Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Sun Dec 9 20:22:26 2001

>>> Does the front leg stay stiff on the outside pitch? <<<

Hi Jim

Striding to a stiff front leg is associated more with linear weight-shift and extension mechanics. Most rotational hitters have a good deal of flex in the lead-knee at foot-plant. He then rotates and straightens the lead-leg to aid in driving hip rotation. On pitches from the middle-in, the lead-leg will have fully extended (straightened) for maximum hip and shoulder rotation.

On pitches on the outer portion of the plate, hip and shoulder rotation is more limited. In order to allow the lead-arm to cast out in a wider arc, the shoulders can not fully rotate. Therefore, hip rotation is also limited and the lead-leg may still have some flex (not fully extended) at contact.

Jack Mankin