hit combined with tilting the torso to adjust for the low pitch. The firewood analogy covers both.

Andy, Have you checked where your hands are at footplant? Most good amateur hitters that I see, have their hands too high at footplant (above the shoulders) and jacknife to the low pitch. I think this is a result of being taught to swing down on the ball, and the elimination of young players using a hitch to start the bat. They don't give themselves a chance to lower their body (sit) as they start rotation. They don't give themselves a chance to lower their back shoulder properly as they are moving their back elbow into the slot and as a result, are much too tall swinging at the ball and allow the upper body and head to lunge forward, making it very hard to stay down and in behind they ball. I am not as good with the written word as I would like to be, and it would be a heck of a lot easier talking face to face, but I hope that my point is not misunderstood. I don't feel that there is any reason for the hands to be any higher than the top of the strike zone at footplant.

Doug