What Causes the Hips to Rotate in a HL Swing?

[clemenslee1]

In the above swings the leg straightens either right before contact (Trout, Betts and Cabrera) or after in the case of Hugo. You don't need stills to see that. I don't know of anybody who says swing initiation is near contact, or even better, after contact...

I can see what you are saying, it was just a thought, but It does seem at least by my eyes that as the front leg loads up (Which I think you would agree that it does, since it gets bent) It starts to bring the hands through etc. and release the back side. In the last gif you see the girl trying to resist everything coming through including releasing the backside when the front leg loads. Obviously the got fooled on this pitch. Again this is just observations not saying it right or wrong.

 

[_MIA_]

I can see what you are saying, it was just a thought, but It does seem at least by my eyes that as the front leg loads up (Which I think you would agree that it does, since it gets bent) It starts to bring the hands through etc. and release the back side. In the last gif you see the girl trying to resist everything coming through including releasing the backside when the front leg loads. Obviously the got fooled on this pitch. Again this is just observations not saying it right or wrong.

Not saying front leg isn't used just that if you were to actively push into the ground to power/initiate the swing, which I believe Bobby is advocating for, e.g. an active push into the ground, one would think that would result in a front leg straightening much early than it does. The "powering" of the swing isn't accomplished near contact...

 

[Bobby Shirer]

Trout's hands have already crossed his body by the time the front leg straightens.

To clairfy, I'm not saying the leg needs to fully extend/straighten before contact. I'm saying the extension of the front leg drives the front hip rearward, torquing the core, and creates the power in the high level swing. The further the hands get from the front hip, the more the power. Force the hip to rotate further before the hands start or while the hands are moving rearward and the stretch on the core is multiplied.
Most swings won't be perfect as you have demonstrated, but this is the foundation of the high level swing. I know you won't find any examples of the front hip remaining still before the hands start and the ball gets over any fence other than the foul fence out of play.

 

[julray]

I believe the hitter lands lightly on their front foot, but once the coil is released the front leg becomes much more active and plays just an important role in supporting the core and entire lower body to power the swing. IDK, maybe it's because I'm a left handed hitter with a dominant right side, but that's what I feel anyway.

 

[rdbass]

A swing that loads against the back leg is a slow swing. A swing that loads against the front leg and a torqued core is an instantly released, explosive swing.

This is soooo backwards........^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

High level hitters are one-legged, meaning the vast majority of their weight is in/over their rear leg AT LAUNCH. Their lead leg is on the ground. It supplies balance. But it has no significant weight on it at launch. It has no real function in the swing other than to 'catch' the swing so you don't fall over as a result of the momentum created. In the act of 'catching' the swing, the lead leg will provide a 'block' so that the energy created continues around the rear leg and into contact rather than bleeding forward linearly. But it does not actively push back. It blocks.

 

[Bobby Shirer]

This I'm not quite following

Triggering from the hands....the hands lead the charge.... a push swing.
Triggering from extending the front leg, pushing the front hip rearward.... the hands get pulled through.... a pull/ rotational/ or elite swing.

 

[clemenslee1]

To clairfy, I'm not saying the leg needs to fully extend/straighten before contact. I'm saying the extension of the front leg drives the front hip rearward, torquing the core, and creates the power in the high level swing. The further the hands get from the front hip, the more the power. Force the hip to rotate further before the hands start or while the hands are moving rearward and the stretch on the core is multiplied.
Most swings won't be perfect as you have demonstrated, but this is the foundation of the high level swing. I know you won't find any examples of the front hip remaining still before the hands start and the ball gets over any fence other than the foul fence out of play.

Seems something like this.

 

[Bobby Shirer]

This is soooo backwards........^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Then what explains the extension of the front leg and the rearward movement of the front hip?
And how can he have his weight on his back leg when
A) he's moving downward, which would unweight his leg
B) and moving forward which would indicate a forward movement of the center of gravity
C) and the rear leg is bending which would also indicate no pressure against it?

Notice the tiny outward rotation of the rear knee immediately before the forward move starts. This is the action of the back leg to start the forward movement and it's all the rear leg actually does power-wise or muscularly.

 

[clemenslee1]

This is soooo backwards........^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

IMO, I cannot agree that the weight stays in the back leg. I will say that maybe initially during their gather. But they coil around the back hip as they move forward. As they are moving forward the weight is being shifted. into the front. To me weight shift is not just a one time act. Its a continuing process through the entire swing until completed.

 

[_MIA_]

IMO, I cannot agree that the weight stays in the back leg. I will say that maybe initially during their gather. But they coil around the back hip as they move forward. As they are moving forward the weight is being shifted. into the front. To me weight shift is not just a one time act. Its a continuing process through the entire swing until completed.

Well technically there is no "weight" (actually pressure) on the front foot until foot strike but yes after that the foot pressure will continually increase. In a good swing, imo, the pressure will see a large jump shortly after swing launch which is what eventually causes the front leg to straighten.