Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Sun Jan 2 11:42:50 2005

Hi All

In a post above, a coach asked the following question, “Now, tell me, daw, do you believe taking a stride is necessary or do you believe the stride does not add anything to the swing?” – Since we are discussing the stride vs no-stride option, I thought it might be a good time to revisit this long standing controversy.

My position has always been that the stride has no mechanical advantage over the no-stride approach. It is mainly used to coordinate the rhythm of the swing to the rhythm of the income pitch. However, many coaches strongly feel there is a mechanical advantage to taking a stride.

For those coaches that feel the stride does have a mechanical advantage, I would ask that you clarify your reasons for the advantage. The most common reasons given are: (1) the linear momentum attained from the body moving forward is converted into body rotation. (2) The weight transfer from the back-side to the front-side aids in rotating the body.

If you feel the stride does add power to the swing, I would be interested in your thoughts.

Jack Manklin