Posted by: tom.guerry (tom.guerry@kop.org) on Sun Jun 17 18:35:28 2001

What turned you into a kinetic link man???Physics??????Crack the whip baby!!!!!!
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> > > > > > > > Hi Chris -
> > > > > > > > Been drinking a lot of coffee this morning?
> > > > > > > > The kinetic chain is how the body gets it done. But I look at the picture (upper left) and don't see a closed/rigid front side. I see a flexed front side, hips already starting to open and getting ready to open more as the front leg torques the front hip back (at the same time the back leg turns over and torques the back hip forward) : both hips turning around the stationary axis of the spine!!!
> > > > > > > > ( and all that AFTER weight shift (notice the trailing shadow figures))
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> > > > > > > i don't think the "trailing figures" are trailing figures. i think they are replicants of the front figure. the stride foot hasn't been lifted. everything, - the bat, the head, the hands, the belt, remains at a constant level. batter would have had to slide the stride foot immediately along the ground.
> > > > > > > have always been curious about that picture. not really fair to judge without seeing it in motion. but, first impression was and is that it looks lame. hope it wasn't jack at an early age.
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> > > > > > > ray porco
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> > > > > > Those trailing figures are obviously replicas and offer no additional information about that swing..I just found it ironic that a site dedicated to discrediting the positive effects of weight shift in the baseball swing would display an image of a batter employing linear mechanics..I would go as far to say that this player will not be able to perform the "ideal" kinetic link..This batter has actually allowed too much weight to move forward before blocking with the front leg and conserving energy to be transferred throuhout the rest of the system..He has also made the mistake of bringing his hands forward with his weight shift..The hands should stay back (lead arm extension)until the hips open (blocking i.e. transferring)which will transfer energy to the shoulders which then open and block, sending energy to the arms which should remain back until this point...All physicists know that the ideal kinetic link produces high bat velocity by the sequential transfer of energy from the stronger and heavier body segments (legs and hips)to the arms and finally the bat. Our friend should continue to employ a strong weight shift with a closed front leg, it is the beginnings of a strong kinetic link..He should work on stronger blocking against the front leg, this will initiate a quick and powerful hip rotation (keep the hands back).... He must also work on gaining lead arm extension during the stride forward/weight shift..
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> > > > > > Chris Yeager, Ph.D.
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> > > > > >this discussion is absurb.........it's difficult enough to even look at a video clip & agree on whether or not the hitter is rotational or weight shift, so trying to make judgements based on a diagram, shadows, etc is rediculous............why not go over to the posts regarding weightshift vs. rotational characteristics and have a more substantive discussion?....respectfully, grc........ I bet this was a picture picked out by a company that created the web site and not by Jack's choice.I can see the same problems in the picture simply because at that snaphot some body parts are not where they should be for where other parts are.Looks like a pitcher or someone taking a pitch and drifting through it.
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> > > Why is my name attached to this? Somebody help me
> > > As rql said, it's just a logo picture, not my posterchild for a good swing. So I'm changing the name of the thread. Let's talk about something else, pleeeaaaassseeeee.
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> > I 'd like to speculate before we change the subject.I like to look at still pictures and guess how they were done.Jack can fill us in on what really happened.
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> > I think the shadow pictures are the same image,so let's just deal with the single best seen "top" image.Looks like real stop action to me and not a "set up" still shot.Looks like this player is at or just after "launch" if you define this as the front heel being down and the hand path starting forward.Head and body look in good position to me.Elbow needs to be down by this time,it is.There is still some separation,with hands and shoulders back and hips open.
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> > The appropriate footwork to get the hips open seems to have happened.I can speculate that the back knee flexed out to home plate to keep the weight from going too far forward with the stride.The hips started to open as the back knee began turning down and in and the front knee started turnng out.Back foot not on toe yet.Front heel is now down with firm flexed front knee ready to proceed with balanced leg contribution to continued rotation around a stable axis.I suspect this will be a fine swing.
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> > Compare this to the "set up" still of Dave Hudgens at hitting.com and see what you think.
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> tom.,
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> to illustrate a point of how people view swings differently, the above posts indicate how people see even a still photo differently.
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> do you really see the hips as being open?
> "There is still some separation, with hands and shoulders back and hips open."
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> do you really see the back knee bent, down, and in?
> "...as the back knee began turning down and in..."
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> i don't.
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> i see the belt buckle straight at my viewing angle (which is from the side).
> i see a back knee that may be starting to bend, but certainly not down, and certainly not in.
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> with the back elbow that close to being in the slot (arguement could be made that it already is in slot), that back knee should already be down and in. that back leg appears to be dragging, much the way certain batters who have been described as being lau disciples.
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> that front knee hasn't begun to turn out. and those hips aren't open, but should certainly be starting to, with the back elbow being that close to the side.
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> do you REALLY see those hips open and that back knee down and in???
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> ray porco

Ray admittedly there is much subjective and inferred about the way we see things.This is human,and nothing is truly objective reality.On the other hand ,anything goes isn't an acceptable way to function either.There are better and worse interpretations of things.I think mine is a reasonable interpretation.The hands are still back without much shoulder turn.The knees have started to rotate which means the hips must be open.So many good hitters do the same thing to create separation,and I think this picture is in the category with them.