Posted by: Thomas Flanigan (tf@un-hinge.com) on Tue Jan 17 20:30:14 2006

> > To everyone
> > > >
> > > > Okay, on to other things.
> > > >
> > > > I am soliciting opinions on the nature of back leg rotation.
> > > >
> > > > Let's forget smashing insects for a minute.
> > > >
> > > > Why is it that all the great hitters use a rotation that brings the back foot up on its point? I just don't see folks on the ball of the foot until the follow through; at contact, and sometimes before, they are up on the toe.
> > > >
> > > > My thought: just sliding it around on the ball tends to lean the posture back to far, hanging back with the spine angle. Those great hitters have a spine angle that does not collapse. The hips and shoulders do not go backward as the hands go out and around. It stays where it was after the stride or prep movement took place.
> > > >
> > > > It is tough, though. It takes a great deal of strength to do this as they do it. And a hard-soled shoe. Anyone ever try it in a soft shoe such as turf cleats, or those used for indoor hitting? Can't do it. Maybe this is an important practice tip.
> > > >
> > > > What do you all think? Do you see the same things I see?
> > > >
> > > > HoffmanLa
> > >
> > > HoffmanLa-
> > >
> > > I think teaching the lower body how to support the upper body(turn torso without breaking ground-up kinetic chain)is very difficult.Only a few lucky ones and those who are mastering the golfswing seem to get it easily.There is also the issue of how to separate the upper and lower half and how to teach this.
> > >
> > > I think the key,as emphasized by Jack, is to make sure that kids understand that the swing is a ballistis motion created by smooth acceleration with rotation around a vertical axis and a circular handpath.Trying drills with dry swings or the heavy bag can reduce the interference of old muscle memory.Until kids get the general feel of this type of swing with early maximum batspeed and ongoing tightly connected torso turn,the lower body will have no idea what to do.
> > >
> > > For the lower body to do this right requires strength and balance that just is not there because they are used to years of whipping the bat with the hands and just turning the body to get it out of the way of the arm swing.
> > >
> > > When done right,the momentom is going to result in coming up on the back toe or the back foot leaving the ground as the torso turn proceeds and the energy is whipped upward through the body.
> > >
> > > The most detailed useful info I have seen is from Mike Epstein's video-I hope Jack doesn't mind my mentioning his info.It is important to "trigger" the lower body with the front heel coming down and begin rotation with weight staying back on the inside of the back thigh( weight feels this way in throwing too).Lunging results from getting weight any more forward(onto the front thigh for example).
> > > For more detail,go to mikeepsteinhitting.com and look at checkpoints under troubleshooting and you will get an excellent list of cues to use/avoid to learn this motion.
> >
> > i'm glad someone brought up the action of the rear leg and its importance to the swing. after reviewing some film of ramirez, griffey, jeter, and garciaparra, i think that it is evident that the rear knee is what allows the hitter to rotate to the back toe. once the hitter lands on stride, the rear knee works towards the lead knee, thus rotating the foot to the toe. the hitter does not simply elevate to the toe - it is the action of the back knee.
> >
> > secondly, i do not like hitters to "squash the bug." i think this term was originally used for kids who had zero rotation and flipped with the hands. now it has become abused and used in the wrong context. if the hitter simply squashes the bug, he will leave too much weight over the back foot and collapse - many times allowing him to fall below the plane of the pitch.
> >
> > just some thoughts,
> > tjs

You asked about the foot coming up at or right before contact. To simply put it, the force from the rotation of the hip and thigh force the heel up and to turn a bit. This is very different than spinning or squashing the bug. These hitters have really learned how to rotate the hips and inner thigh with out moving the feet through various drills. Thats why you dont see the foot move until contact is made or right before contact, this is when the most bat speed should be generated and the speed was generated by a quick hip / thigh rotation. So again the force of the powerful rotation forces the foot to move. Never move the foot to move the hip.