Posted by: Teacherman () on Sun Aug 31 17:11:29 2008

Watch the rear hip of these two hitters and then explain to us how the axis is stationery.

http://www.hittingillustrated.com/library/Bondsoverhead.gif

http://www.hittingillustrated.com/libary/Chipper5.gif

The rear hip in a high level swing will come 'up and through' if pitch height allows it. Which means...it doesn't happen all the time....yet it happens regularly.

Which means, the axis....your axis, not mine because there really isn't an axis.....(instead there is a rear hip pivot point that is moveable)....moves toward the ball.....it has the capability to move up/down/in/out.

Combine that with a shoulder angle that, depending on pitch location, is rarely at the same angle as the hips at launch....meaning they are moving in planes not parallel to each other....how do you reconcile this?

How do you conlcude that there is a stationery axis.

The truth is....there is a rear hip pivot point and a hand pivot point. They work opposite of each other in the preswing/loading time....the hands take the barrel rearward....the hips turn open....creating the stretch.....and then they 'join' at 'go' to create the overlap which results in the cusp. And they both have the ability to 'move toward the ball' for pitch adjustments.

This all happens as the hitter rides the back leg....with a loaded rear hip....that is maintained without allowing weight shift until 'go'.

Then at 'go'....as part of the launch.....the weight is shifted to the front leg which receives the weight and blocks. In other words the front foot isn't weighted until AFTER launch.

All of this indicates that a stationery axis does not exist. What exists is the flexibility of the two pivot points....that both get a running start and then join at 'go' to not only create the quickest swing possible....but they create a swing that has the adjustability to be able to handle all speeds in all locations.

Now and then, on a pitch up in the zone, the stars and the moon align....meaning the angle of the hip turn and the angle of the shoulder turn are parallel which gives the appearance of an axis that both are turning around. And, of course, pitchers know this....that is why they don't want to throw the ball there. But, if you teach that as your base swing your baseball career will be short lived. You will not have the adjustablility nor the early batspeed necessary to survive. There is a better plan. It's called the high level swing.

To assume that an axis is set before launch, that is then stationery throughout the swing, has to come from a theory that does not include verification by taking competitive at bats.