Front Side Question

My son has this debate with his instructor. He likes to allow his front side to open up after contact, his instructor wants him to remain closed.

Part of the problem in my son's case is that he has a tendency to open early on occasion. The fix is for him to stay closed consciously through the follow through.

When contact happens and he is trying to get out of the box fast, I believe it all breaks down quickly.

In BP and while training he does try to maintain his firm front side and keep his front foot closed through the complete swing.

Looks open to me...

I would not call that open. But it is a matter of degrees. He is not spinning on his heel,this looks about 3/4 to me.

2nd piece is open. The player in the video may not have an issue with his front shoulder opening too soon. Mine does, so his cue and his mechanics reflect that by attempting to stay closed as long as possible.

It's a no-teach.....Some hitters will stay more closed, some will open.....But, to teach to keep it closed is restricting body movement....Not a wise move, IMO...

Pujols has a lot of video with a closed front side as well.

I believe that the point of the instruction is not to "stay" closed, but to keep from flying open prematurely.

It may have to do with pitch selection as well, and inside pitch maybe more prone to opening up.

Good to see you Bluedog...

Thanks for the input. It's appreciated.

I was trying to emphasize keeping the front side firm to contact, and had a young man ask if the front foot should eventually open through rotation.

In my experience, my front foot eventually would open as the swing progressed...but after thinking about the question...wondered if I was a little off mechanically. It was a good question, that I hadn't really anticipated...glad he was thinking.

Thanks again for the advice.

quote:

Originally posted by BlueDog:
It's a no-teach.....Some hitters will stay more closed, some will open.....But, to teach to keep it closed is restricting body movement....Not a wise move, IMO...

I would a agree if you are a hitter who wants to "drive the baseball."

What if you are a hitter who does drive the baseball?

I can't tell if you're talking about the front foot or the front hip.

As your front heel comes down, your front hip opens.

The front foot of MLB hitters can do one of 3 things:

1. Foot Rolls Over
Lands on the ball of front foot, and rotates on the side of heel (rolls their foot over)

2. Toe Comes Up
Lands on the ball of front foot, and rotates on the heel before contact ( toe comes up)

3. Rotate on Ball of Foot - foot stays down
Lands on the ball of front foot, and rotates on the ball of foot or flat foot (may rotate on heel well after contact)

quote:

Timer

Was referring to the front foot. Thanks again.