Jose Bautista hitting article.

[_MIA_]

The hands are what get loaded so they could load the barrel. The back scap does get pulled into the spine. Both are reactions.BUT the hands will dictate whether the path is short adjustable and ‘through’ or cut off long and short in the zone. Not the scap. So disregarding the hands would be detrimental to whoever doesn’t use them for path and adjustability. The pros talk about their hands a lot. Go figure.

Ok, now I see what you were disagreeing with..lol.

 

[Work=wins]

Not necessarily. Some load when the COM drops. While the hands remain up and back. Barry comes to mind. Some take the mass forward with the hands like Cano. So some will drop to load. Some will go forward. Style within mechanic would be the classification I guess.

Not sure what part you are disagreeing with..my main point is what the hands do is less important than how they use their upper back.

Not really disagreeing. Trying to open a door. There is more than one way to load the hands. Down or forward or down and forward. Think Mookie and Bagwell.

 

[_MIA_]

Not really disagreeing. Trying to open a door. There is more than one way to load the hands. Down or forward or down and forward. Think Mookie and Bagwell.

Right..but most all of them have some sort "elbow somebody behind" them action/reaction so whether that is a conscious thing (action) or a reaction the upper back does get stretched/loaded/pinched/etc

 

[FP26]

Not necessarily. Some load when the COM drops. While the hands remain up and back. Barry comes to mind. Some take the mass forward with the hands like Cano. So some will drop to load. Some will go forward. Style within mechanic would be the classification I guess.

OMG he said the "S" word!!

 

[julray]

Regardless, simply taking the hands back towards the catcher is not the best cue IMO. That's no different then simply sticking your leg out to stride forward.

Using the bigger muscles to resist the hands moving forward while the COM moves forward is key. And this can appear like the hitter is simply re-positioning the hands.

 

[Dmx1]

I do not understand loading the hands.

 

[julray]

Not really disagreeing. Trying to open a door. There is more than one way to load the hands. Down or forward or down and forward. Think Mookie and Bagwell.

This is confusing me a little here.... no matter what the elite hitter does with their hands prior to COM progressing forward, could be a timing mechanism, style..etc, they all get to that classic stretch position where they resist with the upper back/scap while COM moves forward prior to heel plant.

 

[Gags]

I do not understand loading the hands.

I'll also add that I don't understand the loading the barrel reference either. I've been (very broadly) interpreting "load" as a way of storing energy (or maybe creating potential energy?) - usually by some sort of stretching movement. I don't recall the hands being talked about as a real power source - active, yes, but not necessarily powering the swing like the core.

For loading the barrel, are you (W=W) referring to a "tip and rip" barrel movement? (I can't see any of twitter images you've embedded)

 

[rdbass]

Rear leg is the only thing that I know gets 'loaded' by the coil of the hip and the pulling back of the muscles of the back against the leg.

 

[Work=wins]

This is confusing me a little here.... no matter what the elite hitter does with their hands prior to COM progressing forward, could be a timing mechanism, style..etc, they all get to that classic stretch position where they resist with the upper back/scap while COM moves forward prior to heel plant.

I agree they get to that position. But they resist nothing. The scap gets pulled into the spine. It’s the COM progressing that pulls the scap which loads the hands.

If your referring to ‘down’ and or ‘forward’ that would just be how one loads the core. Here’s JD ‘when my scap loads my bat and pulls it back’.

Since we know the scap gets pulled into the spine... this would be a reaction to the core pull of the sequence. Right?