Yep, big fan of the hop. Gets the party started and ready ahead of the "play". Nice post and so much more I could say on this but hoping others will chime in. It is not a gimmick, it is an "adder".
In my humble opinion....I think you don't need to get off the ground as much as Auburn does. I think if you get the heels off the ground and on the toes it works the same and maybe better but I am not a scientist on this,......yet.
I like it as we have recently posted it (I think it applies) in pitching with Garcia. Look at Finch, and so many others. They get the party started early. It is a must IMO.
Thanks again for the post FIVE!!! Much to give thought to IMHO!
IMO...the most important thing is that you must land immediately after contact. If you land before knowing which way you are going, defeats the purpose.