Sqishing the Bug

[Perfect Circle]

I will say Eric, make sure you have the rag wring, stretch/coil, scap, barrel turn down first. You might come to the my conclusion that I don't put a lot of care into what my foot is doing, and don't think anyone can convince me to change the way I am doing it.

Sounds like the spec's in house building... the footers have to be just within an inch of square... the block within a 1/2"... the frame within a 1/4" and the trim within an 1/8".... When I build them, they are right on all the way up... because I do them all myself.... footer, forms, foundation, framing......Formica

 

[Eric F]

The rear foot is reactive to the hip coil.

Eric...I think you have to figure out it out somewhat on your own. So step 1 ask Rich for all the answers to all your questions. Tell him you need to understand...outside of his blog, I promise he will do everything to help you understand.

Then the only other back foot thing you will find on the back foot is "the move". Ask swingbuilder to help you with that, and without any messages from mars .

Then swing and figure it out...don't waste your time with anything anyone else gets into on the rear foot...the are idiots!

I will say Eric, make sure you have the rag wring, stretch/coil, scap, barrel turn down first.

You might come to the my conclusion that I don't put a lot of care into what my foot is doing, and don't think anyone can convince me to change the way I am doing it.

When I swing the bat, feeling what is powering the rear hip's forward movement, I'm feeling both the pressure of my rear foot on the ground (at the initiation of the hip turn) and the pull of my back - push and pull at the same time. Once the back takes over, the rear leg is pulled and the rear foot rotates up onto the toe. I'm trying to figure out if I'm feeling the right thing, or if I'm still lost.

 

[redhotcoach]

Maybe.
What I mean about reactive is the pressure of the foot across the ground is from the hip coil...not the foot actively creating pressure against the ground.

It is possible you are over thinking it. Try just getting into a 45 degree snf drill. Now stretch back around you femur as tight as you can. Launch the barrel rearward...a TIGHT barrel turn. To me it is like pulling back a rubber band and the rearward barrel turn attempts to pull it back beyond it's stretch. It slips out of your finger and everything snaps through.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Maybe.
What I mean about reactive is the pressure of the foot across the ground is from the hip coil...not the foot actively creating pressure against the ground.

It is possible you are over thinking it. Try just getting into a 45 degree snf drill. Now stretch back around you femur as tight as you can. Launch the barrel rearward...a TIGHT barrel turn. To me it is like pulling back a rubber band and the rearward barrel turn attempts to pull it back beyond it's stretch. It slips out of your finger and everything snaps through.

That assumes that the rear leg was 'wound' ... which should be the case.

 

[Eric F]

It is possible you are over thinking it.

Probably. This is usually my pattern.

 

[Eric F]

Maybe.
What I mean about reactive is the pressure of the foot across the ground is from the hip coil...not the foot actively creating pressure against the ground.

That makes some sense. In that light, it seems to me the rear foot is active, but for just a moment until the ground pressure created by the hip coil is released, then the rear leg is being pulled by the hip.

I'll try the 45 SNF tonight.

 

[mann]

Mann it's not "hold your coil". It's "keep coiling". Keep coiling means keep tightening the relationship in the rear hip joint by keep driving the rear leg and keep resisting the rear hip.... Here's the key part... Regardless of where in space the overall leg/hip is turning.

There is an adduction component to the inward pressure that will cause the foot to release away from the plate depending on the when the release at the foot happens relative to the overall still coiling leg/hip unit direction.

The more the still coiling leg/hip has been turned by the time the foot releases the more the adduction direction is away from the plate.

Oh snap... Practical cracker jacks for everyone! Forgot where I was.

http://breddydotorg.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/hip-abduction-adduction.gif

Ok, Keep coiling, not hold coil.



So when the foot loses contact with the ground, instead of the hips turning, the foot/leg fly's back?

Noon, do you think you might have it backwards, that the LESS the hips have turned, the more the leg/foot moves from the plate?
No disrespect at all, I am really trying to grasp this hip stuff.

 

[NoonTime]

Right leg of a right handed batter. Arrows on the other leg in your gif. Which direction is moving the right leg away from the plate if the hips have been turned and we are looking at your figures here from the pitchers view?

 

[coach dennis]

Hitting 101

Let’s open the box…..
Seems like several have misunderstood my previous post that I wrote in a response to several of the threads post regarding the level of instruction or topic. I did/do not advocate the teaching of “squish the bug” however; I was identifying the instructional voids in almost all of the post that were relating MLB swings to ladies under 16 years old which, most of the examples of the ladies are under 16 regardless of hitting style…(putting the cart before the horse).
Earlier in the thread a poster talked about the art and science of teaching or instruction and, there is also an art and science to learning…

We do live in a world of “instant gratification” and a lot of parents that do not have a coaching or instructing back ground tend to jump to the “dessert phase” of instruction resulting in bad habits and or not good results.

Under 16 I agree with the poster that stated KIS as a teaching tool. That is what I use for ladies under 16 and it works well if done properly.

Break down instruction and revisit the areas often as you start with:
Phase one: what and why or EXPLORING this is also called the appetizer,
Phase two: what, why, how also called UNDERSTANDING or the main course
Phase three: How/Why or DEEPPENING of the previous learning also called the dessert phase…Hint it will not happen before 16…

In athletics the parent or coach has to figure in the “physical changes” that occur that requires revisiting fundamentals and deepening the knowledge of the fundamentals.

Self-reflection is not a bad thing…Review and revise as the coach grows along with their players to do this you have to be open to new and old ideas. This does not mean you trash what you believe in you take bits of what works and add it to what you already know or are trying to teach. Thus why you see college and HS coaches using several styles of instruction.

As I stated before, I like the passion or quest for knowledge by posters to deepen their understanding that will help the coach become better at what they do as they teach the hitting areas. Just do not stay in the exploring or desert phase of instruction…

Here is an example of a exploring phase coach on GRIP. The coach lays the bat out in front palms up with the bat behind the first joint of the fingers. Then slowly bending the fingers so that the bat lays in the pads of the fingers and not deep in the hand. Coach may roll bat in fingers so the ladies see the difference lesson over…

What is not explained is why you do not want the bat deep in the hand, How batting gloves and handle grip affect grip, How you can improve grip strength (squeeze ball rope weight etc.) Legal modifications to the grip all of this would go into the understanding and deepening phase of the fundamental.

As the player develops their instructional hours increase. These instructional hours for the ladies are a fracton of the instructional hours put in by a MLB hitter. Thus it does make it difficult but not impossible to be able to accurately replicate the swing of some of the top hitters of our time. Just keep in mind this audience will be made up mostly by 18O and College players that have spent the time developing and deepening the 9 fundamental areas of hitting.

 

[NoonTime]

Coach Dennis,
What are your 9 fundamental areas of hitting?