I've been watching lots of slo-mo swing videos recently and am trying to distill what I see along with some of the things I've read here into a "checklist" of sorts of the important facets of the swing. Very much in draft form but I'd appreciate any thoughts, corrections, comments, suggestions for improvement, etc...
Grip
- Bat held with the fingers of the hands, not the palm
- Bat held aligned with the base of the non-index fingers
- Knocking knuckles aligned or slightly offset towards palms
Stance
- Dynamically Balanced
- Knees flexed
- Weight on balls of feet
- Feet parallel
- Feet outside knees
- Knees outside hips
- Spine is inclined towards catcher
- Head slightly ahead of rear knee
- Majority of weight is back
Unweighting of front foot
- Heel first
Coil/Load/Scrunch
- "Coil-Stretch-Swing sequence"
- Slight counter-rotation (show the front pocket)
- Slight scrunch (head/torso lowers, increased incline towards plate)
- Front knee raises and rotates back
Stride & Stretch
- Hips slightly forward
- Hands stay back
Toe touch
- Inside, big toe
Rotation
- Hips, arms, shoulders start rotating just before or at heel plant
- Rear knee and hip are vertically aligned with head during rotation
Heel Plant & Rotate
- Back elbow, rear hip connected
- Knob to pitcher
- No further forward movement of the head
Contact
- Front arm positioned as though an extension of the bat
- Rear arm: Power "L"
- Shoulders parallel to front of plate
+ Front shoulder high, rear shoulder low
- Hips: parallel to front of plate
- Rear foot: On tip of toes
- Front leg: Straight
- Body position: Inclined backwards
Extension
- Power "V"
Follow Through
Grip
- Bat held with the fingers of the hands, not the palm
- Bat held aligned with the base of the non-index fingers
- Knocking knuckles aligned or slightly offset towards palms
Stance
- Dynamically Balanced
- Knees flexed
- Weight on balls of feet
- Feet parallel
- Feet outside knees
- Knees outside hips
- Spine is inclined towards catcher
- Head slightly ahead of rear knee
- Majority of weight is back
Unweighting of front foot
- Heel first
Coil/Load/Scrunch
- "Coil-Stretch-Swing sequence"
- Slight counter-rotation (show the front pocket)
- Slight scrunch (head/torso lowers, increased incline towards plate)
- Front knee raises and rotates back
Stride & Stretch
- Hips slightly forward
- Hands stay back
Toe touch
- Inside, big toe
Rotation
- Hips, arms, shoulders start rotating just before or at heel plant
- Rear knee and hip are vertically aligned with head during rotation
Heel Plant & Rotate
- Back elbow, rear hip connected
- Knob to pitcher
- No further forward movement of the head
Contact
- Front arm positioned as though an extension of the bat
- Rear arm: Power "L"
- Shoulders parallel to front of plate
+ Front shoulder high, rear shoulder low
- Hips: parallel to front of plate
- Rear foot: On tip of toes
- Front leg: Straight
- Body position: Inclined backwards
Extension
- Power "V"
Follow Through