Tewks AB hitting video series begins
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I find it strange that Tewks says he made this realization 3 years ago, yet in the "barrel to the ball" youtube vid posted in 2010 it shows no understanding whatsoever of getting stretch or the sequencing of the hips leading the hands.
don.t get the front foot down early:
Don't Get Foot Down Early - Part 1 - YouTube
Don't Get Foot Down Early - Part 2 - YouTube
Don't Get Foot Down Early - Part 1 - YouTube
Don't Get Foot Down Early - Part 2 - YouTube
Who advocates foot down early and stop dynamically loading? Any momentum gained would be lost. That's like saying when jumping one needs to squat-stop-jump. I think the reason some high level guys talk about it is it allows them to use both legs with equal force vs the rear leg/hip pushing in a linear method to plant the front foot. IOW coil the rear hip and uncoil to move forward and plant the foot.
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- Oct 12, 2009
- 1,460
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Unfortunately, lots of baseball guys do (at both the college and the pro level).
I've been coaching for over ten years and have never heard a parent or coach tell a kid to get their front foot down as soon as the ball is released. What I tell my daughter is that she can't be late getting the front foot down. We work a lot on how to stay balanced when the front foot is off the ground during the stride to increase the chance of her getting the front foot down on-time.
I also don't agree with the view that hitters get back in a linear fashion. IMO kids should be taught to get back by performing a hip cock. All the lower body stuff that hitters do prior to the hip cock is a style choice. The hip cock is a rotational movement.
MATTINGLY: All good hitters shift their weight. I can't believe they don't. Show me how you get back.
WILLIAMS: I'm doing it with my hips.
Kids should be taught to turn their hips back so they have more to turn forward into the pitch. The hip action is a move-countermove. The back and forth pendulum movement of the hips helps with power generation. I've seen this first hand with a girl I coached this past year as well as another local player that has caught my attention. Both hit for way more power than their size would indicate. Both have exceptional hip action.
"Ken Harrelson of the Indians was doing that one year. He was concentrating so much on cocking the hips that he was actually doing it at the stance. He had his knee turned in and his hips cocked before the pitch, and without that pendulum action he wasn't generating any power. I made a mistake. I told him about it."
-- Ted Williams
"The way you bring your hips into the swing is directly proportionate to the power you generate." -- Ted Williams
Edited to add that when Freddie Freeman of the Braves started hitting better mid-season, he was asked what he had changed to improve his hitting. His answer was that he started getting his front foot down earlier.
I also don't agree with the view that hitters get back in a linear fashion. IMO kids should be taught to get back by performing a hip cock. All the lower body stuff that hitters do prior to the hip cock is a style choice. The hip cock is a rotational movement.
MATTINGLY: All good hitters shift their weight. I can't believe they don't. Show me how you get back.
WILLIAMS: I'm doing it with my hips.
Kids should be taught to turn their hips back so they have more to turn forward into the pitch. The hip action is a move-countermove. The back and forth pendulum movement of the hips helps with power generation. I've seen this first hand with a girl I coached this past year as well as another local player that has caught my attention. Both hit for way more power than their size would indicate. Both have exceptional hip action.
"Ken Harrelson of the Indians was doing that one year. He was concentrating so much on cocking the hips that he was actually doing it at the stance. He had his knee turned in and his hips cocked before the pitch, and without that pendulum action he wasn't generating any power. I made a mistake. I told him about it."
-- Ted Williams
"The way you bring your hips into the swing is directly proportionate to the power you generate." -- Ted Williams
Edited to add that when Freddie Freeman of the Braves started hitting better mid-season, he was asked what he had changed to improve his hitting. His answer was that he started getting his front foot down earlier.
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FiveFrameSwing
Banned
Absolutely … Ted certainly used his hips to get back. The sequence begins by using the muscles in the lower spine and rear hip area … causing an ‘impulse’ that travels down the rear leg, to the ground, and back up. It is the muscles in the rear hip area that are used to initiate the sequence.
The implication is that Ted was aware that the hips didn’t operate in a vacuum and that something was responsible for “the way you bring your hips into the swing”. Ted believed that "the way" the hips were brought into the swing was "proportionate to the power" generated ... and that is very true.
- Oct 25, 2009
- 3,331
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The goal is to be on time to toe-touch. If the timing is perfect the batter will be at toe-touch right on time. If the batter's timing is off they may be early or they may be late. Late is bad. Early can be dealt with if the hands remain in launch position.
One of the pitcher's objectives is to prevent the batter from being on time.
I believe the batter can control to a large degree when they will arrive at toe-touch by staying dynamically balanced as they stride. I like to call this a hover.
Candrea said it's ok to be early but it's not ok to be late. He didn't mean to be early, he meant it is the lesser of the two evils.
One of the pitcher's objectives is to prevent the batter from being on time.
I believe the batter can control to a large degree when they will arrive at toe-touch by staying dynamically balanced as they stride. I like to call this a hover.
Candrea said it's ok to be early but it's not ok to be late. He didn't mean to be early, he meant it is the lesser of the two evils.
Greenmonsters
Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
Well - I understand what you are saying, but I think referring to the hips having a "pendulum" action isn't a good term. Yes, they rotate, but unlike a pendulum, which moves smoothly and equally slow back and forward, a hitter's uncoil is an agressive, explosive move so I don't think its a good analogy for those who have a more literal learning style. Just a point of semantics FWIW
more important tewks related info linked here:
Teacherman's HittingIllustrated.com - View Single Post - Congrats to Chris Colabello!
Teacherman's HittingIllustrated.com - View Single Post - Congrats to Chris Colabello!
