Posted by: above&beyond (call.eagle@yahoo.com) on Wed Dec 19 13:07:08 2007

Reason for back foot coming off the ground:

Try this. Slowly go through the leg rotation to hit an outside pitch to oppo field and an insider to pull it. Try to make your hips make your shoulders reach that inside pitch with out using any abs. The hips can only rotate far enough for an outside pitch unless you pop up your back leg and rotate on your front hip. The equipment below the waist will not allow enough rotation to reach that insider. So the back foot pops of the ground as its use is done with half way through that swing.

A full explanation of what is going on will better illustrate.

Yes, there is a weight transfer in the swing. First the two hips are the push and pull for the waist as they are pushing off of the ground. The axis for this action is the lower back. Half way to the inside pitch this axis becomes useless because of the limitations of the legs and pelvis, so the front hip becomes the pivot point and the front side of the body becomes the axis. The body pendulum swings about the front hip so to say. But there is still muscle power left below the shoulders to keep the shoulders turning to face the inside pitch. The abs will almost completely take over the body rotation except for the weight pivoting on the front hip. In order to reach an outside pitch and hit is oppo, the back leg can stay planted the whole swing. And in the oppo hit the abs and legs work at the same time, where as in the pull hit they work at the same time in body rotation, but the legs stop half-way leaving it up to the abs and body weight to complete the swing.

The axis of the front hip makes the rotation of the body more like a gate on a post. There is little power in that hip rotating action unless you have your weight in motion on that gate post so to speak. It the weight swings on around if the back leg thrusts it around.

The axis of the spine is a pull and push job of the abdomen. They make the shoulders look like a propelor on a plane. Not only do the abs rotate the shoulders on the spine axis, but straightening a bent front leg will too.

Both axis are ok by working at the same time because the motions are all very short in the swing except the distance on the ball.

In pitching and outfielding the gate effect made by the weight swinging on the front hip pivot is not nearly as necessary as it is for hitting and infielding.

Because the accuracy and ball rotation of the pitch and the long throw are so vital, the mechanics don't use the spine axis to rotate the shoulders. That margin of error is much less for the two, so the abs themselves become the axis for the shoulders along with the bending at the front hip. I will be consistently accurate by dropping the shoulders downward in front than I will be by rotating them. A rotation throw is like spinning in circles to get dizzy compared to a jack knife throw. By jack knifing of the body, I get to include jumping in the air, coming down with all of my weight and pulling the ball down too. Not only is all of this in a straight line with the target, it is going to be more powerful approach to spot.

1. Body is moving forward by crow hopping (is a simulated pitching mound i.e. from high up to front foot plant) or thrusting off of the front of the mound.

2. Body is falling. Gravity is on your side.

3. When front foot plants, the axis should be a horizontal one in the front hip and abs as the body jack knifes.

4. The body continues to move forward past the front leg after foot plant because of the jack knifing effect.

Pulling down is propelling forward. Down and forward are best for accurate throws because all action is in one direction. Rotation and forward momentum is ok for infielding because the accepted margin of error is greater. The throwing position is often from a low stance because the infielder doesn't have the time to get some air time for a needle precise throw.

Now imagine trying to use all of the down and forward mechanics in the swing. It amounts to all choppers and a beat up body because he is standing behind the plate to make the pitcher's mechanics work for batting.

Actually, swinging is all about shoulder rotation because the bat must swing like a gate swinging open in order to put a ball up. In hitting the weight thrust is for making shoulder rotation easier. Move forward at the ball and the ball will move faster making it harder to keep up with.

In pitching the weight thrust is all about throwing the body weight as far and hard over that front leg as possible.

In one the weight helps on a vertical axis, and in the other it helps with a horizontal axis. Clearly for the weight is much more usable for pitcher because the hitter needs to keep his eyes from any forward momentum. The pitcher can take all he can make.