Launch Movement

[FiveFrameSwing]

Notice that TM states “your hip will turn immediately when you pick your foot up”.

What we see in Cabreara’s swing is that the hip opening being discussed happens as the front foot is being put down, not picked up.

Cabrera makes use of resistance to time his hip opening .... rather than "immediately" spring open.

 

[jryan15]

Doesn't look like you are getting much action here Noon

You may already be aware, but for those not in the know. Unfortunately, this will end up being back and forth communication between DFP and the Hitting Illustrated blog.

In reading post #1 above, I believe those comments are a basic description of "one legged hitting". "Pivoting" but still "stretching".... I have trouble grasping that. Is it theoretically possible that this is where the front side comes into play? When I swing, I can feel slight differences in the front side based on pitch location; inside vs. outside. That said, I am not claiming that I personally have a HL swing.

Here is my take. I spent a lot of time working rear legged hitting at HI. I believe that it is right on the money. One area that I struggled with for almost a full year was a trigger to release (so to speak) my rear leg. I learned to coil my hip and then continued on to learn to coil the rest of my body from my leg to my scap. I felt like I could build a very strong coil, but I could never figure out how to change all the power in the rearward coil into a forward launch.

I eventually found a couple ways to trigger the mechanic (spoiler alert, neither worked)

1. Use the front leg as a trigger. I found that I could get all coiled up and if I opened my front foot (hip), I could launch my swing. This involved a front side move and a second conscious backside move to start my swing. I felt like this was still wrong. I fully believe that high level hitters have a singe trigger point followed by a series of semi-unconcious actions that result in a swing. So I moved on. There were other problems like my hands still lowered to the ball.

I watched more clips. Teacherman at HI is great at continually posting clips to help people isolate and understand items that they struggle with. He'll read your post and then go make special clips of him demonstrating. These isolated specialty clips are often re-posted out of context by others (much like the scap cut of my DD)... I think this is a truly wonderful side of Teacherman that does often get praise. Anyway, I digress...

2. Use rearward lean to trigger. As I coil and then IR my rear leg into my coil, I don't move. I build massive amounts of tension, but my rear leg cannot turn my upper torso (hips to the top) because my rear hip is restricting movement. The rear hip is winning so to speak. In watching clips, I see that my pelvis has to be able to tilt in order for my rear leg to get in front of it and pull my upper torso around. So tilt it was. I found that if I tilted back a lot, my rear leg could win. I did this a few times. My swing launched hard, but my massive lean was not correct at all. It would work, but I could not adjust or do much with it.


And onto the scap launch
Back to the HI boards. I was rereading some threads, and Al Oha's comment on physically using the scap to move arms around (cup of coffee analogy) struck me the right way. Sitting on the couch I thought, launch my bat with my scap. I stood up, grabbed a bat, coiled up (hard), and launch that bat hard with my scap. Holy crap, it was incredible. Stuff just happened. All that coil reversed (so to speak) and I launched that bat. My front foot planted itself, my hips blew through the zone, my hands did not drop like the typically did. All this from a single conscious effort to launch with my scap. It was truly different.


If someone wants, I can post clips of each of these cuts to demonstrate what I am talking about.


The next day when my oldest came home, and I gave it a shot with her. My family was leaving for the zoo and I only had 5 minutes to interrupt walking out the door. First effort did not work because she still had not learned to coil her rear hip right. Quickly I scrambled and gave her a 60 sec crash course in hip coil. She did it and passed the "coil test". Ok, try it again. I told her, coil up and then launch the bat a few times using your arms. She tipped and untipped it all the way back hard three times. Each time very hard, and each time there was no other movement. Her coiled body just stayed there coiled with no movement. Then I said do the same thing with the barrel, but this time use your scap to move the bat. She was a little confused, so I walked to her and put my hand on her scap and told her to use these muscles. She coiled back up and launch hard with her scap. Amazingly, all that stuff that happened to me happened to her.


For me this sold me on the scap being the single trigger that kick starts a whole bunch of stuff that automatically resolve themselves. This is a relatively new finding, and we are still working on it when we have time between pitching sessions.


I look at frames 8 to 11, and I see scap action. I feel like this is the hitters only conscious effort in the swing. I think it is abortable. I think he is going in 8, unconsciously adjusting through the frames. I think pulling the emergency stop cord (abort) is the only thing that will turn off what he started in frame 8.

I can be wrong, wouldn't be the first time and won't be the last.

 

[jryan15]

Notice that TM states “your hip will turn immediately when you pick your foot up”.

What we see in Cabreara’s swing is that the hip opening being discussed happens as the front foot is being put down, not picked up.

Cabrera makes use of resistance to time his hip opening .... rather than "immediately" spring open.

The coil test that TM created involves coiling up and then carefully lifting your front foot while maintaining rear leg coil. If you upper torso turns when you do this, you pass the coil test. If you just stand there, you probably dumped your hip.

I think a front leg kick back and/or a strong rear side pullback (like the babe ruth clip) will prevent you from uncoiling as your foot is lifted.

 

[pstein]

I think I just figured out what you mean by "launch with the scap." You're talking about pinching the scap as you start the barrel turn.

 

[jryan15]

Notice that TM states “your hip will turn immediately when you pick your foot up”.

What we see in Cabreara’s swing is that the hip opening being discussed happens as the front foot is being put down, not picked up.

Cabrera makes use of resistance to time his hip opening .... rather than "immediately" spring open.

Sorry for double reply. I hit send before going to second comment.

I think Cabrera's front foot is put down as a result of rear leg/hip interaction that was triggered by a scap launch.

I think sometimes the hitter's foot can hit ground before launch and the process above will dig it into the ground. I also think the process can be triggered without the front foot hitting the ground.

I once asked if Pujlos was intentionally slamming his front foot into the ground in this clip. Now I look at it and feel his front foot is being slammed down by his turning rear leg.

 

[jryan15]

I think I just figured out what you mean by "launch with the scap." You're talking about pinching the scap as you start the barrel turn.

I'll be honest. I'm not the scap mastermind here. I'm the end user. Al Oha at HI is the scap genious. That being said, here is my opinion.

I do see some hitters pullback in the negative move (loading). The actual launch I feel to be a multi-dimensional move, it is directional and affects tilt (unconsciously / no teach). The scap launch is reacting to ball location. I think it's is the first positive reaction to the ball and starts the swing

Many have discussed circling of the scap. I'm still not 100% on how that works.

Hopefully I'm not violating cross forum etiquette, but Al made this illustration to describe it.

 

[Buttermaker]

His front foot plants because his front leg/hip abducts. The front leg/hip does not get forced to abduct. It abducts as a way to lengthen the anterior oblique sling and as a way to prepare for the weight to move off the rear leg.

Sorry for double reply. I hit send before going to second comment.

I think Cabrera's front foot is put down as a result of rear leg/hip interaction that was triggered by a scap launch.

I think sometimes the hitter's foot can hit ground before launch and the process above will dig it into the ground. I also think the process can be triggered without the front foot hitting the ground.

I once asked if Pujlos was intentionally slamming his front foot into the ground in this clip. Now I look at it and feel his front foot is being slammed down by his turning rear leg.

 

[jryan15]

His front foot plants because his front leg/hip abducts. The front leg/hip does not get forced to abduct. It abducts as a way to lengthen the anterior oblique sling and as a way to prepare for the weight to move off the rear leg.

I guess the important question is, do you think he consciously planted it?

 

[Buttermaker]

No, not at all.

I guess the important question is, do you think he consciously planted it?

 

[jryan15]

Lol, we agree on something!

I guess follow up would be what planted it? Maybe backwards chain into it until you get to a conscious move.

I think you know where I stand, but I'll republish if you like.