Posted by: Major Dan (markj89@charter.net) on Mon Jan 20 09:07:13 2003

Many hitters stride. Some hit no-stride.
If you look closely you'll see that even no-stride hitters shift their hips between their feet before they swing.
The purpose of a stride is weight shift. The no-stride hip shift serves the same purpose.
The effect of this weight shift is to create linear momentum. Linear momentum is then turned into rotational energy.
A hitter does not lunge forward into contact. A hitter shifts forward to load the legs and hips - similar to preparing to vertical leap - and then unload the legs/hips channeling the energy into hip turn. Hip turn is rotational. If transferred properly into shoulder turn, the body rotates the swing into the ball, powered by hip turn that is preloaded by weight shift.

Weight shift must stop as rotation begins. The weight shift/sit creates the energy needed to create powerful rotation. Once rotating it is pointless to continue shifting the weight. Once unloading, no point in continuing to load.

John, I suspect you know this as you have referred to the 'magic moment' where a player sits to load the legs.
However since the last thread drifted off subject and into some strange bickering, I thought I'd throw this out there and welcome on-topic comments.