Jen Yee Blog posts????
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Yes. We do not have permission to repost her blog here. It is a legal issue. Here's the link to the original source:
http://www.pzoneacademy.blogspot.com/
Sorry, but we want to remain within copyright law.
http://www.pzoneacademy.blogspot.com/
Sorry, but we want to remain within copyright law.
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See blog:
Comments on "efficiency" (note, it's a good idea to copy things becasue they may disappear either from necessary moderation or from software timing out) :
Regarding "efficiency" section:
In my opinion, efficiency is best thought of in terms of minimizing timing error by optimal blend of batpath and bat acceleration.
Biggest source of timing error is in brain programming duration of swing (picks matching motor program from learned range of options to intersect/contact ball whose path it is observing and anticipating).
duration error is minimized by shortening length of bathead path from GO to contact and by traversing this path as quickly as possible.
A long well matched "contact zone" is also important to improving tolerance of error. The best way to think of this is similar to Yee's illustration with this approach first described by Williams in SCIENCE OF HITTING.
See SCIENCE OF HITTING diagrams here.
- Plane Matching
Notice in terms ot timing, the middle of the timing window is "perpendicular" to the pitch with the joyspot contact somewhere between 15 degrees before or 30 degrees after perpendicular. Since the bat is accelerating until contact, perpendicular is the middle of this window
The best way to describe the swing requirement is "early batspeed enabling late adjustability". This involves keeping the hands back and getting a running start (establishing tight hand pivot point) including hips opening and bat turning rearward followed by formation of "x-factor stretch" which powers the bathead to contact with quick acceleration while hands are still back which maximizes read time and matching of plane for long zone on fly. The long zone is created by rapid acceleration well back in the swing plane, not by extension more forward in swing plane.
In this sense the perfect swing is about the adjustment you make on the fly which involves the HLBB pattern and a teaching approach as best described by Epstein after Williams.
Williams:
cock hips, cock hands, hips lead, top hand as power hand, power push (top hand) swing with slight upswing (by hips leading), top hand wrist unbroken at contact
Epstein describes universal core moves:
have plan, start on time, wind rubberband, dynamic balance, drop and tilt, body torque (cusp/x-factor stretch) hand's stay in, weathervane lead elbow.
This also fits with the Slaught "if you can throw you can hit" approach with rear arm action being same for loading parts of swing and throw (best described by Hodge for throw)
Comments on "efficiency" (note, it's a good idea to copy things becasue they may disappear either from necessary moderation or from software timing out) :
Regarding "efficiency" section:
In my opinion, efficiency is best thought of in terms of minimizing timing error by optimal blend of batpath and bat acceleration.
Biggest source of timing error is in brain programming duration of swing (picks matching motor program from learned range of options to intersect/contact ball whose path it is observing and anticipating).
duration error is minimized by shortening length of bathead path from GO to contact and by traversing this path as quickly as possible.
A long well matched "contact zone" is also important to improving tolerance of error. The best way to think of this is similar to Yee's illustration with this approach first described by Williams in SCIENCE OF HITTING.
See SCIENCE OF HITTING diagrams here.
- Plane Matching
Notice in terms ot timing, the middle of the timing window is "perpendicular" to the pitch with the joyspot contact somewhere between 15 degrees before or 30 degrees after perpendicular. Since the bat is accelerating until contact, perpendicular is the middle of this window
The best way to describe the swing requirement is "early batspeed enabling late adjustability". This involves keeping the hands back and getting a running start (establishing tight hand pivot point) including hips opening and bat turning rearward followed by formation of "x-factor stretch" which powers the bathead to contact with quick acceleration while hands are still back which maximizes read time and matching of plane for long zone on fly. The long zone is created by rapid acceleration well back in the swing plane, not by extension more forward in swing plane.
In this sense the perfect swing is about the adjustment you make on the fly which involves the HLBB pattern and a teaching approach as best described by Epstein after Williams.
Williams:
cock hips, cock hands, hips lead, top hand as power hand, power push (top hand) swing with slight upswing (by hips leading), top hand wrist unbroken at contact
Epstein describes universal core moves:
have plan, start on time, wind rubberband, dynamic balance, drop and tilt, body torque (cusp/x-factor stretch) hand's stay in, weathervane lead elbow.
This also fits with the Slaught "if you can throw you can hit" approach with rear arm action being same for loading parts of swing and throw (best described by Hodge for throw)
Comments on "hip", kinetic link/x-factor stretch:
Here is a complex area from the hips section by YEE:
"Another reason for opening our hips all the way is so we can create an elliptical motion with our swing. When our hips are rotated a full 90 degrees, the top hand is able to reach out farther towards the pitcher, as shown below in Figure 1. This reach is called "extension through the hitting zone," the more extension, the better chance of hitting the ball."
In trying to make sense of the "science", I think it is necessary to have a more detailed and broken down definition of "shoulders", thinking of them in simplest terms as the 2 scaps which have many ways to move.
When most sciency types talk about the kinetic link/sequence, they do not talk "shoulders" they talk "torso" or "upper torso" and they do not get into scap action/variations.
The back arm extension problem that Yee illustrates is best defined and described in the sports literature in the The Golf Machine (TGM) by Homer Kelley.
The problem you need to avoid is "running out of back arm". The rear arm does need to drive the handle with "triceps extension".
This "extensor action" provides the necesary "nagative couple" approaching contact mentioned by Rod Cross in his hitting article we have described here.
What you see in golf and hitting swings (ideally) is unhinging of the lead wrist for a frame or 2 prior to contact, then the bat staying lined up with the lead forearm for a bit into the follow through.
This is NOT how a passive double pendulum acts. Ina passive double pendulum action, the bat gets to max turning velocity as it overtakes/lines up with the forearm (law of the flail) but it just keeps on going past being lined up (like you see in those kids who like to try to whip the bat around the hands and hit themselves in the back.
This is a serious swing flaw which in golf is called "flipping" the wrists.
The desired wrist action and force application in the golf and hitting swing results in the bat and lead arm staying aligned due to the right joint action and "extensor action" from the angle in the back elbow widening by triceps extension.
To avoid premature widening/extension at the back elbow, the rear shoulder needs to turn forward to then provide a platform for the rear arm to work off of.
There are 2 main ways to do this:
1- unpinch/slide scap forward, or
2- leave scap pinched and have the torso turn forward.
#2 is what happens in the HLBB pattern. this is why it feels like "hips and hands" and why no one traditionaly describes the high level swing as turning the shoulders like crazy, rtaher the focus is on the hips.
The shoulder action in the MLBB swing actually resists turning when the hips thrust to enhance hands turning handle and hand control of swing plane and timing.
then the rear scap clamps down and rides the torso which unloads by reversal of "x-factor stretch" (also mentioned by YEE).
Ideally the wrist action includes the "top hand wrist still cocked (set/dorsiflexed)" at contact as described by Williams.
So keep the back scap from unpinching and learn the release sequence and use the hips and hands to enable a controlled stretch and fire of the torso hands and bathead without excessive active scap/shoulder turning.
Here is a complex area from the hips section by YEE:
"Another reason for opening our hips all the way is so we can create an elliptical motion with our swing. When our hips are rotated a full 90 degrees, the top hand is able to reach out farther towards the pitcher, as shown below in Figure 1. This reach is called "extension through the hitting zone," the more extension, the better chance of hitting the ball."
In trying to make sense of the "science", I think it is necessary to have a more detailed and broken down definition of "shoulders", thinking of them in simplest terms as the 2 scaps which have many ways to move.
When most sciency types talk about the kinetic link/sequence, they do not talk "shoulders" they talk "torso" or "upper torso" and they do not get into scap action/variations.
The back arm extension problem that Yee illustrates is best defined and described in the sports literature in the The Golf Machine (TGM) by Homer Kelley.
The problem you need to avoid is "running out of back arm". The rear arm does need to drive the handle with "triceps extension".
This "extensor action" provides the necesary "nagative couple" approaching contact mentioned by Rod Cross in his hitting article we have described here.
What you see in golf and hitting swings (ideally) is unhinging of the lead wrist for a frame or 2 prior to contact, then the bat staying lined up with the lead forearm for a bit into the follow through.
This is NOT how a passive double pendulum acts. Ina passive double pendulum action, the bat gets to max turning velocity as it overtakes/lines up with the forearm (law of the flail) but it just keeps on going past being lined up (like you see in those kids who like to try to whip the bat around the hands and hit themselves in the back.
This is a serious swing flaw which in golf is called "flipping" the wrists.
The desired wrist action and force application in the golf and hitting swing results in the bat and lead arm staying aligned due to the right joint action and "extensor action" from the angle in the back elbow widening by triceps extension.
To avoid premature widening/extension at the back elbow, the rear shoulder needs to turn forward to then provide a platform for the rear arm to work off of.
There are 2 main ways to do this:
1- unpinch/slide scap forward, or
2- leave scap pinched and have the torso turn forward.
#2 is what happens in the HLBB pattern. this is why it feels like "hips and hands" and why no one traditionaly describes the high level swing as turning the shoulders like crazy, rtaher the focus is on the hips.
The shoulder action in the MLBB swing actually resists turning when the hips thrust to enhance hands turning handle and hand control of swing plane and timing.
then the rear scap clamps down and rides the torso which unloads by reversal of "x-factor stretch" (also mentioned by YEE).
Ideally the wrist action includes the "top hand wrist still cocked (set/dorsiflexed)" at contact as described by Williams.
So keep the back scap from unpinching and learn the release sequence and use the hips and hands to enable a controlled stretch and fire of the torso hands and bathead without excessive active scap/shoulder turning.
Tom, I appreciate your posts more and more. Sometimes they can be overwhelming, but they are incredibly detailed and deep in terms of feel.
I figured as much. Thanks.
