Posted by: Steve (sjd@cogeco.ca) on Wed Jul 6 07:41:08 2005

That was the gist of the instructions, and I couldn't see how my son could make it work. I went back through the Batspeed archives & note that Jack suggests using a different angle for the top-hand torque (pulling backwards towards the catcher but directing the bat back & away from your rear shoulder, vs back & towards your shoulder for an inside pitch). I tried this myself and it DOES tend to make your arms arc in a wider path/radius than angling the bat inwards with THT for an inside or down-the-middle pitch, which should accommodate an outsider. Best of all, changing the THT path is much simpler than moving the feet, and once the THT path changes, the larger arc happens pretty much automatically, without having to "think" about extending the arms.

I'm a big believer in the KISS principle, and this modified THT-path method is less disruptive to the swing, I'm certain. The less changes you make to fundamental motions from pitch to pitch should make you a more consistent hitter, IMO.

This is also why I'm a fan of simply rotating to the contact position with rear leg in a straight line behind the bent front leg when bunting, vs turning the body square so that both feet are perpendicular to the pitch. The latter requires an awkward pivot to move the front foot to the side, and gives you less reach on an outside pitch than the former method. Just bending to contact is easy (you're just bending the front leg instead of extending it on a hit) and your head stays in the same relative position when you wait for the bunt.

Thanks for the note!

Steve

> If your son's coach means to move his foot diagonally towards the pitch when he sees that it's outside, then he is wrong. It is impossible to move your stride to different angles after you've recognized the pitch. That piece of advice just doesn't work.