Posted by: Major Dan (markj89@charter.net) on Wed Jan 22 05:32:37 2003

>>> I think they both happen. I put more emphasis on the back hip in terms of the force used to 'unfold' the body. The lead leg/front hip plays an equally important role IMO.
> While we both see the same action/motion from the outside view, I feel that the swing originates from the hips and works both down and up. If you 'pop' the hips to start the swing, the back hip drives forward, the lead hip pulls around and the front leg straightens as a result of this.
> "uses the extension of lead-leg to drive the lead-hip around and back toward the catcher" I'd say "drives the lead-hip around... to create lead-leg extension"
>
> We disagree possibly on cause and effect, but we are looking at the same event. I used to teach front heel down to trigger the swing.
> Now I teach to pop the hips from a balanced stance. The front heel rotates into foot plant, but it is a result of the hip action. Looks the same however But I can get consistent results with very little complication/overthink/overteach on my and my students' parts. <<<
>
> Hi Major Dan
>
> I find that most of the batters I have worked with are already back-side dominant and few use the lead-side effectively. One of the key reasons great hitters like Bonds are so far ahead of the field is because of the BHT they apply from the lead-shoulder pulling back to accelerate the bat-head to contact. For Bonds to get his strong 105 degree lead-shoulder rotation requires the aid from the straightening of his lead leg.
>
> Therefore, I do not think it helpful to think the lead-leg straightens because the hips rotate – Rather, the extension of the lead-leg is a major factor in what drives rotation. --- I want the student to understand that the sole reason they rotate their body (hips and shoulders) is to cause the bat-head to rotate -- that’s what it’s all about. So I teach the student that as they initiate their swing by rotating the lead-heel back, they should also think “rotate the bat-head.” ---Think, “rotate the heel – rotate the bat-head.” From initiation, the muscle groups in the batter’s legs, torso and arms should be working together (in unison) to maximize the angular acceleration of the bat-head.
>
> Jack Mankin
>
Think, “rotate the heel – rotate the bat-head.”
cue vs reality, cause vs effect. Which is which here? (Thank you Paul Nyman for making me think about things like this)
I agree that "From initiation, the muscle groups in the batter’s legs, torso and arms should be working together (in unison) to maximize the angular acceleration of the bat-head."
If the hitter links the front heel and the bat-head as you suggest that can be a 'unifying thought' - one image that gets a lot of good things to happen together.
It may be a great cue. I will try it out and see where it gets me. Is it reality? on the surface, the two should work together.
Is it cause or effect? I doubt rotating the front heel in and of itself can power a swing. As I said before, I think it is a positive reflection of a good hip turn, just as the lead leg locking out is.
What is seen on the outside and what causes that on the inside are hard to differentiate.
I know this - in a ready to launch stance/state, I can rotate my front heel down to straighten my front leg without moving anything else. If I rotate my hips, I can't keep that heel up, have to force the leg to stay bent.

I do agree that most hitters are backside dominant. Getting them to get about 50-50 weight front and back is required to do any of the things we are discussing here. So the 'stepping on thin ice' and 'soft stride' can be really destructive.
Again, apply the cue vs reality test: do you emphasize front side because it is a cue that corrects the typical back side dominant hitter or because the front side really does more of the work?