Posted by: tom.guerry (tom.guerry@kp.org) on Thu Dec 19 08:31:36 2002

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> > Sooo, in these >5 frames before the hips and torso uncock, what exactly is the bat supposed to be doing?
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> > In your opinion, the bat starts to uncock while the hips and shoulders are still cocking? So the question is what forces are acting on the bat to cause it to turn before shoulder rotation and while the hands are still back and connected?
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> > It seems that you are saying that the bat starts to turn before toe touch? The hitter is striding(and still cocking the hips and loading the scapula) when the bat begins to turn/uncock? What is the bat doing -- bat head going back towards the catcher, setting up the swing radius, creating early bat speed? What is the purpose or why is this sequence so meaningful?
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> > In other words, if the bat did not turn until the hips uncocked and the torso turned, what would be the disadvantage or drawback to that?. IMO, all the frame by frame video I watch, I do not see the bat head turn as early as you believe, but I would love to hear you clarify this so my EYES can be open. Thanks.
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> OK,let's look at the angelfire clip.Keep in mind not only Jack's info bu Ted Williams description-
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> "as you start the stride you cock the hips.....then you've made your stride-but you have not moved your head more than that little bit required to keep proper balance.You haven't shifted your weight from one foot to the other,but have maintained balance,the weight evenly distributed,the hands back,the bat cocked....your whole body coiled for the opposite and equal application of power-the swivel or pivot,the opening of the hips.As the hips come around,the hands follow...the pitch is in your happy zone and you are after it.......you're trying to be as quick as possible with your bat without losing control.I would guess your shoulder and hip turn are operating at 80-85% capacity......I always liked to feel I had a little something extra left in my shoulders and hips to maintain control.But not in my hands arms and wrists.With them it was 100%."
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> also:
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> "....as the hips come around the hands follow and the bat follows the hands,and as they get into the hitting area the speed is increasing.One naturally follows the other.You can't get proper action without the hips clearing the way.(Try it for yourself:have a teammatestand behind you and hold you by the sides of your pants,just below the waist.Try to swing.All arms and wrists,and no power.)"
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> Williams emphasizes the hip cock,but he is vague about the handpath.He talks about cocking the bat as the hip cocks,but he also talks about cocking not only as the stride starts,but as the stride proceeds.Jack has really filled in the blanks here pointing out the importance of the circular handpath being set up and noticing THT.THT is particularly obvious when the back elbow drops to the side.This happens about the time the hips uncock so the bat is turning already by the time the torso rotation gets underway.A player like Bonds,however,gets the bat going even sooner which I believe makes him quicker to the ball.He cocks the bat with hip cock,then he begins uncocking as the scapula loads while the stride is being made.Some players keep the bat cocked during the scap load and only start uncocking as the hips uncock.Arod is an example of this.However,he holds the elbow very high so the bat can accelerate quite a bit over the frame or two between hip uncock/max-scap-load and torso launch.
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> For Bonds,he drops the hands and flexes the spine/bends at the waist,then he cocks the hip by internal rotation of all 4 limbs as the front hip is elevated by arching the back at the bottom of the spine over the front hip.Hip is cocked at frame #11.The bat has cocked toward the pitcher during this time.
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> I consider all the bat motion after this "uncocking" although it doesn't begin by a direct reversal of direction,but begins turning in a tight arc.
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> Next phase is scap loading.The back elbow moves more behind the back as the back shoulder blade pinches.Front toe touch is at frame #15 and max scap loading at fram #16.The bat uncocks slightly during this time,building speed.
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> By frame #16,the hip has started to uncock,so I would say the scap loading is max as the hip uncocks,then the elbow drops into the slot(without pushing forward and disconnecting).In frame #18 the back elbow is in the slot and torso has started turning.The bat has uncocked quite a bit between frames 16 and 18 which is when THT is most obvious.
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> A scant 4 frames max of "launch" to contact.
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> So in sum the bat has uncocked at a gradually accelerating speed for about 6 frames between hip cock and the time the torso turn starts.
> I would generalize that all players should uncock as the back elbow drops(for about a frame or two after scap loading is maxed out at the time of hip uncocking(just as in throwing the upper torso must be fully loaded for the hip turn/uncock to start rotation).Some players also turn the bat prior to this as they load the scap like Bonds.
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> Having the bat underway and in plane (lined up with front arm)when the torso turn "launches" seems to be necessary for optimal "transfer mechanics".
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> This "bat uncocking" prior to "launch" is something mechanically necessary but not noticed by Williams that allows you "to be quick with the bat."

What we are seeking here is a model of the swing at some basic level.As Paul Nyman says,there are still infinite ways to make a good swing,and even more ways to make a bad one(something close to that).Epstein makes the distinction between style(individual) and technique(universal).Analagous to throwing,I believe their is a basic universal technique which is adhered to in Bonds particular style,during what Nyman has identified as the Scap loading phase and including what Jack has recognized as THT.Arod has a different approach.Shawn has nice clips of both,and in the case of Arod,they include a comparison to Aaron and the famous Ephus pitch homer which realy presents a timing challenge.

Nyman has really worked out the pitching mechanics in great detail.I am not qualified to teach at the level of baseball pitching,but I have enough understanding to help kids with basic overhand throwing.There are a number of similarities between the throw and the back arm in hitting.In throwing,Nyman has described scap loading(extremely important for velocity,consistency,and arm protection).There is a key moment at the end of scap loading when the throwing elbow reverses direction in concert with the hips uncocking.I belive the same goes for hitting.The scap needs to finish loading just as the hips start to uncock.Bonds has the bat in motion before this in his style as the scap loads(low hands small multi piece stride).Arod doesn't(high hands big stride).But they both accelerate the bat as the back elbow drops.Front toe touch is consistent for each swing and seems to give valuable sensory feedback for when to time the uncocking.So I would say universally there needs to be a hip cock phase and a scap load phase and acceleration of the bat into the plane of the lead arm by the time torso launch gets underway.