Posture

[RichK]

The OP was talking about posture over the ball...not talking about tilt.

You are correct, there is some mixing and matching in this conversation no doubt.

Posture is interesting. I was always an activate-in-the-stance guy. But Carpenter, who W=W mentioned, Rizzo, Bellinger do things pre-pitch and then get activated and 'postured' as the pitch arrives. I like that feeling too sometimes, it makes you a bit more relaxed. But for most young hitters, that would be just one more thing to mis-time

 

[Work=wins]

There's a lot to unpack in this video -- most of it not good. Let's start with his main idea that the slotting elbow somehow 'holds back' the hands. He says so many things that just aren't good:

'it's almost a two part swing'
'it's such a violent act (referencing the slotting of the elbow)'
'this delay of the elbow holds the bat lag'
'that back elbow is independent of your hands'

Yet from 1:05 to 1:10 when he says the primary ACTION is the elbow slotting, you can literally see the hitter's hands torquing the barrel, and the elbow responding to that turning of the barrel.

It is NOT the 'holding back of the elbow' (whatever that means) that lets the lower half get ahead....it's the rearward barrel turn that does it. You don't slot and whip. That's not how any whipping action occurs (ie, a bullwhip). It's turn it rearward to whip it forward.

Basically, he's saying a bunch of words words words that aren't reflecting what is actually happening even as he looks and points at it.

He's getting closer. He admits 'knob to the ball' can be a very dangerous cue if wrongly applied. Can't argue with that. He says the hands are so important. Yep.

But then he describes a two-part swing that is 1) elbow slot 2) hands whip. Nope. That's not it. He's STILL (mis)analyzing freeze-frame positions vs. understanding movement.

And then of course Harold says the hitter 'does a lot of things you can't teach' which basically translates to 'yeah, I still don't know what the hell is happening in the swing.'


His 'two-part swing' is two parts for the upper -- slot elbow and delay/release hands. It is NOT two-part re: hips and hands. I believe in sequenced hips and hands. Sit in a chair, put the barrel in front of you. One way you can take the barrel to hitting position is to take your hands back which will bring your bottom back with it and then you move both forward all-together. That's not what you want, I imagine we agree. Next, same position and work the barrel back and forth, tip and turn style. You'll see the body organize so that the bottom moves forward as the barrel turns rearward. You don't get the bottom ahead of the top by somehow DELAYING the hands in an explosive quarter-second action. There are no delays. Lag is there, I agree, but you lag with your stretch and pullback in away that enhances the whip, not via your elbow slotting. You do it with a sequenced whip that is the result of turning the barrel rearward while the bottom drives ahead and pulls the barrel through. Again, IMO

Lag- fall behind in movement, progress or development; not keep pace with another or others.
Synonyms: delay, linger, straggle, dawdle, loiter. Just saying.

Buster is ‘turning’ his barrel. He’s setting up his bat lag/delay to create a whipping action, with a slot of the back elbow(leverage). He releases the energy through the ball.



Trout showing the same lag/delay .


Notice the front hip pull the back elbow down. It works independent from the hands, but not the core. This would be the ‘hips lead the hands’ reference. Front hip opens, back hip goes with the hands. Two part swing imo.

 

[julray]

Then he started talking about tilt. Go back and look

Efastball started talking about tilt, I got roped in