You asked....so here goes....
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Originally posted by willj1967:
2) When hips start opening....Though the videos are pretty fast, it looks like Posada's front foot lands pretty well closed, which leads me to think his hips do not start opening until the front foot is completely down. Hard for me to tell with the speed of the video. Looking back at the Matt Holliday video you posted previously (full swing), he appears to start opening the hips while his front foot is in the still up, landing with his toe pointed pretty well right at the pitcher. Is either of these methods preferable? Is it just a "style" thing? Seems to me it might be important...but I don't know when the hands should start (i.e. barrel tip? or swivel?) in relation to the hips starting to open.
I believe the hips start to open as the weight shfits forward. It's part of the "lower body running start". How much they open does vary hitter to hitter.....and also pitch to pitch in the same hitter. I think the goal of "keeping them closed until toe touch" is a horrible thought. If you consider each hitter has his own "rhythm"...and his own amount of movement and speed of movement necessary for him to "get there" (launch zone) on time....I think you'll see that on some pithces the same hitter will be swinging before the foot gets down and on other pitches he may sit into his front leg before he swings. I think the hitters personal rhythm creates a "window"....a "margin of error"....that lets him launch early or later depending on the pitch speed and location.
So...the hips open, within the hitter's rhythm EVERY PITCH, and hopefully that matches closely the pitchers rhythm. This opening of the hips, before "go", is to create separation and stretch. You really need to achieve a certain threshhold of stretch on every pitch but you can easily get more by delaying launch.
Launch is completely controlled by the hands. So...start the process, get the stretch creation going...you recognize fastball inside....SWING. If you recognize off speed.....keep stretching....THEN SWING.
This is all possible because the swing becomes instantaneous once you get your rhythm and stretch/separation creation process down pat. The time from decision (go) to contact must be instantneous. It must be just as quick as the time it takes a pinball flipper to flip after you hit the button. Or the time it takes your forefinger to launch from it's load against the thumb in the marble example I used earlier.
Once you learn just how to do that and the amount of time you need to do so, you then learn to "carve out" that much time against each pitcher. That time carved out will include a margin of error that allows you to swing quickly in the process...or continue the stretch and swing later...or anything in between.
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3) Hand path - how would you describe the ideal hand path? I realize pitch location probably affects any answer so you can give multiple answers here I guess if you need to. But, I'm curious if you like a "circular hand path" prescribed by Mankin or a more straightish path? Do you like the hand path to be relatively close to the body or do you like "extension". Perhaps those things aren't mutually exclusive. Or is the hand path just a reactionary thing for the hitter?
I am not a fan of circular hand path teaching. In fact, I think mlb hitters try to NOT have a circular hand path...becaue a circular hand path pulls them off the ball...out of the zone. But, I also acknowledge that they will always have one because the body's rotation will eventually create one. Fight it all you want...the body's rotation is going to bend the hand path.
I teach my son to visualize three lines on the ground. One from his hands to the shortstop, one from his hands to the pitcher and the other from his hands to the second baseman. These are three paths that the hands will take...I guess technically there are an infinite number of paths but this gets him thinking "in the ballpark" about what and where they should go. And...they will not travel down these lines very far before rotation "wins" and bends them. But, to allow rotation to "win" too early, or to attempt to create a circular hand path, pulls the hitter off the ball.
I believe Mankin and others misread the video. The HANDS are turning the barrel...NOT THE SHOULDERS. This is a VERY important point. And since the hands are turning the barrel, powered by forearm rotation, this allows the arms to move the hands....down one of those three lines...while they turn the barrel....to the path of the ball.
Notice the path of Guillen's hands on these different pitch locations. IMO they travel to the ball as he turns the barrel. The length of travel has much to do with the speed of the pitch and his own personal swing and rhythm.
The marks on this clip of Ryan Howard also demonstrate the hand path.
The key is to be able to turn the barrel rearward at "go", generating batspeed, early batspeed, before commitment, which can then be adjusted as necessary. AND, this adjustment can easily be made due to the fact that the barrel going rearward "locks" the hands at the armpit for the first few frames of the swing. IF batspeed was created by moving to the ball, whether by arm pull or shoulder rotation, this would not be possible.
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4) Looking at the video of your son, I notice his back foot doesn't rotate around onto the toe which I commonly see in MLB players. Is that significant? I'm guessing it might not be given the bat speed he's generating. But, he appears to have a bit of an inward turn with his foot, kinda rolling his rear foot toward his front foot. His hip turn looks pretty full in the newer 2nd clip, so perhaps it's not that big of a deal.
I believe Brandon's rear foot could be better. Most hitters get all the way to their toes....and some all the way off the ground.
Here is a hitter that rarely gets to his toe. And it doesn't seem to have an influence on his power.
Here is another hitter that does the same thing through contact, foot barely raises, and THEN gets to his toe long after the ball has left.
More Bonds IMO, it has to do with the amount of momentum you are able to generate in the swing rotation process. I believe Brandon's mechanics match these two hitters pretty well (if you consider there will always be individual differences). I believe as he "grows" in his new mechanics, he'll be able to execute them better, and with better execution will come more momentum and he will eventually get to his toe.
In other words....I don't think it is a "mechanics" issue. I think it is a "strength within his mechanics" issue. And that it will improve with reps.
And, more importantly. Beware of internet comments and/or in person coaches that use the rear foot as an absolute. You and your son will know by the ball flight just how important that is to you.
Trust the ball flight. I have witnessed numerous "swing suggestions" that get a player onto his toe while at the same time reduces his explosiveness and power and his ability to get the barrel to the ball on time.
BTW...a thought....if there is truly and equal and opposite reaction for each action....what way should the rear foot go?
