Posted by: Mike Myers (mike.myers@bell.ca) on Tue Jan 4 13:31:18 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
>

Jack, we must go back to one of your first principles: if there is an observed mechanic common to the most successful hitters, it is an integral component of a successful swing.

If we see practically all successful major league hitters adopting some stride, then it must be an optimal swing component. If not, then we would see about 50% of successful hitters with no stride at all.

Mike.