Posted by: Graylon (g_dunc@hotmail.com) on Tue Aug 19 23:06:52 2008

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> Exactly!! But the point I am trying to make is the swing does not happen middle out. Just because I push with the back leg does not make my rear hip slide. The lead hip is opening, clearing the path, getting out of the way. The back knee comes down, such as throwing. Then the push is what gets the rear hip exploding up and through the ball.
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> > > what it sounds like to me what you are expaining is the back leg does nothing, that it is just along for the ride, that the rotational turn of the hips pulls it. What gets the hips moving to give them the energy to pull the foot off of the ground? It is a push off of the back leg.
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> > > Graylon
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> > Yes it is that initial sideways push with the back leg. That's all the back leg does as far as helping to create power. After that it is really just along for the ride. The inward turn of the back leg just acts as a release, it allows hip rotation to occur unimpeded but it doesn't cause the rotation or generate the power. I've seen countless pictures of Mark McGwire hitting homeruns where his back leg was barely even rotated (off course he was an andro user) this should tell anyone that his power obviously wasn't coming from the inward turn of the back leg.
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> > No offense but your comment on exploding up and through the ball was silly, you don't explode "up and through the ball" your not jumping are you? The only reason that the back foot clears the ground at times is because the back thigh is pulled forward so forcefully that a load is actually created between the lower leg and thigh (similar to when a football player kicks a ball) this load is what causes the back foot to clear the ground.
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> Chuck,
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> You say my comment about the rear hip moving up is silly. Watch video of a MLB hitter and then get back to me. Really watch it, with an emphasis on the rear hip and then get back to me. If you really watch it and try to feel it, you will see the COG lower and around contact you will see the rear hip "pop" and it will "pop" up, in order to drive the energy in the direction of the path of the ball.
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> Graylon
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> Hi Gentlemen
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> I have been reading your discussion with interest. As the post below from the Archives illustrates, I have a somewhat different concept of what induces hip rotation. I would appreciate your thoughts.
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> <a href="http://www.batspeed.com/messageboard/121273.html">What induces hip rotation</a –
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> Jack Mankin


Jack,

Thanks for the video. We see things slightly different. IMO the forwrd "linear" momentum is stopped, especially when you stop the video at foot plant. The forward momentum is not gone it continues in the rear hip. I do agree that the axis of rotation IS NOT the front leg, but rather the rear hip.

I'll use foot plant in this video as my point of reference as you did. The rear hip is loaded it is pulled in or back towards the first base dugout and the lead hip is starting to ever so slightly open. As the frames advance you see the lead hip open more, as the rear hip starts to unload, driving forward to replace the front hip. The lead leg continues to straighten driving the lead hip back and out of the way.

Why I don't believe the base of the spine is the axis of rotation. If this was the case then the rear hip would have to go out towards the plate and then around the spine, like a revolving door, I do not see this. What I do see is the lead hip clearing the way and the rear hip driving more "linear" in the direction of contact. Of course it will be "rotational" because the front leg as blocked any forward slide of the hips and weight shift. Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that the rear hip is the "pivot" point of the bodies rotation. The spine does not stay stationary, like a rod stuck in the ground, but it will actually move out of the way also.

Graylon