Natural Hitting

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Apr 20, 2018
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SoCal
Ok. so I read thru Sean Dixon's website. I think he has some good things to say. The torso is king. So the torso turns the hips. Not the hips turn the torso. Kinda makes sense. I am sure some of you have read his stuff. So what do you think?

Also stumbled on Matt Nokes Natural Hitting Solutions which have some similarities to Dixon's stuff. Don't think they are related but he too suggest the torso turns the hips. Hitting Tai Chi? Matt Nokes (former Silver Slugger) talks a lot about natural timing/less mechanics. Interesting stuff too. Thoughts?
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
This is his definition.
"The core of the body is actually the entire Torso. (right pic)"
and
"The torso starts from the top of the shoulders and goes all the way down to the bottom of the pelvis (What you sit on in a chair)"
View attachment 13340

Natural Hitting - The Core for natural movement

Correct ... from Dixon's perspective the torso is inclusive of the hips.

Hence this comment here .... "The torso is king. So the torso turns the hips. Not the hips turn the torso." ... basically means that it is more than just the hips.
 

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
113
Were Jim and or Sean regulars to any of the hitting sites?

Yes but briefly on most. Jim made posts promoting his website and thoughts on hitting. For many, if not most of those sites, he was asked to not promote his product. Jim died in 2006 and so, most of these various websites did not exist then. Others have come and gone. I've been around for almost all of it. I know that Paul Nyman gave Jim credit for changing how Nyman thought about pitching and hitting. I know that Jim's son mentioned upon Jim's death that he was taking over the website and promised to finish the work of his dad.

I don't know exactly what Sean does now. I have not kept up with him. I do know that much of how the swing is viewed now was a slow, long process that saw more than a few fights on the internet. Jim's work back then on the core and how it related to the swing was important in so many ways.
 

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
113
A quick question if Shawn is reading this. Shawn, were you on setpro? If so, you participated in the thread on Jim Dixon, didn't you? Man that was a very long time ago. I think Nyman introduced Jim Dixon's stuff, or thoughts on his stuff, in around 2004 or 2005.
 
Apr 20, 2018
4,581
113
SoCal
The work of the back leg is controlled by the Torso, and yes the leg is working, but not as you would think. It works on a subconscious level which can never be reproduced in the conscious mind. This is all Natural movement that the body can and will do base on the proper thinking. Thinking about moving Torso, not about working and moving legs and arms, will produce Natural Movement thus giving you Athleticism.

The Torso starts the movement and the legs and arms are told how to, dictated to, and coordinated to work with the Torso. All based on a desire of any movement that you wish to make. As humans we do this all the time, but when it comes to baseball hitting we throw it out and replace it with a man made idea of how to do it with legs and arms.

Never teach hands to stay in close and never teach hands to go out. Why? Because that is teaching arms and hands working, and in the ML swing they are not working their arms and hands to generate power. They are only guiding the bat head to the ball with the arms and hands. The hands go out to the pitch whether it is inside or outside.


A few thoughts from his website
 
Apr 11, 2015
877
63
This is his definition.
"The core of the body is actually the entire Torso. (right pic)"
and
"The torso starts from the top of the shoulders and goes all the way down to the bottom of the pelvis (What you sit on in a chair)"
View attachment 13340

Natural Hitting - The Core for natural movement
Hence this comment here .... "The torso is king. So the torso turns the hips. Not the hips turn the torso." ... basically means that it is more than just the hips.
I must be odd, because I can turn my "torso" (upper torso) w/o turning my hips...yet I'm unable to turn my hips w/o my "torso" (lower) turning also.

Which then leaves me scratching my head as to how my torso (and resulting "top down swing") is supposedly what turns my hips in the proper swing according to the above quotes.

Little help please? :confused: :)
 
Jan 6, 2009
6,588
113
Chehalis, Wa
A quick question if Shawn is reading this. Shawn, were you on setpro? If so, you participated in the thread on Jim Dixon, didn't you? Man that was a very long time ago. I think Nyman introduced Jim Dixon's stuff, or thoughts on his stuff, in around 2004 or 2005.

Oh yeah, it was on Setpro where I learned of Dixon.

His new stuff is simple giving the body directions with thoughts on the torso as the engine. You simple create a language of what direction you want the body to move in and then let the motion take place. It's just a rehash of the Alexander technique.
 

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