Posted by: Coach C () on Thu Jan 9 22:44:50 2003

The debate on rotational mechanics and linear weight transfer mechanics is as old as baseball itself. I'm not convinced it will ever be agreed upon, mainly because neither term really applies to my way of thinking.
> > > > Unfortunately the body is not constructed with a single pole in which to rotate upon, in fact, our legs, are like that of a tripod. They help keep us grounded and if one leg is straigter than the other we have hip or spine tilt. This straightning of the front leg is what generally turns a level cut into a slight upswing, or in some cases an extreme uppercut. The hip joints themselves do not turn, it is the torso, constructed from the base of the spine that creates the torque. However in an effort to add upper body torque, many hitters feel the strong need contribute excessive leg action (ie..hip thrust) to get the torso to turn. Normally it is young hitters that create this excessive leg action that never really feel the torso power. In other words they combine the torso turn with the leg thrust. This excessive leg action is what most hitting instructors have the hardest time seeing and teaching.
> > > > I have a real concern with anyone that preaches straight legs in the baseball swing, mainly because straight legs create angles and also lock hips, which contribute to bad balance. In any sport that I lock my legs I get beat. Lock the front leg early in a baseball swing..... and I'll get beat. Now I must say, great hitters do lock there front leg normally (not always), however, it comes with a price even for them, but the real issue is how they go about locking the front leg. Getting into that all too familiar "sit to hit position" is the art of a great athlete and generally a great hitter. In viewing Jacks video I see the kids just straightening the front leg, with never the notion of sitting to hit. But then I see the hitting instructor, getting a nice front knee bend, thereby, positioning the legs for all of this upper body torque. In golf they call it the "magic move." This magic move is a slight lateral slide while the upper body begins it unwinding (rotation). This to me is why the debate is never ending. Great atheletes/hitters can do both at the same time, but when either becomes excessive , then you have a issues in my opinion. This is why everyone looks different when they swing in my opinion.
> > > >
> > > > In summary the front leg becomes the core element of my teaching. If I can get a kid to keep this leg in contact with the ground at the initiation of the swing, but with good flexion and stability and I give this kid the best opportunity to be succesful. If I see kids locking legs than he or she will have problems, until they understand how the front leg is supposed to lock, by rotating laterally with athletic legs.
> > > >
> > > > The legs are stabalizers in a baseball swing, power drive is a distant second. When they are not in the best position for stability, they will fail and so too will the swing.
> > > >
> > > > In my humble opinion.
> > >
> > > A lot said here. My question is.....is a locked front knee a cause or an effect of something else? I don't know of any hitter that goes out there committed to locking his front knee. Something else happens that causes it. What is it?
> > > >
> > > > The shoulders!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
>
> SHOULDERS!!!! What do you mean - shoulder rotation is the cause of the front knee locking, soooo are you saying, do not rotate your shoulders? And if you do not rotate your shoulders then the front knee will not lock, and if the front knee does not lock then magically you are a great hitter?
>
> Coach C, give us some examples of who the perfect major league hitter or hitters (there has to be more than one I'm sure who do it the way you believe) is so we can go look at the video.
>
> Tom, explain exactly what the lower body is suppossed to do; more specifically, I understand hip cock/uncock BUT what is the relevance of the legs, and the flexion in the legs and the lean and the axis ETC and how all that works in with THT?

swing plane is a term that describes the path an object will take in relation to the shoulders. The more level the shoulders, the more level the swing.
shoulder speed is huge, but the angle they take is equally important. Most hitters angle the lead shoulder up, thus it creates an upswing and the necessity for the front leg to lock. Bonds has an upswing.

Ask yourself why pitchers are taught to pitch down. The answer is that most hitters will just drop the bat head and not gear their swings for the low strike. I believe to be the most consistant, hitters should train for the low strike with a level hack, then bending the front knee teaches the right sequence of the leg lock.....sitting to hit. Most great hitters do this correctly....Bonds, Berkman, Green, Giambi, etc, etc. Sitting to hit is the bending I advocate, which is a lateral move......it's when the leg locks prematurely that lunging with the upper body can take place. I'm not sure magic would help your hitting from the way it sounds by the way, but make a wish and we'll see!