stride or no stride

[FiveFrameSwing]

Bouldersdad, I thought it through … as you suggested … and I'm still of the opinion that a no-stride approach allows one to capture the full sequence.

 

[Bouldersdad]

As one that strives to learn. May I ask why you are of this opinion? I understand that some books as you referenced will say it. But what I would like to know is your view. How and why you prefer it. Believing and rightly so in the Hanson Principle if the majority of the MLB,rs swing a certain way. Then why would it not be the correct way to teach our young ones as we all are trying to do.

Not trying to be difficult just trying to understand. I believe as you do that our hitters should strive to be as good as they can be. This as an instructor just gives me more knowledge to decide what is the best in the long run to teach my students.

Thanks.

Tim

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

As one that strives to learn. May I ask why you are of this opinion? I understand that some books as you referenced will say it. But what I would like to know is your view. How and why you prefer it. Believing and rightly so in the Hanson Principle if the majority of the MLB,rs swing a certain way. Then why would it not be the correct way to teach our young ones as we all are trying to do.

Not trying to be difficult just trying to understand. I believe as you do that our hitters should strive to be as good as they can be. This as an instructor just gives me more knowledge to decide what is the best in the long run to teach my students.

Thanks.

Tim

Boulderdad, I’m of the opinion that a no-stride approach does not prevent one from using a proper swing sequence. One can still Coil-Stretch-Swing via a no-stride approach. Said differently, the use of a no-stride approach is not an excuse I accept for using a poor swing sequence.

Not sure of which books you are referring to …. What are they?

You ask for my view … and why I prefer it. Don’t follow you here. When did I say I prefer a no-stride approach? Don’t recall making that statement. Can you refer to a particular post so I can follow how you came to that belief?

To be clear … I do teach and promote the concept of forward-by-coiling … and that ‘can’, but doesn’t have to, result in a ‘stride’. I personally consider a ‘stride’ to be a ‘result’. At the same time, I have seen many, many, many people teach a ‘stride’ directly and inhibit the hitter in the process. That is, in teaching a stride, many people bypass what I consider important aspects in the swing.

Again … you seem to be of the opinion that I favor a “no-stride”. Not sure why you would believe that. The majority of my hitters have a stride … yet I don’t teach a stride directly, but come at it as more of a ‘result’ of what I do teach.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Bouldersdad, Screwball ….. despite the description of a golf ball given here … e.g., 1.6-oz, latex center, wrapped by rubberbands, encased in a dimpled cover … and a belief that the balls are made to jump …… Despite that, many golfers place a sincere interest in club swing speed.

 

[SBdad]

For young kids starting out, I prefer they use a no stride or maybe just a small step (approximately 4 inch step). Keep it as compact as you can with younger hitters. As kids get a little older and are more experienced hitters, then they can decide if they want to stride or not stride.......whatever works best for them.

 

[Bouldersdad]

IMO, a no stride approach still allows one to capture the full sequence.

From that statement it gave the impression that you thought a no stride was what you thought was correct.

Secrets in the dirt was what I was referring to that you stated.

I am just wondering why your thought process would allow the swing to complete its self with forward momentum without the stride.

That was all I really wanted to know is how it can be accomplished in your words. nothing more. I like to listen to all sides. in my opinion if the mechanics of a swing are laid out true and pure to the best of our abilities as instructors we help those that come here for assistance.

Tim

 

[Bouldersdad]

Bouldersdad, Screwball ….. despite the description of a golf ball given here … e.g., 1.6-oz, latex center, wrapped by rubberbands, encased in a dimpled cover … and a belief that the balls are made to jump …… Despite that, many golfers place a sincere interest in club swing speed.

Sorry I missed this, I should have covered it in my last post. I still dont understand what this has to do with a softball swing and forward momentum and rotation behind the ball. If I see a golfer on the ball field during a game the TD is going to get a call LOL

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

I had a kid that struggled to advance their skills in this year's winter hitting clinics ... at least up to the last 3-4 wks. Why did the kid struggle? The kid had a parent that kept telling the kid to 'stride'. That single piece of advice caused the kid to not get what I was teaching.

The parent would ask me from time to time about the stride I was teaching. I consistently stated that we would not be teaching a stride ... that we were instead teaching a loading mechanic that would 'result' in a 'stride'. The parent didn't understand ... IMO they didn't really listen to the answer ... and they kept routing for their kid to stride.

I felt sorry for the kid ... the kid was pure momentum ... didn't learn how to coil ... didn't learn how to create the dynamic stretch for 'Stretch-and-Fire', because they bypassed that with their 'stride'. As a result the kid had an upper body that was all arms. It wasn't a pretty swing.

Finally ... when things sank into the parent, and they realized that their kid wasn't keeping up with how the other hitters were advancing, they asked for an assessment. I had delivered the message several times before ... but it hadn't sunk in ... so this time I took a rather blunt approach. I explained that there were other sports to engage in if they persisted in encouraging a stride. I confirmed that it was true that their kid was not advancing and explained how their promotion of something as simple as a stride was negatively impacting the lower body mechanics I wanted used. Over the Christmas break the kid put in extra sessions to catch up ... and while the kid ended up coming out of it with a 'stride', it was a now a 'result' of their lower body loading mechanics ... very different. The kid has made some decent progress in the last 3wks ... even able to Stretch-and-Fire over the last week ... but prior to that, very little was sticking for the kid ... and it took the parent to stop with the recommendation that their kid stride.

Is there a 'stride'? Yes ... but IMO it is best taught as a 'result' of good 'under the hood' loading mechanics.

If you tell a kid to perform an overhand throw to the back of the cage ... do they 'stride' as part of the task? Yes ... they do. If you ask them specifics about the stride they made when they threw, what do you get for answers? I've asked the question hundreds of times ... and almost every kid says "I don't know" ... they simply threw the ball, allowed their lower body to load, and allowed their 'stride' leg to support the action.

Can a hitter be made worse by telling them to 'stride'? Absolutely ... I have seen it happen several times.

Can a hitter be made worse by telling them to 'not stride'? Absolutely ... I have seen that many times as well.

IMO, one of the biggest areas where people error ... is in the teaching of the 'stride' or 'no stride'.

Carry on .....

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

IMO, a no stride approach still allows one to capture the full sequence.

From that statement it gave the impression that you thought a no stride was what you thought was correct.

Secrets in the dirt was what I was referring to that you stated.

I am just wondering why your thought process would allow the swing to complete its self with forward momentum without the stride.

That was all I really wanted to know is how it can be accomplished in your words. nothing more. I like to listen to all sides. in my opinion if the mechanics of a swing are laid out true and pure to the best of our abilities as instructors we help those that come here for assistance.

Tim

Thanks for clarifying.

It isn't that I think a no-stride is correct ..... not at all ..... it is that I realize that a no-stride can be correct.

The 'important' forward momentum can, and does, occur over a very brief distance. Many young people grossly overdue their stride ... and to their detriment IMO.

My point about golfers is that many of them can perform a proper forward-by-coiling like move and do so without striding. That was my only point in that regard. Over at "Secret In The Dirt" you'll see Elk describe the action quite well ... and yet there is no stride.

Should there be a stride? Weeellllll ... I like to see a loading pattern that often results in a 'stride' ... and I don't like seeing 'strides' that result in either a weak loading pattern or a sequence that bypasses the viable dynamic stretch in Stretch-and-Fire. Me ... I'm more interested in the loading pattern ... and allow the 'stride' to be an outcome of that loading pattern.

 

[Wellphyt]

Many instructors who try and teach Pujols' style don't teach what he actual does. They teach what they think he does. Notice in this clip how Pujols' hips/torso moves forward as he coils.

[video]http://www.chrisoleary.com/videos/Hitting/Pujols_09-074_10-36_R.gif[/video]

IMO the kids are better off being taught that the reason the front foot gets lifted is to cock/coil the hips; rather than to stride. Any forward movement after the front foot is lifted is for balance purposes. When taught in this context the kids will be better equipped to wrap their own batting stance style around the "forward by coiling" absolute found in most good hitters.

Here you have a young lady caught in between her hitting instructor and travel coach over her style, rather than the focus being on "forward by coiling", which is the art of coiling to a balanced position to launch the swing from.