Launch position characteristics

[Work=wins]

I’m saying hips move first. When instructing I tell the player the hips move first but would be almost undetectable without video. As in the above video I also tell them the hands are trying to move faster to catch up to the hips. Of course that’s not a conscious thought when hitting. Hands moving first is a flaw. Hands and hips at the same time is a gate swing. I try to use Miguel Cabrera mostly as the model.

Wait I thought the hands were the last to move? Your reasoning for lag? How would they ever catch up?

Do they really move last? See how the torso goes after the hands?

 

[softballphreak]

Wait I thought the hands were the last to move? Your reasoning for lag? How would they ever catch up?

Do they really move last? See how the torso goes after the hands?

View attachment 29019

The hands are the last to move. The gate swing is a no if that’s why you think I mean the hands aren’t last. I was just describing a gate swing.
The lag is part of the hands staying back. Of course it’s all in sync. From the ground up. I see the torso move just before the hands move. Looking at the belt buckle area.

 

[Work=wins]

The hands are the last to move. The gate swing is a no if that’s why you think I mean the hands aren’t last. I was just describing a gate swing.
The lag is part of the hands staying back. Of course it’s all in sync. From the ground up. I see the torso move just before the hands move. Looking at the belt buckle area.

Lag only happens when the hands have started forward or down. It is the reason why there is lag to begin with. Which seems to happen before the chest and shoulders open up. So the hands can’t go last.

The torso can disassociate at the hips, bellybutton, ribs and chest. It’s what is termed as ‘separation.’ So the chest is ultimately going last. The reason why the hands look like they’re last is bc they have the farthest to travel. But they do indeed go first bc the early hip opening or ‘leading’ is ‘separation’ not rotation.



I think you can see all that here.

Edit: I think the reason why we get over baked mechanics is bc everyone is implementing ‘power’ mechanics. mechanics are relative to efficiency. power is relative to the player and timing.

 

[softballphreak]

Lag only happens when the hands have started forward or down. It is the reason why there is lag to begin with. Which seems to happen before the chest and shoulders open up. So the hands can’t go last.
View attachment 29025
The torso can disassociate at the hips, bellybutton, ribs and chest. It’s what is termed as ‘separation.’ So the chest is ultimately going last. The reason why the hands look like they’re last is bc they have the farthest to travel. But they do indeed go first bc the early hip opening or ‘leading’ is ‘separation’ not rotation.

View attachment 29022

I think you can see all that here.

Edit: I think the reason why we get over baked mechanics is bc everyone is implementing ‘power’ mechanics. mechanics are relative to efficiency. power is relative to the player and timing.

I like to think of the hands-torso relationship as being similar to throwing. Though the bat wouldn’t “lag” as much as the hands would when throwing the “stretch” would feel similar. For the bat to transfer the most energy I believe there would be at least some separation of the hands/arms and torso. I would rather pull a chain at this point than push a chain. Not to be confused with the bat turn or bat pull issue.

 

[Work=wins]

I like to think of the hands-torso relationship as being similar to throwing. Though the bat wouldn’t “lag” as much as the hands would when throwing the “stretch” would feel similar. For the bat to transfer the most energy I believe there would be at least some separation of the hands/arms and torso. I would rather pull a chain at this point than push a chain. Not to be confused with the bat turn or bat pull issue.

Your top hand is a push and the bottom is a pull hand. you do both. They also pull and push in different vectors also. It takes everything to get the bat into rotation w the torso, that’s why it’s first. And why it’s fast. Are there others things helping? Sure. But the most active things are the hands and arms. They aren’t waiting for the torso to pull them. The swing is more of a sling shot than anything else.

 

[softballphreak]

Your top hand is a push and the bottom is a pull hand. you do both. They also pull and push in different vectors also. It takes everything to get the bat into rotation w the torso, that’s why it’s first. And why it’s fast. Are there others things helping? Sure. But the most active things are the hands and arms. They aren’t waiting for the torso to pull them. The swing is more of a sling shot than anything else.

I went back and found a picture of Bustos. This what I call turning the barrel. Also hands last. It does happen that the barrel is pulled but that’s not what initiated the swing.
I have a drill I call the check swing drill where everything is done except the hands. They hit to the fence using that drill.
Notice the blur of her bat. If that was a pull there would be no blur; it is instead a turning of the barrel.

 

[Work=wins]

View attachment 29028
I went back and found a picture of Bustos. This what I call turning the barrel. Also hands last. It does happen that the barrel is pulled but that’s not what initiated the swing.
I have a drill I call the check swing drill where everything is done except the hands. They hit to the fence using that drill.
Notice the blur of her bat. If that was a pull there would be no blur; it is instead a turning of the barrel.

Looks like a cast of the barrel. Why does the barrel go away from the head and then blur? That’s a cast. And it moves first. You see those quite a bit on inside pitches. Check out Ted casting the barrel. If the hands aren’t active by then you won’t hit elite pitching. No chance.





Will too.



Ted again.



Note all inside pitches just like Bustos. If that doesn’t scream hands first well I just don’t know what to say.

 

[softballphreak]

Looks like a cast of the barrel. Why does the barrel go away from the head and then blur? That’s a cast. And it moves first.

If she was casting she would be disconnected. See the arm near the slot.

 

[Work=wins]

If she was casting she would be disconnected. See the arm near the slot.

You don’t see the barrel go away from her head after being there throughout? It’s not blurring first then moving it’s moving then blurring.

Edit: it’s called getting the head out. I don’t think that’s last.

 

[softballphreak]

You don’t see the barrel go away from her head after being there throughout? It’s not blurring first then moving it’s moving then blurring.

Edit: it’s called getting the head out. I don’t think that’s last.

Yes, it’s going away from her head. And most likely will hit the face of the ball instead of coming downward on top of it. The turning of the barrel is causing the blur. If she pulled the bat knob towards the ball it wouldn’t blur. The blur wouldn’t come until near the end of the swing.

Edit: Bustos bat blur is at the beginning of her swing.

Now that I think about it I believe the difference between the baseball vs softball pitch angle is the reason for the difference in the occurrence of the blur. Also makes more sense why turning the barrel would be better for fastpitch.