Preparing the Body to Stride

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Aug 20, 2017
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Just curious of how some of you guys teach the body preparation to stride. Post up against back leg, compress front hip against back hip, back butt check to Pitcher? What has worked best in your experience? Most MLB hitter seem to post backside as they bring front knee towards belly button but I don’t see much front knee towards belly button in Fastpitch. Could be totally off on that
 
Apr 11, 2015
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Just curious of how some of you guys teach the body preparation to stride. Post up against back leg, compress front hip against back hip, back butt check to Pitcher? What has worked best in your experience? Most MLB hitter seem to post backside as they bring front knee towards belly button but I don’t see much front knee towards belly button in Fastpitch. Could be totally off on that
Can't state definitively, but this might have something to do with that...
Studying the movement and physiology of Danielle Lawrie, Sport Science compares a 70 mph fastball to a 90 mph baseball pitch. On average, a baseball is released approximately 55 feet from home plate, resulting in a reaction time of .44 seconds for the hitter. By comparison, a 70 mph softball, released from an average distance of 37 feet from the plate, will result in 0.35 seconds of reaction time for the batter.

In other words, a softball batter has 20% less time to react to a pitch than a baseball batter.
...the "front knee towards belly button" mechanics just might take too long given the reaction time of when they'd have to start it vs. when they'd have to have it completed in that shorter amount of time.

9ths of a second doesn't sound like much time time at all, but just using rough numbers from those given above...the ball's traveling 9.5 feet during that time in the softball pitch, and hard to catch up to if not already completed with the accessory "style" movements, and prepared to swing the bat. Not saying it can't be done, but just more to get finished with before "go time".
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
Just curious of how some of you guys teach the body preparation to stride. Post up against back leg, compress front hip against back hip, back butt check to Pitcher? What has worked best in your experience? Most MLB hitter seem to post backside as they bring front knee towards belly button but I don’t see much front knee towards belly button in Fastpitch. Could be totally off on that

Alex Hugo had a bit of leg kick at one point:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_-HA9Syb80

My DD has one too but hers is as ugly as her old man...
 
Aug 20, 2017
1,474
113
I agree Muddy! Players would have to time knee to the belly button while the pitcher was still in here Motion. Watching the Alex Hugo video above it seems to me that swing would be incredibly difficult to teach and have hitters be able to consistently repeat based on the various premotions you see in Softball pitchers. I do a knee to belly button drill with my players simply to feel posting against backside and floating forward slowly during stride. Girls hammer the ball in this drill. I want something to teach that can duplicate these sensations without having to knee to belly button
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
I agree Muddy! Players would have to time knee to the belly button while the pitcher was still in here Motion. Watching the Alex Hugo video above it seems to me that swing would be incredibly difficult to teach and have hitters be able to consistently repeat based on the various premotions you see in Softball pitchers. I do a knee to belly button drill with my players simply to feel posting against backside and floating forward slowly during stride. Girls hammer the ball in this drill. I want something to teach that can duplicate these sensations without having to knee to belly button

I can pretty much guarantee Hugo wasn't taught the leg kick. My daughter just started doing it of the blue. Her swing has the actions of Mookie Betts (leg kick, hand pump). As this is her favorite player I am not sure if that was a conscious decision or not. Unfortunately, as she is less athletic, less coordinated, isn't 26 years old and has a lousy instructor, theses actions are a jumbled mess at the moment. I have tried to talk to her about simplifying some things a number of times but she says this is how she wants to swing so I just let it go.
 
Last edited:
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
A stride should be a reaction to ones negative move/forward move. With this being said, how far ones knee gets pulled towards ones midline is most likely a reaction from the body and its attempt at balancing while moving forward.

Strides are a players style while trying to time a pitch and should be thought of as such. Jmo.


Ps. If the sequence is balanced. The front knee isn’t a point of emphasis.
 
Last edited:
Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
A stride should be a reaction to ones negative move/forward move. With this being said, how far ones knee gets pulled towards ones midline is most likely a reaction from the body and its attempt at balancing while moving forward.

Strides are a players style while trying to time a pitch and should be thought of as such. Jmo.


Ps. If the sequence is balanced. The front knee isn’t a point of emphasis.

During the 'stride' portion of a hitter's sequence they are preparing to launch their swing.
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
I don't consider the move out to be a reaction to a negative move ... to me a negative move is simply the preparation for a move out. The move out is relatively slow and controlled.
 

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