Posted by: tom.guerry (tom.guerry@kp.org) on Thu Oct 13 14:07:12 2005

Mr. Leach,if you get time,could you adress my prevoius question from last month:

"That must have been awesome getting instruction from the Bonds growing up !

I have always wondered what they emphasize. Also, when you say HIT a lot, how many cuts a day might that be and how many months per year ?

Here are a couple of links where Barry gives instructions. In the second link,he is teaching fastpitch star Jennie Finch on her segment in THIS WEEK IN BASEBALL,just scroll down to May 29,2004 and click "Pitch,Hit and Run with Jennie Finch".

http://www.swingbuster.com/images/Barry%20Bonds%20Clip.rm


http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/video/twib/index.jsp?content=04


Here are some of his descripitons which may be a mixture of feel and how things appear on surface:

-balance is everything.have to get into a strong striking/punching position with the front foot down,make decision then torque the hips to swing the bat to contact

-square up to ball/go front shoulder to ball

-(From striking position)go straight to ball with top hand

- hit/aim for top half of ball

-do not drag barrell with lead elbow

-use top hand as lead hand,throw bathead,not bat barrell

Did Bobby and Barry describe things this way to you ?"