Rotational Hitting

[TeamPosey13]

Mark H,

Ok, here goes...

1.When I said throw the hands at the ball... I did not mean to push your hands (that is what the man was doing in that clip you posted). I mean to throw and get good extension through the pitcher.

2. When I said to push your back heel to the ball, that basically is saying to push off of the inside ball of the foot.

3. When I said to stand tall and get into an athletic position I mean to get a nice athletic base with a slight knee bend and a straight spine and a slight bend in the waist (this is called vertical stacking). The reason why you should tell girls/women especially to stay upright is because our pelvis' are tilted forward and it feels natural for us to bend over (that is why you see so many girls with their butts sticking out )

 

[Hit Dr.24]

Kat, Don't get caught up so much on exactly what they do think more of the process in which they get there.I think A-Rod is a better hitter than Castilla.I also think he's more efficient than Castilla because both hands work togather and Castilla is top hand dominant.The most efficient hitters are connected sooner and have better direction through contact therefor staying on the plane of the pitch longer.I do believe Castilla's posture is better for fastpitch because he's alittle more upright to handle the rise ball plane.

 

[KAT]

catilla vs alex

I liked alex batting better also it just seems more fluid, and more flexible to me. Maybe flexible is not the right word but the only one coming to mind right now.

 

[Hit Dr.24]

Efficient is the word you are looking for. Alex has the same type of rhythm as Ted Williams! Now focus on the similarities in sequencing and you have GOT IT!

 

[Mark H]

To me, they start with a slight linear "shift" towards the pitcher, but they use their lead leg to convert that linear energy into a rotational movement as they turn their body.

Good post but let me see if I can give you a little different take on the shift. Many call it forward by turning. The rotation is happening in the pelvis as the shift happens. The lead leg needs to very quickly stabilize the front hip joint as opposed to letting it continue to move forward. Like this. Photo 11 of 31, Analysis

Now is this where I would start with a 10 year old and are they capable of controlling all this movement and very quickly stabilizing the front hip joint like this (what a hitter keeps from moving is at least as important as what they do move). Probably not. You don't sit down at the piano the first time and play a concerto. But you start building toward that.

 

[Mark H]

I wish I could figure out how to do the swing counts in frames like some of you guys do.

In a standard swing the count starts at heel drop and finishes at contact. In some non standard swings where they get on their heel early you can start counting at first movement of the bat head into the swing plane. World class is four frames. Five frames will get you a LOT of fun in college fp and bb. Don't see six frames that often. Usually they jump straight to seven frames which is usually a bat drag swing which occassionally produces power and always produces inconsistency against good pitching.

I know this sounds weird but I wish I woudl have started looking at these swings when my dd was much younger, now I am just looking towards grandchildren I guess....and no not from DD much to young. I do have older boys, actually my oldest is talking about getting married next summer....so lets see 5 years from then...hey I might be pretty good at this by then....LOL

Amen brother. I can sing in that choir with you and we have plenty of company. As with so many things the trick is to get smart before you get old. Feeling your lament is one of the reasons I spend time on the net.

 

[Mark H]

Mark H,

Ok, here goes...

1.When I said throw the hands at the ball... I did not mean to push your hands (that is what the man was doing in that clip you posted). I mean to throw and get good extension through the pitcher. )

If you are saying throw in a connected hands staying near the back shoulder through the early part of shoulder rotation then I agree. I promise you though there are a LOT of fp instructors who are teaching exactly what you see in that clip with drills like punching the ball off the tee with the knob with as little shoulder rotation as possible and that rotation only to support what the hands and arms are already doing. Given our natural tendency to manipulate hand held objects with arm movement rather than whole body movement (starting with the first time we reached for the sippy cup) the term throw the hands, without you there to correct misunderstanding, can be problematic IME.

2. When I said to push your back heel to the ball, that basically is saying to push off of the inside ball of the foot.

I don't have a big problem here but I'd characterize the cause and result differently. Another subject for another day.

3. When I said to stand tall and get into an athletic position I mean to get a nice athletic base with a slight knee bend and a straight spine and a slight bend in the waist (this is called vertical stacking). The reason why you should tell girls/women especially to stay upright is because our pelvis' are tilted forward and it feels natural for us to bend over (that is why you see so many girls with their butts sticking out )

I understand vertical stacking. I'm looking for vertical loading. Something like this. Think of the posture part way through a dead lift.



Well I don't have this multiple links thing figure out so here come several more posts with a link in each. Sorry.


Photo 30 of 31, Analysis

 

[Mark H]

Photo 11 of 31, Analysis

 

[Mark H]

Photo 1 of 31, Analysis

 

[Mark H]

http://home.mindspring.com/~rmk/ULL0001.mpg

Photo 2 of 16, ULL vs. UNT