Posted by: Mark Driscoll (mdriscoll@newmarketpwr.com) on Thu Sep 7 19:07:00 2006

As Jack mentions the Hips assist the torso, shoulders and hands in attaining max. possible bat speed. Free and easy (quick!) movement of the hips does depend alot on placement and use of the feet, however it is simple. Widen your stance as far as possible to a point where you are almost uncomfortable, then bring it back in a little to the point where you feel the most in control or balanced for quick rotation. Front foot a little closer to the plate side than the rear. Always make sure the weight is comfortably on the balls of the feet. Balance and relaxation are the key to quick fluid movement. The millisecond the swing begins the feet do not move from their established postions. Their job is to keep the rotational axis stationary so movement around it can be accomplished with maximum speed and efficiency. When the hip turns properly the rear foot turns up, heel in the air vertically in a very relaxed manner however the toe simply rotates on a dime with no movement in any direction. The front foot should remained turned in toward the plate if at all possible to keep the hips and shoulders from opening up too soon with the knee almost stiff to keep the rotational axis stationary. The weight is transferred in the middle of the swing around the rotaional axis from the rear to the front foot. When this happens properly the power used and bat speed generated is at its maximum. The feet act to keep the rotational power transfer working effectively. Once the swing is over the feet usually move due to the effort put forth in swinging. The important thing is they should not move from their locations from the instant the swing begins to after the bat hits the ball. Watch Jason Giambi swing very closely and you will see that he takes a ferocious cut at the ball however his feet remain where they started throughout the swing until its over - hope this is helpful.

Mark Driscoll

Hope this helps - Mark Driscoll

> >>> My rotational swing is fine, I am just unsure if I am using my lower body correctly. I need some advice on the placement of my feet before and after the swing and correct mechanics for shifting weight from my back leg to the front.<<<
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> Hi Zane
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> If your rotational swing is fine, then your lower body must be working correctly. You can not attain maximum bat speed without the lower-body supplying the rotational energy demands of the upper-body to accelerate the bat-head around the swing plane. Read post - Re: why force lower half Jack Mankin Sat Sep 2 14:51:35 2006 – for the best way to address lower-body mechanics.
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> I am sure we can all agree that the rotation of the hips is an important factor in the swing. In fact, many coaches spend far more of their practice time on lower rather than upper body mechanics. They seem to believe that if the batter acquires good hip rotation, the rest of the swing will just naturally fall in line. To me, that is getting the cart ahead of the horse. The ultimate purpose of good mechanics is not to generate hip rotation – it is to rotate the bat-head around the swing plane to contact.
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> It is important to keep in mind that the arms/wrists/hands/bat segmentation is linked at the shoulders rather than at the hips. Therefore, it is the rotation of the shoulders that supplies energy to the segments and the importance of hip rotation is its contribution to that shoulder rotation. Rather than having my students concentrate on their lower-body mechanics, I impress on them that when their upper-body mechanics initiates the swing with the correct forces, their lower-body will naturally rotate to supply the energy required to induce maximum bat-head acceleration.
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> By far, most of the energy that powers a great hitter's swing comes from the rotation of his or her body with much less coming from the contribution of the arms. However, even if the batter perfects his lower-body mechanics to generate great rotational energy, the amount of angular velocity his bat achieves from that rotation is governed by the efficiency of his upper-body transfer mechanics. – “Of what use is a 1000 hp engine … if the transmission slips?
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> I have found that if a student has the correct mental image of how to correctly initiate the acceleration of the bat head, the mind will develop a sound lower-body program to accomplish it.
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> Jack Mankin