Posted by: Rich () on Fri Nov 14 20:40:49 2003

Pro-
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> I think most likely you are getting some inefficiency or "slack" due either to some early loss of x-factor(upper/lower separation) or "late" weight shift.Ideally you want to keep stretching/coiling steadily until you trigger the launch sequence with front heel drop.If the weight hasn't gotten far enough forward at this time,then it has to come forward before it gets blocked and stabilizes your axis of rotation.This costs a lot of quickness.The other somewhat related problem is "reaching out" to toe touch instead of "rotating into" toe touch."Rotating into toe touch" means you continue smooth loading/coiling/separation as you go to toe touch rather than lose coil,"crash" into toe touch,then reseparate and launch.
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> The basic phases of the swing/load are,to my way of thinking:
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> 1-inward turn/hip cock
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> 2-scap load/bat cock/hand cock/center bat
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> 3- slot the elbow/rotate into toe touch/start bat uncocking(prelaunch "THT)
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> 4-drop(heel) and tilt (blocking of weight shift jumpstarts/gets hip turn to max velocity/momentum while bat turns more-more "THT")where separation gets maximized before the torso turn reverses to drive the handpath ("launch")
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> If you have hip slide as you "launch",you lose quickness.To improve this you have to get weight forward sooner,then feel it shift back slightly as the axis is set up, and/or rotate (coil/load) more into toe touch(feel back arm start to slot and stride leg rotate open as back arches at same time),possibly with more/earlier down/up flex of the body(sit into toe touch/get out of chair to hit)to reverse the muscles/get the hip turn to maximum turning velocity/momentum to trigger a good launch sequence with a nonlunging axis of rotation and the hands still back.
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> This has to be somewhat long/generic in the absence of actual clips.Sorry.
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> Hey Tom,
You said "front leg rotates open as back starts to arch..." i was just feeling my swing and i noticed that i save the arch to help accentuate the BHT. as i contract the lead scap i perform the tilt or arch at the same time and this creates more torque on the bat handle when pulling the knob back toward the catcher... just a little different timing i guess. take care, Rich