radial deviation

[Mark H]

Mark H.

To me looking at in in Quicktime a wee bit late at toe touch/ heal plant per what the pitcher is doing.

What do you see?



Straightleg

I see a home run off an up and in pitch from one of the best rise ball pitchers to ever walk the planet.

 

[Hitter]

Would you say this hitter got her foot down early? http://home.mindspring.com/~rmk/ULL0002.mpg

Use the arrow keys to toggle back and forth frame by frame in quicktime. If you don't have quicktime it's a free download.

For what it is worth....high leg kick or high step and landed flat footed and was early and the pitch looked high and away and appears to have been pulled from the front side opening and could even be a home run. I am 60 and wear trifocals

Howard

 

[RayR]

This hitting device Hitter, SB, and Bouldersdad use at clinics to help understand handpath.



Straightleg

Thanks for posting! How do you use it?

Ray

 

[Mark H]

Do you have any video of any high level hitters actually doing this?

Very good question. I think I'll go through every female hitting clip on Siggy's site while I sit here watching the tube and see if I find one.

 

[Hitter]

As has been stated on this thread already, no one actually does this, or would want to.

Scap loading (scapular abduction / adduction) is almost impossible to describe, in writing, or in person.

It IS fairly easy to put someone into the position though, and get them close enough that they can begin to experiment with it. When you do this, even 10 YOs have good results.

And it is important enough that making an effort to communicate it on the one hand and understand it on the other is crucial. IMO. Though you have correctly summarized the challenge. It IS hard to describe, and a lot of people who think they get it may actually not.

Proper loading - absolutely including scapular abduction / adduction - is absolutely essential for a typical-sized girl who wants to gain HR power. I don't know any other way to connect well enough so that the average size / strength female hitter can get that result. Some - relatively few - do it efficiently enough intuitively that they have "natural power." Others have to be taught. The good news is that they can be.

But again, NO ONE who actually works with kids would use this terminology, or attempt to describe it, including f-2-f. It can only be communicated through demonstration and through manually putting the hitter into the position.

Regards,

Scott

But again, NO ONE who actually works with kids would use this terminology, or attempt to describe it, including f-2-f. It can only be communicated through demonstration and through manually putting the hitter into the position.

Scott too big to be a bumper sticker however it is the correct message

Remember who we teaching and it is not just the kids! It is families with one parent and a mother or dad who has no clue however wants the best for their kid!

Maybe see it, feel it and fix it!

Thanks Howard

 

[HittingGuru]

What do you recommend for a load or describe how you do it please?

Thanks Howard[/QUOTE]

You know when a player strides and lands their front foot and not overstride they basically are in a balanced position with still stored energy on the inner half of the ball of the back foot. Yet in my opinion this causes flow, which in the case of offspeed pitch can cause an early release of core energy.

So in essence the load starts from a balanced core position and a completely relaxed top half. the bat rests on the shoulder. The next move depends on the rythem of the pitcher. Something the batter should be familiar with before stepping in the box with. The bat comes off the shoulder somewhere when or right after the hand and glove come together once again depending on the rythem of that pitcher. Faster the pitchers rythem the earlier this sequence needs to start. Once the hands seperate the front foot strides and settles. the hands go back in front of the armpit no higher than the armpit actually I prefer them slightly lower this is the top of the swing zone. we don't shift our weight back as much as we try to store energy on the inner half of back foot. a slightly more bent back knee along with a energy store that is like getting in a starting block. The muscle are coiled to unload forward this way there is no early energy release.

 

[Hitter]

Thanks for posting! How do you use it?

Ray

There is a lollipop end at about a 45 degree bend....the other end has a ball attached and it slides inside the other PVC tube and a pin holds it in place so it makes no difference what the length of the bat is we can adjust to it.

The concept is hands inside the ball and not hands to the ball. There is a red piece of tape and the knob of the bat is basically headed in that direction. On the newer version there is about 5 different colors and each is one inch apart. When first using it you will see them casting out!

We stand in front of the hitter and the lollipop end is about the height of the shoulder (bent end towards the shoulder) and the ball end is tilted downward at an angle. A ball hit up the middle, is positioned so the PVC stick is even with the front end of home plate. For an outside pitch, angle the ball outside and further back in the batters box. For an inside pitch angle it further forward.

As they get ready to hit, think slow to load and soft to step, separating the hands rearward at toe touch, now they make a good first move thinking the elbows work as a unit and take the knob of the bat forward inside the path of the ball (elbows hand and the knob of the bat leads the elbows) and as they turn and tilt to adjust to the plane of the pitch ( ball on the end of the stick ) and the knob of the bat is directed at the tape and we say release the barrel of the bat to the ball and they touch it with the bat!

Is it exactly perfect to the scientist and hitting guru...nah! Is it a visual you bet!

That is my world

Howard

 

[Chris O'Leary]

Very good question. I think I'll go through every female hitting clip on Siggy's site while I sit here watching the tube and see if I find one.

I'm going to go through my C view clips.

Also, a more powerful zoom for CF views is on my XMas list.

P.S. I just found a clip of a hitter hitting a triple to LCF and not even lifting her front heel off the ground until after the pitcher is at the K position. I can upload this if anyone wants to see it.

 

[Mark H]

For what it is worth....high leg kick or high step and landed flat footed and was early and the pitch looked high and away and appears to have been pulled from the front side opening and could even be a home run. I am 60 and wear trifocals

Howard

High and inside pitch turned into a home run by one of the better hitters to come through the sport who got the pitch she was looking for. One of the best high ball hitters in the game I think.

Same hitter.

http://imageevent.com/siggy/hitting/ullvsunt?p=0&n=1&m=9&c=3&l=0&w=4&s=0&z=9

http://imageevent.com/siggy/hitting/ullvsunt?p=2&n=1&m=9&c=3&l=0&w=4&s=0&z=9

 

[straightleg]

Here's a shot of my daughter.
ELbow / pulling the knob to the red tape as you start to open the shoulder.
The elbow slides straight 2-4 inches then starts to go up and out. Elbow above hand, hand above ball.

The last part is the release to the ball. Hands inside the path of the ball so the release will put the sweet part of the bat on the ball.

Howard could explain it better.


Straightleg


ps. The guy in the photo is Howard