Hitting? Back foot lifting and front leg snapping straight

quote:

Originally posted by BJW:
1. While trying to teach my son to turn his backside, i have heard some hitting coaches say that the back foot lifts up which starts the chain of rotation: legs, hips, etc.

This is backwards.

What happens to the back leg is driven by the extension of the front knee and the rotation of the hips.

QUOTE] Originally posted by BJW:
1. While trying to teach my son to turn his backside, i have heard some hitting coaches say that the back foot lifts up which starts the chain of rotation: legs, hips, etc.[ [/QUOTE]

It's called heel-toe. When the front heel drops, after stride and during stretch, the back heel lifts. We teach younger hitters this is what starts their swing. Gives them a starting point to come back too. It seems to me, if you teach hip rotation, leading the lower end, it leads to over rotation with younger hitters. We use the 4 H's. Heels, hips, hands and head, from a swing progression standpoint.

Once young hitters get the concept of letting their lower end work with their upper body, then they will develop the ability to create connection, and the firm front side you speak of, and thus more power with their swing. JMHO

If you will PM me your email address, I will send you an adobe pdf with Dave Hudgens heel-toe drills.

BJW,
This is just one guy's opinion, but when I analyze professional hitters on my video analysis program, here is what I am seeing.
The swinging action (after the stride) starts with 1)the front heel planting, while 2)the hips begin to open as long as 3)the back heel begins to lift.
If the back heel is freed up it becomes very easy to rotate fully/freely to the contact position.

The front side blocking you mention is vital to achieve a strong, effective contact position. In order to maximize rotation and bat speed, the front leg actually pushes against the ground to accentuate rotation. Visualize a discus thrower captured in a photo just at release. He plants his front leg and straightens it to maximize his rotation. How effective would he be if he threw off of a bent front leg or with his weight out on his front leg?
When I look at the best hitters in the world, their front leg is rigid and angled backwards (like this - /) and the back leg forms an angle that looks like a wide mouthed "L", with the back thigh perpendicular to the ground. The back heel is facing the sky and the cleats face the catcher.
Some of the best hitters in the world (Manny, Pujols) rotate so well that the back foot comes off the ground slightly and moves forward.

I teach/drill our players on the three step process of heel drop mentioned above. One of my favorite ways is to simply place a bat across the waist and with the front heel up, heel drop-open the hips-raise the back heel. The knob of the bat should move about 6".
We drill the contact position by starting in that position (lower body pre-set), rotating back and taking dry swings, tee work, etc. from that position. I think this is called backshaping.

Once again, this is just one coach's opinion. I don't profess to be a hitting guru.

Get off the back side by easing the ability for the front hip to internaly rotate and flex, decrease resistance for this position.