Posted by: tom.guerry (tom.guerry@kp.org) on Fri Jan 10 10:55:09 2003

Who ever you are, you post is a good one and is correct in my opinion,
> > > > im the guy in the video and you're opinion is valid. The biggest problem of most young hitters is the restriction of the front leg. I do want to point out that the video shows us working with kids trying to get them to keep a bent front knee until contact. However, the problem with kids is usually patience and strength. They are not strong enough to maintain balance through rotation and don't wait and go linear before they rotate. This is one of the best post I have read on Jacks web site in a long time. If you are interested I have spent hours upon hours with Jack and I consider his input as good as anyones. I would with any problem not hesitate to ask him because of the amount of information he has to offer.
> > > >
> > > > John Elliott.
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> > >
> > > John-
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> > > I would second your comment about lack of strength.I find Epstein's lower body drills very good and kids often fall over when they first attempt them.Even as they make progress,however,they rarely have learned how to cock the hip and maintain this until rotation starts.Then the front leg straightens as toe touch approaches and there is not much left to rotate with,not so much because the leg is straight,but because the hip is no longer cocked/cocking.
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> > > One thing that may help kids learn/coaches teach Jack's principles and make the most of the sequential drills you illustrate is teaching the feel of hip cock/uncock.Analyzing progress here may necessitate a more biomechanically detailed model of the swing/video analysis than most would care to hear about.
> >
> > Balance does not come from strength. Balance comes from the position of the head within the stance. Once you lose balance strength is required to keep control.
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> > If you stand with your feet shoulder width apart and you head centered between your legs you are in balance and your body is supported by the skeleton There is little or no effort/mussels to maintain this position. But, if you move your head side ways outside the with of your feet you will find you are out of balance and you require the mussels of your back and legs to keep from falling. If you go far enough no amount of strength will keep you from falling.
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> > Don't take my word for it, try it. The same is true of moving your head forward or backward. As you lean forward beyond the support of the skeleton your leg and back mussels will tense to keep you from falling.
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> >
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> > I am not sure what you are saying about straight leg or bent leg. Are you talking about flex or bend?
> > But if seems that if your legs are straight in the stance and they bend during the swing your head moves to a lower position. If the legs are bent from the stance and stay bent through the swing then the head will move because it is very difficult to maintain the same about of. I guess this is not a problem if you don't think that the head should remain in the same position in space through out the swing. Flex is different, it can me maintained and is needed to allow unrestricted body movement, Mr. Bagwell not withstanding.
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> > Louy Louy
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> Good points, let me answer your question with another question? Riddle me this.....When the front leg straigtens and the back leg bends, what angle is the spine and head going to be on? Generally, in good hitters it's on the same angle as the front leg is on. This of course requires the strength you speak of. For poor hitters that cast the bat the problem is aggrevated, amounting to a huge uppercut. A slight upswing should never be as a result of the legs. The legs and hips should be encouraged to be level, which on low pitches means bending. Great hitters do feel strength and flexablity in their legs, but not from driving.....from raising and lowering the tri-pod.....so to speak. Many great hitters do drop the head, contrary to popular belief to get their heads closer to the plane of the pitch, and as a general rule pitchers are taught to pitch where? Down!!!!!!!!!!!! Locking joints poses the potential for creating angles in the swing, which we should avoid at all costs. Many do lock joints, but that should not be the source of power. When the front leg locks early the upperbody can only be fooled. Now that is Balance to me, no upper body sway.

Coach-

Another interesting observation about the angle of the front leg and torso.I believe if mechanics are good,then you get full torso turn and when the front leg straightens/even locks at or slightly after contact,the hips have thrusted through well and you get a nice straight line that is a good measure of the hitters type based on how much they lean on the axis(a la Epstein).

Compare the huge lean back of the power hitter-Bonds-maybe 40 degrees? To a line drive hitter(who can aslo hit a homer or two) like Aaron-?less than 20 degrees?