Interesting Video on Front Hip

[ThundersDad]

Thanks Everyone, For the help. FFS, that really makes sense about not letting your load roll over onto the outside of the back foot, keeping inside allows her to unload on demand. Great advice, easy to picture and understand. She hits great most of the time but her power does come and go sometimes. I'm sure that (the leak) this time has been from drifting too far forward. I suppose that hitting is like riding a rollercoaster, just when you think they are at the top and have it down pat, here they go downward and you have to start teaching again. That's what keeps you guys busy I suppose, and us dad's coming back here so we can learn and help. Thanks Again Everyone!

 

[SBFAMILY]

Have her stand barefoot in the house in front of a mirror and practice this. Have her think of putting the pressure on her big toe on both feet. We also tell our students when they go to toe touch think about being able to wave the little pinky at the pitcher . This will keep her weight back. From our studies weight is 60-40, based on scales and computer studies. Some will tell you 50-50 but that is not what we have found out. Slow motion practice and doing it correctly is the best training. I would rather have a kid do this than go out and hit a 1,000 balls. If you read the book "The Talent Code" it talks about practice.

 

[Wellphyt]

Thanks FFS, I have been working on getting her to use her backside more and don't spin down into the ground ( squishing the bug ) which she doesn't do, but we were looking for good use of the hips. I saw her from a distance yesterday in highschool practice and she was finishing up vertical on her front leg or straight. Also FFS, when she loads (coils) and stretches, should that be as the stride foot goes forward to toe touch?

Here is an analysis of how the hips work. Mankin describes it as a revolving door. Williams describes it as a "spinning action with the head as the action". One of Ted Williams' absolutes was the move and countermove action of the hips. Many miss that very important aspect of the hip action. The coil takes place during the stride.

 

[Dr. Chris Yeager]

 

[tom.guerry]

front pelvis/hip can turn back with tight handpath as for high inside heater as in mankin's Giambi clip.

the action to learn should emphasize stretch around rear hip and control by resistance of hand pivot.

 

[Wellphyt]

This is wrong…In hitters of any aptitude, “back-end” of the pelvis “catches-up” with the front…and after heel-plant the pelvis is rotating “about-a-point" through the Front-Leg---SAME as in THROWING…(please see vid w/in 1st post of this thread..near 4:30 mark)
At heel plant the front hip gets pushed back and the back hip comes forward. See the Mankin video. The spine is the axis not either of the legs.


You really don't see how that leg is applying force/"pushing"/"pressing"/moving the body sideways????
If you are asking if I see the back leg actively pushing against the ground to move the body sideways in the direction of the pitcher; no I don't see that. IMO he is applying just enough pressure against the ground to stay balanced. He's "falling forward with style" Pro hitters fight against going forward. The last thing they want to do is push themselves towards the oncoming pitch.

Wellphyt--this vid of Will Clark that you posted is a beautiful and easy-to-see example of the "Push" or "Press" that I am talking about.

I would recommend that everyone pick up a bat, take a long stride like Will Clark does, and then as you get to toe touch try and push off the ground with your back foot. Good luck. Next; start pushing against the ground immediately as soon as you pick up your front foot to stride, take a long stride and keep pushing into toe touch. Does anyone really think pro hitters launch themselves in a linear direction toward the oncoming pitch like that?

This is ABduction of the femur at the rear hip joint—this is the “sideways” “Pressing” action I speak of..
I agree that the movement of the thigh away from the centerline of the body during the stride is ABduction of the femur.

The gluteus medius is the major muscle involved in hip joint (femoral) ABduction.
The gluteus medius is a short thick muscle at the sides of the hip.

This is the action that begins the shift in the direction of our target and is also what begins the Forward opening (aka “rotation”) of the pelvis.
Agree about the gluteus medius being the major muscle involved. There are several others involved, but for discussion purposes I don't think it's that important. The important point to me is that all the muscles that work the legs in hitting originate in the pelvis and insert into the femur. I know you don't think this is important, but to me this distinction was critical in my understanding of how to teach the weight shift.

I consider that a leg action—we are moving the femur. Some try to muddy the water(core/middle blah blah blah). But as long as you know that the Primary action is the ABduction of the femur by the muscles at the side of the hip, it really doesn’t matter.
(It is as if saying the “LEG” pressing sideways is just too simple.)

This (vid above) is what I teach with regard to Back-Leg Loading and Unloading..====ABduction of the Back-Leg, directing Energy in a straight line to our target…

This will create pelvic-rotation around the Front-leg/foot—after it lands.
(yes-while the foot is in the air and the Bk-Leg is ABducting there is opening/rotation of the pelvis)
Here is where we differ. I believe when it comes to weight shift, the most important move of the hitter is the hip cock. Williams described the hip cock as the backward turn of the hips. The reason he called this backward turn of the hips the most important move of the hitter is so that the hips had further to turn forward, creating more momentum of the hips into the pitch. He called it a pendulum action as in a move and countermove. The momentum for the forward turn of the hips comes from turning the hips back. You turn the hips back so you can take them forward. As Ted explains, this is the route of all power. The hip cock is an absolute. The stride is a style choice. I have many clips on my computer of fastpitch hitters using a back and forth movement of their hips as described by Williams.

**I do not teach that degree of “Reach” (aka ABduction of the femur) with the Front-Leg.

(Although I love watching Will-the-Thrill aka The Natural--swing--an absolute "thing-of-beauty"..

I want the Back-Leg in control of the “footwork”..I want the Back-Leg to “pull-up” and “put-down” ---the front foot/leg..
I want the kids to stay balanced and turn their hips back and then forward while using a firm back leg as a launching pad.

Ten letter requirement.

 

[Wellphyt]

I knew this was coming. I"m done with this thread. I just hope people are smart enough to realize that hitters make all kinds of adjustments and you can show almost anything you want to try and prove a point. Ask yourself if the front hip in the Mankin clip goes back? Better yet, stand up against a wall with your butt a few inches from the wall. Go to toe touch. Note the position of your front hip in relationship to the wall. Drop your front heel, straighten your front leg and turn your hips. Where does your front hip go?

 

[Dr. Chris Yeager]

I knew this was coming. I"m done with this thread. I just hope people are smart enough to realize that hitters make all kinds of adjustments and you can show almost anything you want to try and prove a point.

Ha!!!

Mankin is wrong---The rear pelvis is driven up to meet the front--just as in throwing...

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Selected two clips at random .....

 

[FiveFrameSwing]