Posted by: Graylon (g_dunc@hotmail.com) on Mon Dec 3 15:37:13 2007

> > > gerge said :
> > >
> > > "to open up your front foot & thus your front side before the foot strikes the ground will
> > > result in a loss in torque power generated"
> > >
> > > I would say that most good mlb power hitters start opening the front foot (externally
> > > rotate front leg) and the front hip BEFORE stride toe touch while at the same time NOT
> > > "opening the front side".
> > >
> > > They open the front foot and hips BUT at the same time keep the hands and shoulders
> > > back to avoid "flying open" and pulling off the ball.
> > >
> > > They do this by well synched upper and lower body actions that turn the body back and
> > > create coil which usually does NOT usually involve keeping the front foot or even the hips
> > > closed.
> >
> >
> > Goerge,
> >
> > I agree with Tom. I have seen you often write that the front foot should be closed at touch down or you will lose torque. What you have to realize is the front foot remaining closed blocks the rotation of the hips. If you allow the front foot to land slightly open and the front hip to turn open slightly, while keeping the hands and shoulders back, you now have freed up your hips to rotate unimpeded.
> Like I have said before the torque you think you're feeling, with your front foot closed, is actually in your front hip "joint" because of the twisting over a closed foot.
> >
> > Clear the front hip to give the back hip some where to go.
> >
> > Graylon
>
> hi grey!
>
> i believe hitters do open up slightly prior to contact simply because it is easier not to fight keeping closed.... your front side WANTS to fly open..so why fight it? i hate to be a pain where you sit, but the LAWS of PHYSICS state that the more rotation, the greater the force imparted... so if you land in a closed position, THEN start to torque you back side, which will in turn force your front side to torque, you will generate more force.. to open up your front side EVEN THE SLIGHTEST BIT prior to touchdown is more comfortable, but i believe you can generate more torque by waiting until AFTER touchdown.. at least that what PHYSICS sez..THAT IS WHEN YOU START TO TORQUE WITH YOUR BACK FOOT,... LET YOUR BACK BACK SIDE DRIVE YOUR FRONT SIDE.. you say "What you have to realize is the front foot remaining closed blocks the rotation of the hips." .. TRUE!!! ONLY AFTER IT LANDS DO I WANT TO OPEN UP!!! you make it sound like it blocks the hips FOREVER... NOT SO!! ONLY UNTIL THE BACK SIDE HAS TORQUED THE FRONT SIDE OPEN!! IT'S A MATTER OF TIMING... BACK SIDE FIRST, THEN THE FRONT SIDE... NOT FRONT SIDE FIRST BECAUSE IT'S EASIER TO OPEN UP.. THEN THE BACK SIDE.. once again, PHYSICS proves your wrong... sorry.
>
> i have to call you on invoking the "what-someone-is-doing-must-be-right-simply-because-of-the-size-of-his-paycheck" mantra. all the MLB hitter are making lotsa $$$.. your logic is since they are the ones doing it, there can be no better way... FALSE!! DON'T FORGET STATISTICALLY SPEAKING , THEY FAIL TO GET A HIT 74% OF THE TIME..
> (MLB BA- .260.. not so hot). everyone DOES NOT go around saying "these guys fail to get a hit about 3 times out of 4, so they must pretty damn good"..but that is the reality.. FACT: even the best MLB hitters are failing 7 times out of 10... that is a lot room for improvement..
>
> you know it's one thing to endorse what others are doing in the MLB batter's box.. it is another to try someone else's idea & decide for yourself whether or not you can generate more power another way... i am assuming you did that, right? you went into the laboratory & conducted some experiments, yes? you did in fact get in a box & rip on many pitches your way, then tried it my way? then you discovered i was wrong before you wrote this rebuttal??.. somehow, i don't think
> that is what you did...WHY? because if you had you would have discovered something about PHYSICS, which would have told you i was right... in which case you would not have written a rebuttal... rather an agreement.
>
> try it, you'll like it!

George,

Yes I have tried it your way and found that my student that I taught it to lost power. I use to teach land with a closed front foot and then I put in the time and research to determine that it was not the most efficient way to teach. That student was my son. Once I started teaching him to land on a slightly opened front foot he started driving the ball farther then ever before. But you would probably say he was achieving greater power inspite of what I was teaching. The fact is the back side doesn't power open the front side because if it did you would only be using half of your body to hit. I like my students to use both sides.

You say that if you open up your front side slightly at toe touch then you are not getting the full benifits of complete rotation. In order to open slightly I am still opening the hips, there going but not gone. So you are trying to dismis the fact that I am gaining energy by the hips opening slightly. Just because they are opening slightly at toe touch doesn't mean they are not opening the full amount of rotation, because they are.

You're right the front hip will not block the hips FOREVER but they will block them some and I don't want my hitters to have any resistance on the hips rotation. I want there hips to be able to rotate freely not against the friction of a closed front foot, which will not add to any torque to the upper body at all. The hips fire they're not forced.

I would love to continue this conversation, and I will later, but I have a lesson with a student whom I'm going to teach to land with a slightly opened front foot.

Graylon