Posted by: Sean (madmanfb8@aol.com) on Sat Apr 21 20:25:45 2007

OK so I would like to hear opinions on this: now we all know if you "sit back and rotate" you will pull off the ball....whether it be pulling off and having no plate coverage on the outside ball, or lifting up and off the ball plane prematurely, causing the ball to hit the bottom of the bat, therefore creating weak ground balls. It is a fact that we need to have forward movement of the body in our swing. I heard someone say "get the hitters head moving forward." professional hitters end the swing with a strong front leg, and a the back leg obviously bent, where the knee has driven through the baseball....now here is the part of my question about the lower body....ok when a player strides, he obviously wants to keep his front hip closed....Now, do you guys feel that the hips actually initiate the swing? it seems to me that if the hips initiate the swing, the bat will lag behind the lower body, and not "be there" during contact....but that is not really the important piece of this question....it is more of me wondering if the hip rotation is one where the front hip pulls back, almost like you're pulling your left buttcheek (RH hitter) straight back and simultaniously popping, or driving your front hip straight to the pitcher so-to-say....and in doing this,how far open should your front hip get? and how far open should it get on the outside pitch? especially if you are trying to catch it in the deep zone and take the ball to opposite field? is the body just supposed to raotate to where you are opened up to the pitcher? or hips ahould finish open to the shortstop or what? and last but not least, the upper body portion of my question!......what i have found recently in my own swing when i sit back too far and have a super strong front leg; is that right when i stiffen my front leg, and my hips have begun to rotate, i lean slightly back with my lower back, and now i am leaning backwards....creating weak pop ups to opposite field, or roll over ground balls.....now if you look at my hands and shoulders, they are fine....the back should is not dropped...i am using my hands fine...its just the back bend....do i need to lighten up on my strong front leg a little? or how can i get through the baseball and not be falling backwards? i feel that it is a front hip/leg problem, because i even do this when i swing straight down on the ball and chop at it purposely....so i know it is not a problem of uppercutting too much! just wanted to hear opinions on this because this almost covers it all!