Earlier, I mentioned this approach in hitting. Thought it may be worthy of further discussion since Merv Rettenmund, Jim Thrift, Dave Magadan and a host of other great professional hitting instructors endorse this type of swing.
I'LL START>The longer you can wait, the deeper the pitched ball can travel in the hitting zone and more likely a rotational swing can occur with the sequential elements unloaded correctly (turning forward without sliding hips). How does a hitter accomplish the technique of Short to zone...Long through zone?
Hand position is key as well as many other mechanical aspects of swing. If done correctly, an impression of half-moon will be left on baseball after contact. This can be attributed to the squareness of the ball in relation to the bat at contact.
When the hands load, the hips feel the need to follow along. The hips will actually square up to the plate and remain horizontal to the left or right lateral line of the plate which should be the edge of the plate parallel to your feet in front of you whether LHH or RHH. Some prefer a slightly open to slightly closed approach in hip lines but to me that's just waisted movement which takes away from energy load in relation to gravity and the ground and can also cause too much slashing with open hips and firewood for hitters who like to dive into the hitting zone and oftentimes get sawed off with inside FBs. Remember, a hitter is loading energy into the process and looking for the shortest way to gather up as much energy as possible before contact. This energy is better known as power in hitting terminology.
One tale tale indicator of sliding of hips and the waisted movements will be the impression left on baseballs after contact. Slash mark impressions usually mean that sliding has taken place in the uncoiling of the body and the hitter DID NOT square up to the ball. Only a half moon impression will indicate the hitter has squared up at contact.
How to move the hands and alignment of hips is very important. I will talk about the hands in my next post in this thread. Hips and hands are key elements in accomplishing the half moon swing of Short to Zone..Long through zone. peace
The hands play a huge role in the sequential steps in the uncoiling of the body as the center turns and creates the rotation by coming forward by turning.
The hands should have a methodical rhythm in the reverse movement while loading into cocked position. Timing plays such an important role in this methodical movement.
Go Lowes JJ Go>He just won the Sprint Nextel Cup Series!!!! 6.2 Million
Apologize board for the side-bar! peace
The hands should have a methodical rhythm in the reverse movement while loading into cocked position. Timing plays such an important role in this methodical movement.
Go Lowes JJ Go>He just won the Sprint Nextel Cup Series!!!! 6.2 Million
Apologize board for the side-bar! peace
Quote by Linear earlier this year:
"Check out the alignment of their arms and how they maintain the alignment throughout the swing.
It's called (maintaining the box)."
End of Quote-Linear
Shep's .02-Any major swing flaw can be easily pointed out by comparing the above illustration against your own swing.
The graphic in my last post demonstrates a skeletal representation of a "stickman hitter" and how the planes of the swing occur when the body uncoils when coming forward by turning. The hitter should not slide the hips but rather turn the hips while also maintaining the box.
Get a clip of hitter whom you have interest to assist in instructional development and
visually stare at the clip until you can actually "see" the imaginery disk created by the swing plane.
Compare the graphic of the skeletal representation with a great hitter who does all the correct things mechanically like Pujols in his swingplane and how he maintains the box.
Now compare your two hitters clips. Your clip of your developing hitter of interest and Pujols swing against the skeletal graphic like a overlay/trace-over.
Are the two swings the same in the clip of the hitter you are instructing and the clip of Pujols? Of course, the two swings will not be exactly the same because no two swings are exactly alike but the goal here is to help the hitter you are assisting recognize success by maintaining the box by coming forward by turning. Model the swingplane of your candidate after the successful hitter. You may have to look at the swing several times in order to capture the mental imagery of the swingplane of the successful hitter. Make sure the swingplane you are modeling is done correctly as in the representation. Does the swingplane of the graphic representation of the skeletal stickman match the two clips of your candidate and Pujols? If not both, which hitter does it match? Pujols or the other hitter? In a Utopian world, both would match but a hitter usually has to train the body through practice, mental imagery sessions, muscle memory by repetition in the uncoiling of the body as it comes forward by turning while maintaining the box and many other key hitting factors of the successful swing I will discuss later.
Happy Thanksgiving HSBBW perusers and until next time, so long!
peace Shep
"Check out the alignment of their arms and how they maintain the alignment throughout the swing.
It's called (maintaining the box)."
End of Quote-Linear
Shep's .02-Any major swing flaw can be easily pointed out by comparing the above illustration against your own swing.
The graphic in my last post demonstrates a skeletal representation of a "stickman hitter" and how the planes of the swing occur when the body uncoils when coming forward by turning. The hitter should not slide the hips but rather turn the hips while also maintaining the box.
Get a clip of hitter whom you have interest to assist in instructional development and
visually stare at the clip until you can actually "see" the imaginery disk created by the swing plane.
Compare the graphic of the skeletal representation with a great hitter who does all the correct things mechanically like Pujols in his swingplane and how he maintains the box.
Now compare your two hitters clips. Your clip of your developing hitter of interest and Pujols swing against the skeletal graphic like a overlay/trace-over.
Are the two swings the same in the clip of the hitter you are instructing and the clip of Pujols? Of course, the two swings will not be exactly the same because no two swings are exactly alike but the goal here is to help the hitter you are assisting recognize success by maintaining the box by coming forward by turning. Model the swingplane of your candidate after the successful hitter. You may have to look at the swing several times in order to capture the mental imagery of the swingplane of the successful hitter. Make sure the swingplane you are modeling is done correctly as in the representation. Does the swingplane of the graphic representation of the skeletal stickman match the two clips of your candidate and Pujols? If not both, which hitter does it match? Pujols or the other hitter? In a Utopian world, both would match but a hitter usually has to train the body through practice, mental imagery sessions, muscle memory by repetition in the uncoiling of the body as it comes forward by turning while maintaining the box and many other key hitting factors of the successful swing I will discuss later.
Happy Thanksgiving HSBBW perusers and until next time, so long!
peace Shep
Good evening HSBBW. Hope your Thanksgiving has been a good one. Had a few good discussions over Boston Market food today with pro baseball people who gave me a few ideas to share here.
Of course, it's about hitting. One aspect is the process of internalizing the imagery which is one of the keys that will unlock the kingdom of proficient hitting at the highest levels. In another way this can be said by stating, the visualization of the swing from start to finish.
This can be accomplished after the hitter has fine tuned the steps of a smooth swing with no pressure or undue stress on muscles involved in the unlocking of the sequence. The hitter's body should be flexible with a firm yet rigid front side with the hips leading the way. The hands should be cocked with the pitch recognition or visual training preparation taking over in a continuous movement of beauty as the body uncoils and comes forward by turning. The less tension the better the swing and short to zone and long through zone will just happen in a natural way. Example: Golfer who has trained body to perform a swing perfectly. A professional golfer can set hands in grip, align body to ball position, set feet and body then swing the golf club with no tension and attain desired results without thinking. For the sake of learning, I will call this muscle memory. Just take the club back and let what the brain has taught the body to do take over and just let the swing happen. Preparation has met opportunity and the baseball swing is the same way even though you're swinging at a moving object moving in several different directions at the pitcher's will Golfing is easy if looked at this way, however, the golfer has many other variables to consider in his task opposed to a hitter and this too can be internalized in practice. Remember this though, Perfect practice makes Perfect. So many times when the practice is not proven, this can result in internalizing the incorrect mechanics of the swing that has to be untaught or re-learned as hitter reaches higher levels. Just because you're hitting 500 FT bombs against 80MPH FBs doesn't mean you can expect to use the same mechanics against a 95MPH FB. There is a huge difference so make sure you develop a swing that can be used at the goal of the level you are aiming for If you want to play pro even if you're in HS, find someone to teach you at that level. Shep's .02
Of course, it's about hitting. One aspect is the process of internalizing the imagery which is one of the keys that will unlock the kingdom of proficient hitting at the highest levels. In another way this can be said by stating, the visualization of the swing from start to finish.
This can be accomplished after the hitter has fine tuned the steps of a smooth swing with no pressure or undue stress on muscles involved in the unlocking of the sequence. The hitter's body should be flexible with a firm yet rigid front side with the hips leading the way. The hands should be cocked with the pitch recognition or visual training preparation taking over in a continuous movement of beauty as the body uncoils and comes forward by turning. The less tension the better the swing and short to zone and long through zone will just happen in a natural way. Example: Golfer who has trained body to perform a swing perfectly. A professional golfer can set hands in grip, align body to ball position, set feet and body then swing the golf club with no tension and attain desired results without thinking. For the sake of learning, I will call this muscle memory. Just take the club back and let what the brain has taught the body to do take over and just let the swing happen. Preparation has met opportunity and the baseball swing is the same way even though you're swinging at a moving object moving in several different directions at the pitcher's will
Golfing is easy if looked at this way, however, the golfer has many other variables to consider in his task opposed to a hitter and this too can be internalized in practice. Remember this though, Perfect practice makes Perfect. So many times when the practice is not proven, this can result in internalizing the incorrect mechanics of the swing that has to be untaught or re-learned as hitter reaches higher levels. Just because you're hitting 500 FT bombs against 80MPH FBs doesn't mean you can expect to use the same mechanics against a 95MPH FB. There is a huge difference so make sure you develop a swing that can be used at the goal of the level you are aiming for If you want to play pro even if you're in HS, find someone to teach you at that level. Shep's .02
BC
The clips offered up by Sandman and thepainguy are great clips to study and anaylze. Let me know if you sign onto Chameleon's hitting site if there are clips there that are different than the ones we have posted here. There are many clips in this thread and many great baseball minds and professionals also who share some really helpful hitting instruction. Good luck and good to see time being used wisely if and when the snow falls up there.
Found some interesting facts about current elite group of hitters with 500+ Homeruns with a 300+ Batting Average. Can anyone tell me who's missing? It's certainly not the king taken in this next post I am about to make after this one. The photo of Hammerin' Hank was taken in Vero Beach at Holman Stadium around circa 1958-60 No matter what, Hank will always be my hero and king peace Shep
500 Plus HRs with .300 plus Batting Average
1 Hank Aaron 755 .305
2 Babe Ruth 714 .342
3 Willie Mays 660 .302
4 Jimmie Foxx 534 .325
5 Ted Williams 521 .344
6 Mel Ott 511 .304
The clips offered up by Sandman and thepainguy are great clips to study and anaylze. Let me know if you sign onto Chameleon's hitting site if there are clips there that are different than the ones we have posted here. There are many clips in this thread and many great baseball minds and professionals also who share some really helpful hitting instruction. Good luck and good to see time being used wisely if and when the snow falls up there.
Found some interesting facts about current elite group of hitters with 500+ Homeruns with a 300+ Batting Average. Can anyone tell me who's missing? It's certainly not the king taken in this next post I am about to make after this one. The photo of Hammerin' Hank was taken in Vero Beach at Holman Stadium around circa 1958-60 No matter what, Hank will always be my hero and king peace Shep
500 Plus HRs with .300 plus Batting Average
1 Hank Aaron 755 .305
2 Babe Ruth 714 .342
3 Willie Mays 660 .302
4 Jimmie Foxx 534 .325
5 Ted Williams 521 .344
6 Mel Ott 511 .304
Here's Hank stepping in the bucket on the inside pitch hitting a HR and the second frame is Hank blocking out the front side hitting outside pitch for HR. It's all about pitch recognition, tracking the baseball out of the pitcher's hand. Hammer is Da Man!!! peace, Shep
Image from BBscout's website is having trouble loading, so I will find, create and post another later today. (Posted Dec 9, 2006) As promised>
This is the center my friends If you're serious about hitting, here ya go...The key to being the greatest hitter ever is staying inside those two red lines of the carousel and coming forward by turning without lunging, or sliding hips. If you can accomplish this feat on a continuous basis over a long period of time, you can catch the hammer...if not, you can be average and ordinary like millions of others Pujols is close, but, he rocks backwards back into the margin of the red lines and doesn't stay within the red lines throughout the entire swing. Shep Knows, he's been taught by the best in the business. peace
This is the center my friends
If you're serious about hitting, here ya go...The key to being the greatest hitter ever is staying inside those two red lines of the carousel and coming forward by turning without lunging, or sliding hips. If you can accomplish this feat on a continuous basis over a long period of time, you can catch the hammer...if not, you can be average and ordinary like millions of others Pujols is close, but, he rocks backwards back into the margin of the red lines and doesn't stay within the red lines throughout the entire swing. Shep Knows, he's been taught by the best in the business. peace I wish to further discuss these clips of Aaron hitting two mammoth HRs to each field, LF and RF.As I already mentioned, the lower body makes adjustments to pitch location. What I didn't mention; while the body coils, the upper halve and lower halve are going in opposite directions, the lower halve begins the rotation in the center by leading and turning the hips while the upper halve is still loading torque by moving in the opposite direction as the hands and arms c-o-c-k the bat in a 45 degree angle behind ear before exploding forward by whipping the barrell directly to the baseball while staying inside the baseball and behind it. The utopian swing that must be harnessed through long hours of perfect practice.
While reviewing some of my notes from last year I found this analysis written by the legendary Linear who I feel is on the right track to the Holy Grail of Hitting
Quote by Linear last year: "But, as they advance, they will have to learn something completely different to be successful. They will have to learn to load their center, create momentum by carrying the load into foot touch and launch with good connected rotation. Otherwise they will never develop the swing quickness to "catch up" to the pitching speeds they have to face." End of Quote
P.S.-Info, I can assure you that just because you're gone doesn't mean you're forgotten my friend. Hope you're winning some pool tournaments and you're son is reaping benefits from your knowledge of the swing! Have a great Holiday Season this Year! Shep Cares
Professional Baseball Scout Lee Elder introduced me to Zig Ziegler at MLB Scout Development School back in 1990. Here is a highly technical Post made by Zig to Linear/Info/Teacherman a long time ago.
Quote by Zig: "There are many individuals out there who have questions about the swing. I would rather spend my time with them than trying to defend our findings. While I understand, that is a part of being a pioneer. I would rather continue to send out positive energy and get it back. There are many of you who read and post here regularly who truly seek answers for your athletes, and I hope you will find them in Jack and his work. He truly has many of the answers you are looking for to make your athletes better.
>
> To the others let me take a moment to answer a few final questions:Yes teacherman? you are correct in your statement that our technology has been around for decades (two) and used by us for all of those years. In addition, we have used video based analyses and other available methods of analyzing athletics. An as your source may also point out, it is extremely accurate. We have now, however, done what no one else has and that is compiled a large (and still growing) database of athletes and taken the data from those athletes to help us see what athletes are doing. Even House's system of video analysis relies on the interpretation of the data, digitizing points manually. It can be accurate as well, but is not realtime and cannot be used immediately by the athlete. DartFish, Sports Motion, and other hi-speed video cameras or multiple frame software systems rely on an interpretation of what the athlete is doing by a (qualified?) instructor. Our system does not, it eliminates the guess work.
>
> Before each of you so now turns to bash someone who disagrees with you and obviously or anonymously posts as a major league coach, let me take a moment to respond. Since Teacherman cannot read or interpret the data from the swing and the different segments associated with the data let me answer a few questions. In all of the best hitters we have analyzed, we find a very consistent pattern or ranges of motion, angular speeds, and deficiencies or strengths.
>
> If Teacherman or any of you would look at the data and knew anything at all about Kinetics or Kinematic Sequences, angular acceleration and deceleration, progessive speed gains and basic biomechanics (whether you view it as a science or not doesn't matter), you would be able to look at the data and see what is happening.
>
> Let's assume you haven't seen it. For starters, the hitter takes a stance in any position (this position is random and stylistic and should not be considered the stance because it varies so much from each player). This position is comfortable and allows them them to prepare for the first phase of the swing (negative move) often referred to as loading, or wind up or whatever terminology you want to use. In this loading phase, which many of you call a backwards weight shift, the best athletes have a slight change in the position of the hips and shoulders, closing to a position of approximately 25 degrees of the hips and 40 degrees of the shoulders {X-Factor is now approximately 15} (This is accurate to 1mm)
>
> The forward swing is then initiated at the ground with the application of force to the back foot. As force is applied to the back foot, it creates a linear shift of weight, at the same time, their is a release of rotational energy around (rotating) from the front foot up to the hip of the front leg (the heal of which has dropped during the linear/rotational shift, to provide a solid front side to hit against). At this point there is an X-factor stretch of approximately 12 degrees (x-factor stretch is an increase in the degree of separation between the hips and shoulders). Epstein, is slightly wrong on X-factor, too much can be a bad thing. Especially if you do not have the abdominal recovery strength to go with the flexibilty it takes to create a large x-factor. But x-factor is an important part of the swing.
>
> During this first phase of the swing the forward swing there is an expected angular speed gain (progressive speed gain) of approximately 200 degrees per second from the hips to the upper torso, as the hips rotate and peak to a speed of 550 d/sec, and upper torso rotates and peaks milliseconds later at a speed of 750 d/sec. There is an additional speed gain of approximately 250 d/sec from the upper torso to the arms (which reach a speed of 1000 d/sec milliseconds after the upper torso). This is followed by a significantly higher gain of 1000 d/sec from the arms to the bat as the bat releases at a speed of over 2000 degrees per second. Good athlete = 550>750>1000=2000 degrees per second (rotational bat speed)
>
> This is an example of a poor athletic sequence (but can still be successful if the choose the right pitches).... If an athlete has gains that are higher in the early phases, the arms to bat gain is signicifantly lower (Example: 300, 300, 500 (typically looks like hips=600, Upper torso= 900, Arms=1200, Bat=1700) this would indicate a power leak or lack of appropriate pacing through the swing. (Like a 400 meter runner who runs the first 100 meters in 9.9 seconds and finishes in 50 seconds) the pace or rythm/timing is off and causes a loss of energy at the finish.
>
> Teacherman, I would love to send you or anyone else what ever they need, I only have one request. Try to be professional. My tech support guy said you were rude and disrespectful while he was trying to help you. As a result he asked if he was required to help you. I said everyone should be treated like a customer. But rude customers, with a chip on their shoulders should be asked to find another service company's reps to whom they can be rude. Yes, I value you and everyone out there as a potential customer and advocate or our technlogy, but not at the cost of self-respect for me and especially not my employees. I am sure those of us who have read your posts and Major Dan, who also called my office and acted rather rudely to one of my partners and Co-Vice Presidents, can understand why my technician, and I am not inclined to send you swings clips.
>
> You can bet it has nothing to do with fear that you or anyone including O'really, to discredit what we see in an athlete's swing. Because it is just that WHAT WE SEE! (right or wrong as taught by the coach)
>
> In the video clip teacherman has downloaded, you see an athlete's hips, torso, head, bottom hand and bat. The elbows and legs are attached to those body parts, if you know what you are looking for, that is enough. In MLB player, sure we want to see the arms and legs, but your novice athletes, need to focus on the posture and position of those body parts. If you know what you are looking for, you can see when the knees bend and elbow straighten, you can see the weight on the front foot or the back foot based on the bend, twist, and tilt of those body parts.
>
> We are not teaching athletes to swing, we are teaching "coaches what their athletes are doing". There is a HUGE difference. If an athlete, wants to improve, I can give him a few simple drills and strength/flexibility exercises and they will improve, guaranteed! That's because I know exactly what they need to work on, period. I don't have to guess.
>
> The bottom line is whatever you are teaching an athlete, it will show up. Teach them to squash the bug, and I will show you the impact on the swing. Teach them to be linear with their hands, I will show you the results. Teach them to stride, not stride, lunge, not lunge, swing down on the ball, swing up on the ball. It doesn't matter. It will all show up. and if it has a negative effect on the efficiency of the athletes swing, it will show up, if it has a positive effect, it will show up. So teach them whatever you want, and it will show up. I hope that makes things a little more clear for you.
>
> You will never understand the power of our technology, until you see one of your athletes hooked up, and can see the results of what you are teaching, period. And that is why I have not taken the time to respond to some of your petty questions. It can't be debated. I don't know what you teach. But I can show you what your athlete looks like and if thats what you want, whether it is right or wrong for the athlete. If the athletes has success in high school, with a flawed swing, great for him, but are you really doing him a service if you don't know what is really happening.
>
> Good Luck....I have no more time to post. It is a busy spring and summer for me. I will check back periodically. I hope there are a few changes. I wish you all the best with your athletes. Look for us in your town soon (3D-SkillCheck.com) Jack, I would like to get another copy of your book and new video. I will contact you after Spring Training."
>
> "Zig Ziegler"
End of Quote by Zig Ziegler
Quote by Zig: "There are many individuals out there who have questions about the swing. I would rather spend my time with them than trying to defend our findings. While I understand, that is a part of being a pioneer. I would rather continue to send out positive energy and get it back. There are many of you who read and post here regularly who truly seek answers for your athletes, and I hope you will find them in Jack and his work. He truly has many of the answers you are looking for to make your athletes better.
>
> To the others let me take a moment to answer a few final questions:Yes teacherman? you are correct in your statement that our technology has been around for decades (two) and used by us for all of those years. In addition, we have used video based analyses and other available methods of analyzing athletics. An as your source may also point out, it is extremely accurate. We have now, however, done what no one else has and that is compiled a large (and still growing) database of athletes and taken the data from those athletes to help us see what athletes are doing. Even House's system of video analysis relies on the interpretation of the data, digitizing points manually. It can be accurate as well, but is not realtime and cannot be used immediately by the athlete. DartFish, Sports Motion, and other hi-speed video cameras or multiple frame software systems rely on an interpretation of what the athlete is doing by a (qualified?) instructor. Our system does not, it eliminates the guess work.
>
> Before each of you so now turns to bash someone who disagrees with you and obviously or anonymously posts as a major league coach, let me take a moment to respond. Since Teacherman cannot read or interpret the data from the swing and the different segments associated with the data let me answer a few questions. In all of the best hitters we have analyzed, we find a very consistent pattern or ranges of motion, angular speeds, and deficiencies or strengths.
>
> If Teacherman or any of you would look at the data and knew anything at all about Kinetics or Kinematic Sequences, angular acceleration and deceleration, progessive speed gains and basic biomechanics (whether you view it as a science or not doesn't matter), you would be able to look at the data and see what is happening.
>
> Let's assume you haven't seen it. For starters, the hitter takes a stance in any position (this position is random and stylistic and should not be considered the stance because it varies so much from each player). This position is comfortable and allows them them to prepare for the first phase of the swing (negative move) often referred to as loading, or wind up or whatever terminology you want to use. In this loading phase, which many of you call a backwards weight shift, the best athletes have a slight change in the position of the hips and shoulders, closing to a position of approximately 25 degrees of the hips and 40 degrees of the shoulders {X-Factor is now approximately 15} (This is accurate to 1mm)
>
> The forward swing is then initiated at the ground with the application of force to the back foot. As force is applied to the back foot, it creates a linear shift of weight, at the same time, their is a release of rotational energy around (rotating) from the front foot up to the hip of the front leg (the heal of which has dropped during the linear/rotational shift, to provide a solid front side to hit against). At this point there is an X-factor stretch of approximately 12 degrees (x-factor stretch is an increase in the degree of separation between the hips and shoulders). Epstein, is slightly wrong on X-factor, too much can be a bad thing. Especially if you do not have the abdominal recovery strength to go with the flexibilty it takes to create a large x-factor. But x-factor is an important part of the swing.
>
> During this first phase of the swing the forward swing there is an expected angular speed gain (progressive speed gain) of approximately 200 degrees per second from the hips to the upper torso, as the hips rotate and peak to a speed of 550 d/sec, and upper torso rotates and peaks milliseconds later at a speed of 750 d/sec. There is an additional speed gain of approximately 250 d/sec from the upper torso to the arms (which reach a speed of 1000 d/sec milliseconds after the upper torso). This is followed by a significantly higher gain of 1000 d/sec from the arms to the bat as the bat releases at a speed of over 2000 degrees per second. Good athlete = 550>750>1000=2000 degrees per second (rotational bat speed)
>
> This is an example of a poor athletic sequence (but can still be successful if the choose the right pitches).... If an athlete has gains that are higher in the early phases, the arms to bat gain is signicifantly lower (Example: 300, 300, 500 (typically looks like hips=600, Upper torso= 900, Arms=1200, Bat=1700) this would indicate a power leak or lack of appropriate pacing through the swing. (Like a 400 meter runner who runs the first 100 meters in 9.9 seconds and finishes in 50 seconds) the pace or rythm/timing is off and causes a loss of energy at the finish.
>
> Teacherman, I would love to send you or anyone else what ever they need, I only have one request. Try to be professional. My tech support guy said you were rude and disrespectful while he was trying to help you. As a result he asked if he was required to help you. I said everyone should be treated like a customer. But rude customers, with a chip on their shoulders should be asked to find another service company's reps to whom they can be rude. Yes, I value you and everyone out there as a potential customer and advocate or our technlogy, but not at the cost of self-respect for me and especially not my employees. I am sure those of us who have read your posts and Major Dan, who also called my office and acted rather rudely to one of my partners and Co-Vice Presidents, can understand why my technician, and I am not inclined to send you swings clips.
>
> You can bet it has nothing to do with fear that you or anyone including O'really, to discredit what we see in an athlete's swing. Because it is just that WHAT WE SEE! (right or wrong as taught by the coach)
>
> In the video clip teacherman has downloaded, you see an athlete's hips, torso, head, bottom hand and bat. The elbows and legs are attached to those body parts, if you know what you are looking for, that is enough. In MLB player, sure we want to see the arms and legs, but your novice athletes, need to focus on the posture and position of those body parts. If you know what you are looking for, you can see when the knees bend and elbow straighten, you can see the weight on the front foot or the back foot based on the bend, twist, and tilt of those body parts.
>
> We are not teaching athletes to swing, we are teaching "coaches what their athletes are doing". There is a HUGE difference. If an athlete, wants to improve, I can give him a few simple drills and strength/flexibility exercises and they will improve, guaranteed! That's because I know exactly what they need to work on, period. I don't have to guess.
>
> The bottom line is whatever you are teaching an athlete, it will show up. Teach them to squash the bug, and I will show you the impact on the swing. Teach them to be linear with their hands, I will show you the results. Teach them to stride, not stride, lunge, not lunge, swing down on the ball, swing up on the ball. It doesn't matter. It will all show up. and if it has a negative effect on the efficiency of the athletes swing, it will show up, if it has a positive effect, it will show up. So teach them whatever you want, and it will show up. I hope that makes things a little more clear for you.
>
> You will never understand the power of our technology, until you see one of your athletes hooked up, and can see the results of what you are teaching, period. And that is why I have not taken the time to respond to some of your petty questions. It can't be debated. I don't know what you teach. But I can show you what your athlete looks like and if thats what you want, whether it is right or wrong for the athlete. If the athletes has success in high school, with a flawed swing, great for him, but are you really doing him a service if you don't know what is really happening.
>
> Good Luck....I have no more time to post. It is a busy spring and summer for me. I will check back periodically. I hope there are a few changes. I wish you all the best with your athletes. Look for us in your town soon (3D-SkillCheck.com) Jack, I would like to get another copy of your book and new video. I will contact you after Spring Training."
>
> "Zig Ziegler"
End of Quote by Zig Ziegler
Here is a useful post by Zig Ziegler to Jack M. on a very advanced message board that I feel could be useful for us all here at HSBBW Board
>Zig Quoted:
>" From our data we have found the if the timing is right, the position of the hips and torso vary from inside to outside. For our tests, we set up a tee at an ideal position for contact in the middle of the players strike zone. The player swings at the ball on the tee (which Major League Players do on a daily basis as part of their warm-up routine).
>
> With respect to the acceleration and deceleration in the forward swing, as the player swings the bat, the hips slightly lead the sequence, followed immediately by the combined acceleration of the shoulders, arms or hands, and the bat. The hips reach maximum acceleration between 510 and 585 degrees per second of rotation, followed by the shoulders (upper torso) 700 to 900 degrees per second, followed by the hands/arms, 900 to 1150 degrees per second, followed by the bat release speed of between 1750 to 2300 degrees per second. Done effeciently, the hips reach maximum rotation (on a middle plate pitch) when the bat is perpendicular to the straight line from the pitcher. This means at hip rotation of 70 to 85 degrees of rotation, the shoulders at this point rotate to approximately 65 to 80 degrees or rotation. If the shoulders, for example, were at 85 and the hips at 80, this would indicate that the tension (often referred to by many as torque) between the hips and shoulders, generated from the initial swing phase, had been completely released, and now the abdominals, which early in the swing were a conducting station of the energy (torque) generated from the ground up, must now act to decelerate the upper-torso. This in an indication that the power has been released.
>
> If this occurs before contact, we see an athlete with an early peak in bat speed (before contact) because no more energy from the large muscles is left to be transferred to the bat. If an athlete reaches this point too early in the swing, the bat can no longer benefit from the "energy" generated during the swing. The athlete must now attempt to release a new source of energy to the bat, largely from the energy that has been stored in the wrists, provided that energy has not been released as well through bat casting. If you can imagine the amount of energy that is created as an athlete attempts to roll the wrists, we see a small deceleration of the hands, followed immediately by a spike in bat speed, usually much higher than the previous bat speed peak.
>
> If the latter occurs during the swing, the athlete, loses control of the bat and fights to maintain balance. This is evidenced by a significant side bend (over 20 degrees to the trailing side). To regain balance and not loose complete control of the swing, the athlete rolls the wrists to generate additional bat speed, quickly moving the bat and those distributed forces around the body (rotation not linear).
>
> On an inside pitch, this "near locking" of the upper torso and hips occurs with the hips at 92 to 100 degrees. On an inside pitch, this can occur as early as 65 to 72 degrees. The shoulders should lag by approximately 5 degrees on an inside pitch and 10 degrees on an outside pitch. This amounts to less than an inch of seperation, but can be the difference between a pop up/weak grounder and a hard hit line drive. Baseball and softball are not games of inches, but instead games of degrees. Meaning the margin of error is much smaller than an inch.
>
> However, the two most common problems we see in athletes are premature wrist roll and an over emphasis on back foot rotation (But the two problems are related and can cause numerous other problems). Athletes who prematurely rotate their back foot (making this an active instead of passive movement), have many problems during the swing. Don't get me wrong, an athlete can perfect this technique and perform very well in a game, but they are exposed on many pitches and different situations. It has a major impact on timing and the sequence. I could go on, but I hope this answers your question Jack.
>
> All of this data comes from 4 sensors, strategically placed on the athlete, which provide "objective measurements" and requires very little interpretation from me. We see the hips, upper torso, head, bat and bottom hand. We don't have to see the legs and arms to know the impact that certain positions of those body parts have on the body. The legs impact the hips, upper torso, which impacts the arms, hands, bat and head."
>
> "Thank you and have a positive day.
>
> Zig "
End of Zig's Gospel in which I totally endorse!
>Zig Quoted:
>" From our data we have found the if the timing is right, the position of the hips and torso vary from inside to outside. For our tests, we set up a tee at an ideal position for contact in the middle of the players strike zone. The player swings at the ball on the tee (which Major League Players do on a daily basis as part of their warm-up routine).
>
> With respect to the acceleration and deceleration in the forward swing, as the player swings the bat, the hips slightly lead the sequence, followed immediately by the combined acceleration of the shoulders, arms or hands, and the bat. The hips reach maximum acceleration between 510 and 585 degrees per second of rotation, followed by the shoulders (upper torso) 700 to 900 degrees per second, followed by the hands/arms, 900 to 1150 degrees per second, followed by the bat release speed of between 1750 to 2300 degrees per second. Done effeciently, the hips reach maximum rotation (on a middle plate pitch) when the bat is perpendicular to the straight line from the pitcher. This means at hip rotation of 70 to 85 degrees of rotation, the shoulders at this point rotate to approximately 65 to 80 degrees or rotation. If the shoulders, for example, were at 85 and the hips at 80, this would indicate that the tension (often referred to by many as torque) between the hips and shoulders, generated from the initial swing phase, had been completely released, and now the abdominals, which early in the swing were a conducting station of the energy (torque) generated from the ground up, must now act to decelerate the upper-torso. This in an indication that the power has been released.
>
> If this occurs before contact, we see an athlete with an early peak in bat speed (before contact) because no more energy from the large muscles is left to be transferred to the bat. If an athlete reaches this point too early in the swing, the bat can no longer benefit from the "energy" generated during the swing. The athlete must now attempt to release a new source of energy to the bat, largely from the energy that has been stored in the wrists, provided that energy has not been released as well through bat casting. If you can imagine the amount of energy that is created as an athlete attempts to roll the wrists, we see a small deceleration of the hands, followed immediately by a spike in bat speed, usually much higher than the previous bat speed peak.
>
> If the latter occurs during the swing, the athlete, loses control of the bat and fights to maintain balance. This is evidenced by a significant side bend (over 20 degrees to the trailing side). To regain balance and not loose complete control of the swing, the athlete rolls the wrists to generate additional bat speed, quickly moving the bat and those distributed forces around the body (rotation not linear).
>
> On an inside pitch, this "near locking" of the upper torso and hips occurs with the hips at 92 to 100 degrees. On an inside pitch, this can occur as early as 65 to 72 degrees. The shoulders should lag by approximately 5 degrees on an inside pitch and 10 degrees on an outside pitch. This amounts to less than an inch of seperation, but can be the difference between a pop up/weak grounder and a hard hit line drive. Baseball and softball are not games of inches, but instead games of degrees. Meaning the margin of error is much smaller than an inch.
>
> However, the two most common problems we see in athletes are premature wrist roll and an over emphasis on back foot rotation (But the two problems are related and can cause numerous other problems). Athletes who prematurely rotate their back foot (making this an active instead of passive movement), have many problems during the swing. Don't get me wrong, an athlete can perfect this technique and perform very well in a game, but they are exposed on many pitches and different situations. It has a major impact on timing and the sequence. I could go on, but I hope this answers your question Jack.
>
> All of this data comes from 4 sensors, strategically placed on the athlete, which provide "objective measurements" and requires very little interpretation from me. We see the hips, upper torso, head, bat and bottom hand. We don't have to see the legs and arms to know the impact that certain positions of those body parts have on the body. The legs impact the hips, upper torso, which impacts the arms, hands, bat and head."
>
> "Thank you and have a positive day.
>
> Zig "
End of Zig's Gospel in which I totally endorse!
Shep hello and Happy Thanksgiving,
I look at the Linear versus Rotational,
And truely see almost the same swing.
The only differance to me, Is the strength of the
Batter's lower Body and Leg's.
The beefier the lower body the more power they have.
But they still seam to look close to the same swing to me??
EH
I look at the Linear versus Rotational,
And truely see almost the same swing.
The only differance to me, Is the strength of the
Batter's lower Body and Leg's.
The beefier the lower body the more power they have.
But they still seam to look close to the same swing to me??
EH
EH & Family
Happy Thanksgiving to you good folks in the NW as well.
Hope you're not on the third shift tonight and not working at all this weekend, my friend.
You bring up some very good points about the on-going debate between the linear swings and rotational swings. I agree with the rotational hitters looking a lot stronger in those all-important lower body muscles and core. Most of our great hitters in the history of baseball have been a lot thinner and wirey as younger pro players but all seem to put on functional weight and utilize the Jon Doyles' of the business in strength conditioning and flexibility training. While perusing around looking at some old photos yesterday of Hank Aaron, I saw a noticable difference in the size of his lower body muscles and core from early pictures to later pictures; especially, in the photos I have of him as a rookie second baseman before his transition from MIF to OF. Early pictures of Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey and a host of others, exactly the same paradigm shift from "skinny and fast" to "strong and powerful".
I know this can be a natural occurance in most cases in the growth and maturation of a growing body that is getting older. If I have line of advice to all the HS players here, it would be, eat well, train often, get your rest and never stop learning. You are a friend EH, and I appreciate our banter here. peace Shep
Happy Thanksgiving to you good folks in the NW as well.
Hope you're not on the third shift tonight and not working at all this weekend, my friend.
You bring up some very good points about the on-going debate between the linear swings and rotational swings. I agree with the rotational hitters looking a lot stronger in those all-important lower body muscles and core. Most of our great hitters in the history of baseball have been a lot thinner and wirey as younger pro players but all seem to put on functional weight and utilize the Jon Doyles' of the business in strength conditioning and flexibility training. While perusing around looking at some old photos yesterday of Hank Aaron, I saw a noticable difference in the size of his lower body muscles and core from early pictures to later pictures; especially, in the photos I have of him as a rookie second baseman before his transition from MIF to OF. Early pictures of Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey and a host of others, exactly the same paradigm shift from "skinny and fast" to "strong and powerful".
I know this can be a natural occurance in most cases in the growth and maturation of a growing body that is getting older. If I have line of advice to all the HS players here, it would be, eat well, train often, get your rest and never stop learning. You are a friend EH, and I appreciate our banter here. peace Shep
#21's 3000th-Hitting against a rigid yet solid front side is keyQuote from Zig>
"The forward swing is then initiated at the ground with the application of force to the back foot. As force is applied to the back foot, it creates a linear shift of weight, at the same time, their is a release of rotational energy around (rotating) from the front foot up to the hip of the front leg (the heal which has dropped during linear rotational shift, to provide a solid front side to hit against".
This is also vital in squaring up to the ball at contact. Is it possible to attain that a half-moon impression on baseball after contact with sliding hips? I say no way. peace
WEB GEMS anyone? Gone but not forgotten my friends 
HOF#21 Roberto Clemente-Humanitarian Hero-R.I.P.
32 of the last 33 posts by one poster.
I bet you hated it when that one guy walked in on you.
I bet you hated it when that one guy walked in on you.
Yea thanks Chameleon, guess that's just my passion for the game and the great players and instructors I have learned from through the years that made such an impression. It's amusing sometimes for sure 
Shep
Shep
Shep,
Keep on keeping on!
Of course if I'd tried to type all of these various posts, I'd be =
Keep on keeping on!
Of course if I'd tried to type all of these various posts, I'd be =
Shep Thanks for making the hitting forum interesting during the dead time.I'm reading the heck out of your post. Keep spreading your knowledge and teaching us.I try to learn as much as possible to help my 12 year old in his progression.
Thank you for the compliments fellas and here's your reward. Some excellent hitting information from none other than one of the most knowledgeable hitting instructors in the business analyzing the swing of a great hitter.
Jack calls these principles of hitting absolutes and I totally agree.
" Jack Mankin
> ##
>
> The Absolute Principles
>
> Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Tue Aug 12 18:58:55 2003
>
> Hi All
>
> I have heard coaches and players express the view that the best hitters do not always have the best mechanics. They contend that the hitter's athletic abilities allow them to perform at the top of the batting charts with flawed swing mechanics. I have not found this to be true. Most, if not all, players that perform at the Major League level have great athletic abilities. Data from my study led me to conclude that difference in the quality of a player's swing mechanics has a greater bearing on batting performance than differences in their athletic abilities.
>
> Check out the "About" page for an explanation of the reasons for my conclusion.
>
> ##
>
> "When I started the study, I made a sign and hung it over my desk. It read " Have no preconceived theory, report only what you observe." To make sure I correctly identified a players swing mechanics, I charted 15 swings (at good pitches to hit) of each player over a two year period. I then devised a system whereby I could identify players according to the characteristics of their mechanics. I used 39 different mechanical characteristics and developed 12 swing classifications that players fit into. It was truly amazing how close the performance stats were for players with the same classification. There were other very interesting findings I made during the charting phase of the research and I will discuss them with you when those subjects arise."
>
> "To me, one of the most important findings to come from the research was that a player's swing mechanics was far more important in determining batting potential than the player's athletic abilities. Even a 6 foot, 4 inch, 230 pound Mark McGwire performed just as poorly as other players with the same swing classification in 1991 when he hit .201 with 22 homeruns. I discovered that whenever a hitter went into a batting slump, there would be a notable change in his mechanics and he was just performing according to his new swing classification."
>
> ##
>
> Many of the 39 mechanical batting characteristics mentioned above occurs prior to the full initiation of the swing (the stance, stride, and mechanics that setup the launch position). Some of the best hitters took longer strides - some short. Some stride with the hips more open - some closed. Some held their hands high - some low. Some had their lead-arm bent - some straighter, etc., etc. Therefore, differences in these traits did not correlate to predict batting performance and I classified them as "Styles."
>
> As I pointed out in the "Thu Feb 13 16:04:42 2003" post, good hitters (those that can hit for both average and power) may have different styles in how they setup their swings. But once they come to the launch position and initiate the swing, I found that there are mechanical principles common to the swings of all good hitters. Adhering to those batting principles did correlate to a better batting performance and therefore I refer to them as "Absolute Principles."
>
> Here is a list I found to be "Absolutes" to a good swing and higher batting performance. All good hitters will: (1) Hide their hands at the back-shoulder as rotation starts; (2) Shoulder rotation initiates the acceleration of the hands into a circular path; (3) The bat will be in the plane of the lead-arm as the shoulders start to rotate; (4) The lead-elbow will remain at a fixed angle. If the lead-arm straightens, it occurs early in the swing; (5) The bat-head will first accelerate in an arc back toward the catcher; (6) The back-elbow will lower and rotate at the batter's side (in the "slot"); (7) The swing plane will remain smooth (no dips or rising above the plane of the lead-arm; (8) Other than on outside pitches, the lead-shoulder will be pulling back toward the catcher (105 degree position with lead-leg extended) at contact; (9) In the contact zone, the plane of the swing will be on a 10 to 15 degree up-slope to closely match the descending path of the incoming ball.
>
> And last, and probably the most important, if the batter's swing mechanics are efficient: (10) The bat will come to contact as the shoulders finish rotation. ---NOTE : The farther away from contact that bat is as the shoulders stop rotating, the weaker the swing.
>
> A hitter may exhibit a flaw in the Absolutes and still hit the ball hard. But usually not consistently enough to stay high in the charts. When a good hitter goes into in a prolonged slump, I seriously doubt it occurred due to a change in his athletic abilities; rather I almost invariably find he has developed flaws in one or more of the ten Absolutes. Most often in 3, 7 and 10.
>
> Many of the Absolute principles are better viewed from a frontal shot of the batter while others show up better from across the plate."
>
>"End of Quote by Jack Mankin"
Jack calls these principles of hitting absolutes and I totally agree.
" Jack Mankin
> ##
>
> The Absolute Principles
>
> Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Tue Aug 12 18:58:55 2003
>
> Hi All
>
> I have heard coaches and players express the view that the best hitters do not always have the best mechanics. They contend that the hitter's athletic abilities allow them to perform at the top of the batting charts with flawed swing mechanics. I have not found this to be true. Most, if not all, players that perform at the Major League level have great athletic abilities. Data from my study led me to conclude that difference in the quality of a player's swing mechanics has a greater bearing on batting performance than differences in their athletic abilities.
>
> Check out the "About" page for an explanation of the reasons for my conclusion.
>
> ##
>
> "When I started the study, I made a sign and hung it over my desk. It read " Have no preconceived theory, report only what you observe." To make sure I correctly identified a players swing mechanics, I charted 15 swings (at good pitches to hit) of each player over a two year period. I then devised a system whereby I could identify players according to the characteristics of their mechanics. I used 39 different mechanical characteristics and developed 12 swing classifications that players fit into. It was truly amazing how close the performance stats were for players with the same classification. There were other very interesting findings I made during the charting phase of the research and I will discuss them with you when those subjects arise."
>
> "To me, one of the most important findings to come from the research was that a player's swing mechanics was far more important in determining batting potential than the player's athletic abilities. Even a 6 foot, 4 inch, 230 pound Mark McGwire performed just as poorly as other players with the same swing classification in 1991 when he hit .201 with 22 homeruns. I discovered that whenever a hitter went into a batting slump, there would be a notable change in his mechanics and he was just performing according to his new swing classification."
>
> ##
>
> Many of the 39 mechanical batting characteristics mentioned above occurs prior to the full initiation of the swing (the stance, stride, and mechanics that setup the launch position). Some of the best hitters took longer strides - some short. Some stride with the hips more open - some closed. Some held their hands high - some low. Some had their lead-arm bent - some straighter, etc., etc. Therefore, differences in these traits did not correlate to predict batting performance and I classified them as "Styles."
>
> As I pointed out in the "Thu Feb 13 16:04:42 2003" post, good hitters (those that can hit for both average and power) may have different styles in how they setup their swings. But once they come to the launch position and initiate the swing, I found that there are mechanical principles common to the swings of all good hitters. Adhering to those batting principles did correlate to a better batting performance and therefore I refer to them as "Absolute Principles."
>
> Here is a list I found to be "Absolutes" to a good swing and higher batting performance. All good hitters will: (1) Hide their hands at the back-shoulder as rotation starts; (2) Shoulder rotation initiates the acceleration of the hands into a circular path; (3) The bat will be in the plane of the lead-arm as the shoulders start to rotate; (4) The lead-elbow will remain at a fixed angle. If the lead-arm straightens, it occurs early in the swing; (5) The bat-head will first accelerate in an arc back toward the catcher; (6) The back-elbow will lower and rotate at the batter's side (in the "slot"); (7) The swing plane will remain smooth (no dips or rising above the plane of the lead-arm; (8) Other than on outside pitches, the lead-shoulder will be pulling back toward the catcher (105 degree position with lead-leg extended) at contact; (9) In the contact zone, the plane of the swing will be on a 10 to 15 degree up-slope to closely match the descending path of the incoming ball.
>
> And last, and probably the most important, if the batter's swing mechanics are efficient: (10) The bat will come to contact as the shoulders finish rotation. ---NOTE : The farther away from contact that bat is as the shoulders stop rotating, the weaker the swing.
>
> A hitter may exhibit a flaw in the Absolutes and still hit the ball hard. But usually not consistently enough to stay high in the charts. When a good hitter goes into in a prolonged slump, I seriously doubt it occurred due to a change in his athletic abilities; rather I almost invariably find he has developed flaws in one or more of the ten Absolutes. Most often in 3, 7 and 10.
>
> Many of the Absolute principles are better viewed from a frontal shot of the batter while others show up better from across the plate."
>
>"End of Quote by Jack Mankin"
Thanks Shep,
I too am enjoying your posts, as well as the great video and pic's. Please keep it coming!
I too am enjoying your posts, as well as the great video and pic's. Please keep it coming!
Shep great picture's.
Could you come up with some picture's are video of Edger Martinez.
One of the sweetest rt handed swing's in baseball.
EH
Could you come up with some picture's are video of Edger Martinez.
One of the sweetest rt handed swing's in baseball.
EH
Here ya go EH. I like this swing and the rotation can almost be visualized as he swings and uncoils against a solid front side with all that power. He is the Real Deal, no doubt! I will see if I can find a videoclip tonight, EST(East Time) . Have a good day peace
Edgar
Shep,
Please believe me when I say that I'm not trying to stir up controversy but rather want to know you honest opinion.
If Mankins is your #1, would you rate the other major players in "the most knowledgeable hitting instructors in the business analyzing the swing of a great hitter" category? I'd be interested in seeing those others listed. Again I'm not disputing your selection but rather...
Please believe me when I say that I'm not trying to stir up controversy but rather want to know you honest opinion.
If Mankins is your #1, would you rate the other major players in "the most knowledgeable hitting instructors in the business analyzing the swing of a great hitter" category? I'd be interested in seeing those others listed. Again I'm not disputing your selection but rather...
Hey CoachB25 and Board
I feel like I am back in my natural habitat now and would like to thank several of you for helping me find my way back here, especially wayback
Hope all is well and don't worry about stirring up anything because Mankin is only one of many instructors I would include on that list.
Players, teammates, coaches, scouts, orthopedic trainers, orthopedic surgeons, sports medicine personnel and a host of other professionals in the area of baseball related movements, with much experience, can also be included in the cummulative acquisition of hitting knowledge. That is a blessing for me. I love to share it here with those who demonstrate their passion for hitting or attaining the bits and pieces to become great hitters or instructors. For some, even writers who actually publish hitting books. I have given back many of those bits and pieces I have accumulated over the years in the past week.
For me, it's all about the survival of America's favorite past time. An effort by all of us here to maintain the integrity of baseball as it once was in all of the images I posted here in the past few days when baseball was still a game and not such a business with money as the "main" motivation. Don't get me wrong when I say this though, because I believe a market should pay what a market will bear. Should all the revenue go to the owners and front offices as well as the advertisers? I say no, spread it out so all can benefit from the game we all love and not give control of huge sums of money made in the business aspects to a select few. Go back to the last image of Babe Ruth a few posts back with a dirty Boston uniform on and there you will all see a true baseball icon who barely made enough to eat a few hot dogs and consume a few beverages. That is "When It Was A Game". That's where I was the day I posted the images of the "Legends of the Game" and that is where I go sometimes in deep thought. It's like walking around in an antique flea market in an old historical two-story building with 500 exhibits packed full of consignment items with nothing in each exhibit booth made after the mid 1900's. After a while, you can will yourself there in your mind and actually take a quantum leap back in time as I sometimes like to do when reflecting back in the history of baseball. Hopefully, some of you will find that gift of living in the past yet thinking of the future.
Scientific Method-"Hitting"
Scientific method applied with observations from experiments communicated in an effective yet discernable way . The results through testing variables against a hypothesis of asking a question about the actual swing lead to solid conclusions of question asked with the results communicated to the observer or reader in an understandable fashion. peace Shep
Sometimes competing agendas can stifle the unity required to achieve greatness-Shepism
I feel like I am back in my natural habitat now and would like to thank several of you for helping me find my way back here, especially wayback
Hope all is well and don't worry about stirring up anything because Mankin is only one of many instructors I would include on that list.
Players, teammates, coaches, scouts, orthopedic trainers, orthopedic surgeons, sports medicine personnel and a host of other professionals in the area of baseball related movements, with much experience, can also be included in the cummulative acquisition of hitting knowledge. That is a blessing for me. I love to share it here with those who demonstrate their passion for hitting or attaining the bits and pieces to become great hitters or instructors. For some, even writers who actually publish hitting books. I have given back many of those bits and pieces I have accumulated over the years in the past week.
For me, it's all about the survival of America's favorite past time. An effort by all of us here to maintain the integrity of baseball as it once was in all of the images I posted here in the past few days when baseball was still a game and not such a business with money as the "main" motivation. Don't get me wrong when I say this though, because I believe a market should pay what a market will bear. Should all the revenue go to the owners and front offices as well as the advertisers? I say no, spread it out so all can benefit from the game we all love and not give control of huge sums of money made in the business aspects to a select few. Go back to the last image of Babe Ruth a few posts back with a dirty Boston uniform on and there you will all see a true baseball icon who barely made enough to eat a few hot dogs and consume a few beverages. That is "When It Was A Game". That's where I was the day I posted the images of the "Legends of the Game" and that is where I go sometimes in deep thought. It's like walking around in an antique flea market in an old historical two-story building with 500 exhibits packed full of consignment items with nothing in each exhibit booth made after the mid 1900's. After a while, you can will yourself there in your mind and actually take a quantum leap back in time as I sometimes like to do when reflecting back in the history of baseball. Hopefully, some of you will find that gift of living in the past yet thinking of the future.
Scientific Method-"Hitting"
Scientific method applied with observations from experiments communicated in an effective yet discernable way . The results through testing variables against a hypothesis of asking a question about the actual swing lead to solid conclusions of question asked with the results communicated to the observer or reader in an understandable fashion. peace Shep
Sometimes competing agendas can stifle the unity required to achieve greatness-Shepism
Shep, Da Man. I have been reading alot here and getting much pleasure from your posts.
God Bless and happy holidays
God Bless and happy holidays
Here are some excellent examples of the symmetrical and parallel bat in relation to shoulders; maintaining the box; and, proper bat angle as demonstrated by Manny Ramirez taking the barrel to the ball from top to contact. Thank you Coachric and may God continue to richly bless you as well as those around you
peace Shep
Shep - do you think that Manny takes his hands to the ball, or does he maintain the box so he rotates into contact?
Shep awesome posts man. I have taught short to the zone long through the zone from day one as a coach. I went to a hitting clinic way back when put on by Ga Tech assistant coach Sorge. He gave a great presentation on getting the bat into the zone and keeping it in the zone throughout the swing. Alot of hitters especially young ones are long getting into the zone and then spin off or pull off the ball or in other words short in the zone. I call hit long to the zone short in the zone. You have given some great hitting advice and it has been a pleasure to read it. Alot of kids load up which actually makes them long to the zone. Then they pull off the ball or spin off the ball on rotation. Great posts keep them coming and thank you.
goMo,
Manny maintains the box and finds the correct slot in the symmetrical box, but, look at his lead arm It definitely straightens out rather quickly compared to the lead arm angles seen in Ortiz swings.
Coach May,
The compliment is much appreciated and the "spinner" comment on incorrect swings when the swing is too short in the zone is right on! I use it a lot when talking to hitters when I see it. A hitter will usually come forward by turning or spinning in his swing. A spinner will never "square up" to the ball properly.
Have a great day! peace Shep
Manny maintains the box and finds the correct slot in the symmetrical box, but, look at his lead arm
It definitely straightens out rather quickly compared to the lead arm angles seen in Ortiz swings.Coach May,
The compliment is much appreciated and the "spinner" comment on incorrect swings when the swing is too short in the zone is right on! I use it a lot when talking to hitters when I see it. A hitter will usually come forward by turning or spinning in his swing. A spinner will never "square up" to the ball properly.
Have a great day! peace Shep
Here you go shep....this one is a little more accurate.
So are we talking Boxes or Triangles here?
Charmelon!!! Where you been??? Good to see you here again my friend and may the wind be behind you as you sail ever closer to the prize!!!
Oh BTW, excellent Clip and nice illustration of the triangle of angles Outstanding!!!
Reminds of an old friend who probably had the ability to be a big league catcher and has my initials
floridafan
We're talking boxes and triangles actually. Nice illustration of maintaining the box with mechanically sound elbow angles by Pappi
Peace,
Shep
Oh BTW, excellent Clip and nice illustration of the triangle of angles
Outstanding!!!Reminds of an old friend who probably had the ability to be a big league catcher and has my initials
floridafan
We're talking boxes and triangles actually. Nice illustration of maintaining the box with mechanically sound elbow angles by Pappi
Peace,
Shep
quote:Originally posted by floridafan:
So are we talking Boxes or Triangles here?
Careful! I knew the debate etc. would make it here. I'll be watching. I'm not going to take sides in this since, as an administrator of this site, I don't think it my place. PLEASE, KEEP IT CIVIL. If it gets nasty, then...
This is a good example of a rotational swing for sure. The triangle and box are both there.
Peace,
Shep
