Rotational Hitting
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WOW! That's a lot of big words to describe a simple movement. Are you teaching a team of kids or PT's?
All I have to say is watch the motion analysis of A-Rod, Manny Ramirez, Frank Thomas, etc at Free Video Demo Downloads and you will see that there is linear excellaration compounded by rotational power to create the major league swing. There is no such thing as turn to go forward only turn to pull off.The ball of the back foot is the switch that turns on the swing to light the ball up.You sit on the bench not to hit.Your legs are the springs that drive any dynamic athletic movement!
Wow. This is a great forum. I just found this. This is some in depth discussion. I have found this very informational and entertaining. However, there are some posts that just do not make sense.
I think it is very clear that the best hitters lead with there hips. You must create that torque to hit for power.
I have a few questions for the Dr. He seems to like to use big words to sound very professional and deep with his comments. However, I am not sure if the Dr. knows what those words mean or if it is just blowing smoke.
How do you expect to create power to all parts of the field if you just push? With your hips you can whip the bat and drive the ball to all parts of the field. When you push it seems as though you have a feeble swing.
The best players in baseball and softball spin the hips....Videos don't lie. Epstien is legit. He has videos and camps all over. He has proven he can developer GREAT hitters. He learned from Ted Williams, right? I may be wrong on that. Ted Williams was a rotational hitter. I think I will have my daughter do what one of the greatest hitters EVER does.
I think it is very clear that the best hitters lead with there hips. You must create that torque to hit for power.
I have a few questions for the Dr. He seems to like to use big words to sound very professional and deep with his comments. However, I am not sure if the Dr. knows what those words mean or if it is just blowing smoke.
How do you expect to create power to all parts of the field if you just push? With your hips you can whip the bat and drive the ball to all parts of the field. When you push it seems as though you have a feeble swing.
The best players in baseball and softball spin the hips....Videos don't lie. Epstien is legit. He has videos and camps all over. He has proven he can developer GREAT hitters. He learned from Ted Williams, right? I may be wrong on that. Ted Williams was a rotational hitter. I think I will have my daughter do what one of the greatest hitters EVER does.
Hey Guru what level of ball did you play? I hope you have the guts to look at A-Rod swing the bat because he does'nt sit to hit or weather vane or any other made up guru sayings from Epstein. STOP DRINKING THE KOOL-AID! P.S. Itwould be nice if one of you could actually played.
- Jun 11, 2008
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Guru-
I don't know how you could say that linear hitting makes no sense. Isn't the purpose of a good swing to get your body weight behind the ball? Why would you throw your hips and take out the entire bottom half of your body? Think of it this way, if you wanted to push a 100lb sled to first base would you open your hips and then try to push? No because you wouldnt be able to push it with just your arms so why would you do that when a balls coming? you may have bat speed but i hope it's an inside pitch and you're playing on a round field otherwise you won't make it very far in the game.
I don't know how you could say that linear hitting makes no sense. Isn't the purpose of a good swing to get your body weight behind the ball? Why would you throw your hips and take out the entire bottom half of your body? Think of it this way, if you wanted to push a 100lb sled to first base would you open your hips and then try to push? No because you wouldnt be able to push it with just your arms so why would you do that when a balls coming? you may have bat speed but i hope it's an inside pitch and you're playing on a round field otherwise you won't make it very far in the game.
- May 9, 2008
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Day Two Update
Hi All,
This thread seems to have taken on a life of its' own. Thanks for everyones contributions.
Day two started out with about a half hour of warm up swings and review of day one material. They asked for parent volunteers to throw soft toss from about 15 ft. behind a screen so the instructors could observe more closely. Forgetting my previous military training I volunteered. They had 6 stations set up = 40 kids times 30 throws each = I exceeded my 1,000 pitch count limit. Am thinking about rotator cuff surgery later tonight, it was suggested that Tommy Johns surgery could have me back quicker and throwing 95 mph again in no time... probably will ice down my shoulder with an ice cold beer instead.
The kids were video taped again and they hit against a Juggs machine that pitched tiny balls. Everyone that I pitched to was seeing the ball well and was hitting good. Some lapses back to their old form but with proper coaching and correction they all improved. My daughter had 7 or 8 really nice swings according to Mike Epstein when he was working with her. It's kinda cool that there are only two girls there because it makes them stand out and they get extra attention.
After the three hour session my dd wanted to hit some more so my overworked shoulder got in an hour of overtime tossing tennis balls as she worked on her form. She's developing into a long ball hitter with some consistency. I'd put her in the top one third of the group but maybe I'm biased.
Day three tomorrow. Hope to see her put everything together. Should be getting the before and after video by email after that. Once we wrap up we'll head over to meet her team at the Rockies vs. Giants game.
Will update again tomorrow,
Pops
Hi All,
This thread seems to have taken on a life of its' own. Thanks for everyones contributions.
Day two started out with about a half hour of warm up swings and review of day one material. They asked for parent volunteers to throw soft toss from about 15 ft. behind a screen so the instructors could observe more closely. Forgetting my previous military training I volunteered. They had 6 stations set up = 40 kids times 30 throws each = I exceeded my 1,000 pitch count limit. Am thinking about rotator cuff surgery later tonight, it was suggested that Tommy Johns surgery could have me back quicker and throwing 95 mph again in no time... probably will ice down my shoulder with an ice cold beer instead.
The kids were video taped again and they hit against a Juggs machine that pitched tiny balls. Everyone that I pitched to was seeing the ball well and was hitting good. Some lapses back to their old form but with proper coaching and correction they all improved. My daughter had 7 or 8 really nice swings according to Mike Epstein when he was working with her. It's kinda cool that there are only two girls there because it makes them stand out and they get extra attention.
After the three hour session my dd wanted to hit some more so my overworked shoulder got in an hour of overtime tossing tennis balls as she worked on her form. She's developing into a long ball hitter with some consistency. I'd put her in the top one third of the group but maybe I'm biased.
Day three tomorrow. Hope to see her put everything together. Should be getting the before and after video by email after that. Once we wrap up we'll head over to meet her team at the Rockies vs. Giants game.
Will update again tomorrow,
Pops
Dr.,
We can disagree. I realize you may have played at a higher level than me, but to be honest, that has nothing do to with this. I asked a question. A response was what I was looking for in return, not an attack. Please answer my question.
I have a close friend who is successful in the big leagues and he says the key to his success is the torque and power he generates with his hips. He says it is very important to lead with the hips to drive the ball. His numbers don't lie.
P.S. I love KOOL-AID. Tropical punch is probably the best. What is your favorite?
Learn,
You are right about the sled, but I do not see how it relates to hitting. The ball does not weigh 100lbs. I look at it this way. If you are going to hit someone with a whip (in this case ball with the bat), would you just throw it at them, or would you rotate to create that whipping action to create more force. You would hit the object with more power that way.
How did you "Learntohit"?
Guru,
Who is your MLB friend? Please name your source. I would like to review tape or still pics of your friend. This is a constant debate between coaches with different backgrounds. Most lower level softball coaches seem to subscribe to the rotational method , where most pro baseball coaches concentrate on a short linear approach. Back to the video & pictures. As they say, a picture says a thousand words. If you have a link or any photos to post, please post with a description of the photo. I have many photos to trade if you are interested.
Who is your MLB friend? Please name your source. I would like to review tape or still pics of your friend. This is a constant debate between coaches with different backgrounds. Most lower level softball coaches seem to subscribe to the rotational method , where most pro baseball coaches concentrate on a short linear approach. Back to the video & pictures. As they say, a picture says a thousand words. If you have a link or any photos to post, please post with a description of the photo. I have many photos to trade if you are interested.
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