Posted by: tom.guerry (tom.guerry@kp.org) on Fri Mar 1 10:46:02 2002

RQL-
> >
> > My response to your Bonds question in February disappeared into the ether between months.
> >
> > When I heard Bonds talk about hitting last year he talked about knowing where his(entire)body had to be to hit any pitch he had seen before.No specifics in terms of body parts or lean back.
> >
> > He seems to lean back more in recent years.The front leg is often at 40 degrees back when the front knee straightens.
>
> Hey Tom
> I don't understand. You state that using backside mechanics enables Bonds to pull balls with little hook, while Jack says that Backside mechanics lead to a major hook.

Sorry,theses terminologies can be very confusing.

As far as I can tell,Bonds is what Lau Jr. would call a back foot hitter.He classifies them as front foot or back foot.It isn't crystal clear from his book exactly what the criteria are,but Bonds is a back footer in his classification.I think this is somewhat related to how the axis of rotation is set up.Leaning back to set up the axis creates what looks like a "back foot hitter" whether they rotate well(Bonds) or not(dreaded reverse pivot and/or never get off of backside).

In Jack's terminology,not getting off the backside is a rotational flaw,at least as I interpret it.I'm not sure how significant/useful he thinks this term is.The idea is that the usual sort of emphasis on pushing things open from the backside usually results in suboptimal rotation because there is not a balanced assist from the front leg.The legs need to support hip rotation around a stationary axis that is in the middle of the body as much as possible if you want to be as quick as possible to the ball(this allows the shortest possible swing radius if the hands are kept in).When you keep some weight back then try to push things open from the back against a firm front side,either you never get off the backside(bad)or you sway the hips with weight going from back to front instead of into optimal rotation(some degree of lunging).You are also likely to create an axis of rotation(once forward shifting of the axis/lunging/excessive sliding forward has occurred)that is further forward,rotating the body(more slowly)around the front hip-a longer swing radius regardless of how much the hands are kept in.

So Bonds is a back footer(Lau class)who still gets off the backside-doesn't lunge,rotates beautifully around an axis giving the shortest,quickest possible swing.If he didn't "get off the backside",then he would be more likely to hit the ball further out front and further on the outside of the ball with a hook.Instead,he keeps the hands in and hooks the handpath in front of the body for the inside location.Batspeed can then be achieved without releasing the bathead so early.The result is making contact further back,perpendicular to the flight of the ball and more toward the center of the ball than the outside so it doesn't hook.

Clear as mud?