Role of the front leg in hitting

[pstein]

Is catch synonymous with block or resist?

It doesn't just dangle there does it?

Everyone seems to speak in terms of one hip at a time. The pelvis is a unit so if one side is rotating so is the other, no? If there is another femur socket on the other side surely something is happening that affects the swing process. Is that not correct? Except in an SNF drill. Maybe that's not even the correct understanding.

"Catch" is synonymous with block, yes. I wouldn't say the lead leg really resists anything.

I would contend that until the swing is launched, the front leg is dangling. The front leg blocks and pushes back, as per Newton's Third Law. It's the same concept as when a car drives into a telephone pole.

The car pushes with a force upon the telephone pole, and the telephone pole pushes back with an EQUAL and OPPOSITE force on the car. This is basic physics, called the Law of Conservation of Energy.

 

[pstein]

pstein,

Ask yourself a question. Why use one if you can use both? The potential power in muscles is additive. If you want to jump as high or as far as you can from a stand still position, are you going to use one leg or both? If you want to see how much weight you can possibly lift, will you use one arm or both? A torque is a twisting force, utilizing both pull and push forces, like in a rotating armature. To think that the hip turn in a HL swing is rear leg only driven is ludicrous.......it is just not true.

Surprisingly enough, I agree with this. When the rear leg is weighted and the swing launched, you've a rear hip pivot point (RHPP). When the front leg is weighted after launch, there's a front hip pivot point (FHPP).

I'm not saying that the lead leg does absolutely nothing. My belief, however, is that the majority of force comes from the rear hip and rear leg.

 

[Eric F]

Yes, some where "focused" on just the rear hip. Most of those folks probably never really thought of it that way, but now it's a must for them. They believe in just using 1 leg/1 hip....

For the rest of us, we were talking about 2 hips all along.

Are you wanting to see/feel stretch across the front of the pelvis created by "held ER" (I think that's your term) in the rear leg, and ER of the front leg?

 

[Howe]

Surprisingly enough, I agree with this. When the rear leg is weighted and the swing launched, you've a rear hip pivot point (RHPP).

Do you believe in IR/IR/IR? If so, what's pivoting in the rear hip???

 

[Howe]

Are you wanting to see/feel stretch across the front of the pelvis created by "held ER" (I think that's your term) in the rear leg, and ER of the front leg?

Yes I do. Good hitters fight to keep the rear knee back (though the action is in the hip) as the pelvis is opening (held ER).

 

[Howe]

When the logic turn into - "are you going to believe me, or your lying eyes" - I have to laugh at the believers. You see? we just went from "the front hip does nothing" TO "the front hip does something" "but it's really not doing that...." LOL

 

[Eric F]

Yes I do. Good hitters fight to keep the rear knee back (though the action is in the hip) as the pelvis is opening (held ER).

Am I missing that here? I don't see the ER of the front leg happening. I see the front leg turning with the pelvis.

 

[Buttermaker]

Starting with frame 36 the front thigh is Ering as the rear leg holds creating stretch.

Am I missing that here? I don't see the ER of the front leg happening. I see the front leg turning with the pelvis.

 

[Eric F]

Starting with frame 36 the front thigh is Ering as the rear leg holds creating stretch.

I'm seeing the centerline of the front thigh remain in line with the belt loop at the top of that leg (frames 38-44), which would indicate that the turning of the pelvis and leg are happening together.

 

[Buttermaker]

Maybe you should mimic this swing to really get an idea of what the front leg is doing.