That's an interesting video. There was a recent discussion in another thread about the Kvest and the various data it shows. The guy talking in the video didn't go into a lot of detail but, to me, it sounds like he's suggesting a couple of different things. One, that hip/shoulder separation (or the vast majority of it) takes place prior to launching the hips/bat. I would have to agree with that, as I've argued here and elsewhere that good hitters adjust to different speeds by getting into a hip/shoulder separated position and then simply maintaining it until it's time to launch. His comments further suggest that any hip action involved in creating the initial hip/shoulder separation is NOT the same hip action that is used to launch the bat. I would agree with that too; in fact, it's one of the main points of this thread.
As for deceleration, I don't really like the word, as I think it mischaracterizes what good hitters do. Deceleration suggests a gradual drop in speed. When I watch the hips of good hitters, I see a very quick start, followed by a nearly immediate slamming on of the brakes. Their hips fire like a piston - quick start, quick stop (usually right when the bat contacts the ball). And the stop is usually followed by the hips moving in reverse, like they slammed into a wall and bounced off. Technically, it probably is a deceleration, it's just a very quick, nearly immediate deceleration.
IMO that is exactly what Kvest shows..... Professional athletes generally have a much higher rate of force development over amateur’s...... “First Move” is the hands......
The initial separation is for SSC purposes..... you want to use that stretch to help create a higher rate of force development.
IMO Decel is what allows for proper direction..... We have all seen kids with gated type swings...... that causes poor direction IMHO.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last edited: