Posted by: Teacherman () on Sat Apr 21 23:17:35 2007

""ok when a player strides, he obviously wants to keep his front hip closed.""

Your first mistake.

The stride is involved in the separation process. The separation comes from the upper body moving rearward (hands and barrel loading rearward) AS the lower body moves forward. This forward move of the lower body includes hip opening before "go". This lower body forward move/opening is part of the loading...part of the stretching...part of the creation of separation. Most people believe that early hip opening is bleeding power away. Not so. Not if it is involved in separation.

The separation creates energy that can be stored and released on demand.

Create the stretch...control the stretch...release the stretch.

http://www.hittingillustrated.com/library/Bonds5c.gif

Watch how far Bonds hips open before "go". Why? Because he separates and create tremendous energy, as he works the upper body against the lower body, that can be released suddenly.....the stretch and fire mechanics.

You can't swing with brute force rotation. You have to create a mechanism that is quicker than you.