Posted by: Terry () on Wed Nov 3 11:10:46 2010

> Jack- question on big leaguers hitting off-speed, particularly those hitters with a leg kick, does foot plant occur at the same time for an off-speed pitch? Or does it always land just before the swing starts? Basically, unless the hitter is fooled by the pitch, he reads the curveball and delays foot-plant until he begins the swing? It's not a noticeable delay though just very natural during the read which is why I believe it goes unnoticed.
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> The reason Im asking is it seems everyone always preaches get your foot down so you can read the pitch, but I look at guys like Jose Bautista and he hits homers on 80mph breakers and 95mph heat with what appears to be the same swing (with foot-plant still occurring just before the swing). There doesn't appear to be a delay from foot-plant and swing. It looks like he reads the pitch prior to getting to launch position.
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> Anyone feel free to help clarify


Like someone mentioned, the timing difference between 80 mph change up and 95 mph fastball is fairly minute in terms of absolute time.

The hitter should maintain a continuity in his or her swing, and start the swing when the front foot is planted.
Where things go wrong, is getting an offspeed pitch when you were looking fastball or vice versa. Its virtually impossible to speed up or slow down your swing once the heel is planted.

Manny Ram is a good example of swing continuity. If he looks offspeed, his stride seems to "float", but once the front foot is planted, his swing is automatic. When he looks fastball, everything is still very fluid, but the stride may seems slightly faster when compared to that of an offspeed swing.

The bottom line is that the swing begins at heel plant. The timing of the pitch starts way before you even get into the batters box.

Why do coaches preach getting the foot down early? Its easier to hit. Its hard to hit off of one leg, and many players do not have the skills at younger ages to account for the variation in pitch speeds they might see. Unfortunately, hitting from such a stationary position robs you of the fluidity needed to generate explosive power. Denard Span of the MN Twins is a glaring example of a hitter who sets up way too early. He gets up on his front toe, and is a statue until he swings. There is no preswing movement to help him generate much torque to put the ball in play. Good contact hitter because he has minimal motion and is pretty steady to see the pitch. Poor power numbers tho from such a quick twitch athlete.