Posted by: RQL () on Tue Sep 26 20:01:49 2000

> RQL-
> > > > > How did you figure out the importance of pulling the lead shoulder back ? THE BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE HOW I CAME UP WITH THE PULLING OF THE SHOULDER BACK WAS IF I KEPT MY SHOULDERS ROTATING AND THE EXTENSION THE SAME AS HOW I GOT OUT TO PULL THE BALL THAT WAS DOWN THE MIDDLE THEN BY THE TIME MY BAT HAD COME AROUND TO CONTACT THE INSIDE PITCH IT WAS EVEN FURTHER OUT FRONT FROM THE CHP AND THE ANGLE OF THE BAT AT CONTACT WAS HOOKING IT FOUL.IT WAS EASY TO SEE USING THE TEE AND WHERE I MADE CONTACT AND WHERE THE BALL WENT.TO KEEP IT FAIR I HAD TO MOVE THE BALL CLOSER AND MAKE THE HAND PATH TIGHTER THERE BY PULLING THE SHOULDER BACK HARDER TO GET THE BAT ANGLE TO KEEP IT FAIR.I HAVE SEEN DEREK JETER DO THIS ON A NUMBER OF OCCASSIONS AND LOOKS LIKE A CONSCIOUS ADJUSTMENT FOR HIM AND HE PULLED IT JUST INSIDE THE LINE WHERE OTHER TIMES I HAVE SEEN OTHER HITTERS MAKE THAT LONGER MORE FLUID SWING CATCH IT WAY OUT FRONT AND HOOK IT UP IN THE STANDS FOUL.THE BAT ANGLE AT CONTACT DECIDES WHERE THE BALL GOES I BELIEVE AND YOU HAVE TO LEARN THE CONTACT POINT AND BAT ANGLE TO KEEP IT FAIR OR YOU CAN JUST KEEP COMING AROUND FLUIDLY AND RIPPING LONG SHOTS FOUL.
> > >
> > > RQL-
> > > This sounds similar to my experience,see what you think.I was always a weight shift hitter-shifting weight from back to center or back to front and extending the arms.I hit with low power but good average,between 300 and 400 in HS and College.I was always trying to figure out how to hit with power,but would just hook the middle/in pitch foul when trying to pull.When I discovered Jack's info, I finally understood the right hand path to go with body rotation.You have to keep the hands in and keep rotating so the front shoulder is being pulled back at contact.The front arm needs to maintain connection to the shoulder turn and the hands need to hook in front of the body to maintain an arcing path until contact,not extending out to contact.My experience is that when you do this,not only does the ball stay fair,but power and contact both improve.
> > > The next step along the path is to hit the outside pitch with similar mechanics.This is more difficult,but doable.In this case,I feel the same arm action,but launch is slightly delayed so the hands go slightly wider and hip/shoulder turn is less at contact,but power is still good because the back shoulder drives the top hand more(than on the inside pitch)and the ball goes more to the power alley since the angle at contact is more square(as opposed to the bat lagging more as on an inside out hit).
> > > Have you tried using these refinements for the outside location? rql........thanks for sharing your experiences.....seems like my son has been taking the same frustrating journey as you did....& what has been especially frustrating is that all of the different instructors i took him to could not understand what you & i clearly understand, and that is that throwing right/hitting left does indeed mean hitting differently due to the dominent bottom arm.....what we have been working on lately is something that you mentioned, and that is taking a lot of top hand only swings to increase the top arm strength & coordination to more closely match the bottom arm....and we have been practicing some other "cues", so to speak to make it more difficult for his body to "want" to draw in the hands & arms.....i would be interested to know if you ever discussed your situation with boggs & if he ever shared his experiences with you?...or did he have the same problem (i know that he threw right/hit left)....respectfully, grc..... GRC. NATURALLY HE HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS ONLY HE DIDNT FIGHT IT HE MAXIMIZED HIS STRENGTH. FINE TUNING GREAT VISION FOR INCREDIBLE PITCH RECOGNITION AND HIS STYLE THAT WAS CONSTANT WITH HIS LOWER ARM DOMINANT HAND WAS ALL HELPED ALONG BECAUSE HE GOT TO SEE IT LONGER BECAUSE OF A SHORTER SWING AND CLOSER CONTACT POINT.ALL OF THESE TOGETHER FEED OFF EACH OTHER TO ENHANCE THE ABILITY TO CONSISTENTLY HIT THE BALL SQUARE AS LONG AS YOU ACCEPT YOUR LACK OF POWER AND LEAVE THAT ALONE .HIM GWYNN AND CAREW DIDNT HAVE BAD CAREERS,AND THEY STAYED WITHIN THEIR MAKEUP. TOM,I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS OS PITCH SOME,MY FINDINGS THOUGH MINIMAL WITH THE ROTATION METHOD HAVE ALLOWED ME TO HIT THE BALL HARD BUT WITH SOME CONSISTENCY PROBLEM.I 1ST THOUGHT BECAUSE MY CONTACT POINT WAS SO FAR BACK IN ORDER TO GO OPPOSITE FIELD I WASNT SEEING IT WELL AT CONTACT BECAUSE IT WAS BEHIND MY LINE OF SIGHT WHEN FACING PITCHER.IT COULD BE A TOUGH ADJUSTMENT I HAVENT CONQUERED YET THOUGH SINCE LINEAR MECH.DOMINATE MY MUSCLE MEMORY.HOWEVER I HAVE HAD MY BEST CONSISTENCY AT THE OS PITCH BY STAYING BACK LONGER BUT STARTING OUT ROTATIONARY ANDCHP BUT AS MY BAT COMES AROUND IN FRONT OF ME PERPENDICULAR TO THE BALL I ALLOW THE ARMS TO EXTEND WITH IT AND GO FORWARD KEEPING THE BAT NEAR PERPENDICULAR TO THE BALL FOR AWHILE AND MAKING CONTACT NEAR FRONT OS CORNER.MY HANDS ARE MAKING CONTACT OUT FRONT WHERE I CAN SEE BETTER I FEEL LIKE IT GIVES ME TIME TO MAKE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS IN MY SWING PLANE BEFORE CONTACT, AND I AM BUILDING BATSPEED AS MY CONTACT POINT IS FURTHER OUTFRONT,THOUGH IT IS NOT GENERATING IT AS MUCH AS IF I KEPT MY CHP AND HIT IT OUT FRONT FOR PULL.I DO STAY ON PLANE OF THE BALL LONGER AND MORE ROOM FOR ERROR IN TIMING AND STILL HIT A LINE DRIVE AND THIS SEEMS LIKE A GOOD TRADE OFF TO ME.