Balance and timing

[jdint]

Anybody that played HR derby as a kid would instinctively know how to adjust to that. I don’t ever remember kids saying a pitcher was too slow growing up but I hear it all the time now, baseball and softball.

Our coaches started lobbing balls to the girls in batting practice to get them to adjust to slow pitching. Maybe the problem is they never played home run derby or wiffle ball. For what it's worth, I played both, a lot, and still managed to totally suck at baseball.

 

[_MIA_]

Our coaches started lobbing balls to the girls in batting practice to get them to adjust to slow pitching. Maybe the problem is they never played home run derby or wiffle ball. For what it's worth, I played both, a lot, and still managed to totally suck at baseball.

I never said I was Hank Aaron..only that timing wasn’t something I ever worried about

 

[clemenslee1]

Let’s look at Trout here in a real game situation. Courtesy of Bobby Tewks.



Foot down early for the heater. But loading late. Hence the foot down early. He’s always sitting fastball and he tries to back that ball up to a RCF approach. That’s timing. Meaning he is staying short w his swing. Not getting around it early to pull it physically. The other swing has him hit the offspeed stuff to LCF w the foot down a bit later, but stays mechanically sound w the short swing.

He backs the fastball up, that’s what oppo or RCF means. It doesn’t mean force it to the oppo side. That’s drag. It’s a timing cue. Let the timing dictate the swing. Take the same short swing with contact points that vary due to when you need to swing. Which is dictated by when you get your foot down. Hence get the foot down early is for an inside or high pitch.

The problem I am having with you are stating is that his Loading Tempo and rhythm to foot down doesn't change FB or Off speed. I agree sit FB and adjust.

When I hear you state he got his foot down early, causes me to think you are saying that the player forces tempo to get the foot down. Which would be leveraging late. Emergency hack type of thing. If you are meaning that he "gets his foot down early" because he starts his load timing and rhythm at a different point in the pitchers sequence. Then I can agree. Maybe Trout, while usually pretty consistent with his starting point in the pitchers wind, was just a tad late with the FB pitch vs the off speed or vise versa.

 

[Work=wins]

You stated in the other thread that Leveraging late is dead. Agreed. Then you stated the alternative is to leverage early and adjust from there. Then you stated that they move out as late as possible. Then you stated a couple posts later that Foot down early is an adjustment cue. I'm not following. I could be wrong but you always seem to make statements of get foot down and leverage early as a central fact of the swing not an adjustment. If one is moving out as late as possible, to shorten the cycle of the load etc. for balance, then In my mind your not getting down early your simply getting down on time. No different that early and slow and leveraging on time.

I want to be leveraged on time every time as much as possible and adjust if required. No different than what trout did in the video of tewks. Trout did not make and adjustment on the FB by getting his foot down earlier and then change or anything with the Lob pitch. Trout simply knows his rhythm and timing of his load. He knows how to repeat it every single time. He already know what the slow pitcher was throwing and on deck or even before in the dugout, timed when to start his load timing to match contact. IMO of course

You leverage your stride or forward move(getting off the backside)and you leverage your swing launch. There’s are two moments of leverage. You back up the fastball and you react to whatever is throw. You let it get to you. The foot down early cue is for pitches that are faster than an outside fastball. There are two reasons why you think this way. One to not open early and two to not over/under stride. You move out tentatively ready to get the foot down. Or continue til your ready to hit the outside/off speed. This enables more coverage w a bigger timing window.

What’s misunderstood during weight shift or leveraging is inside and high pitches are hit while still shifting the remaining weight through rotation while Outside pitches are hit from more of a 50/50 weight distribution and are a bit more linear with a weight shift that it farther along. It’s my opinion that is why inside or pulled pitches usually go much farther than outside or oppo pitches.

Hopefully I answered your questions.

Edit: everything is off the table when one sells out for a certain pitch and doesn’t have to adjust. I’m clearly speaking from an adjustability stand point. Double edit: which I think is needed the better the pitching gets.

 

[Work=wins]

@clemenslee1

The foot down cue is my repellent against a 50/50 universal hitting position. That just isn’t feasible when trying to cover multiple pitches w multiple speeds and locations. You get things like jammed on the inside pitch or inside outing everything to the opposite field. Which usually results w flares to the oppo side most of the time.

 

[Work=wins]

I think Barry was the best at it. Mainly bc his swing was so short and he was very powerful and quick. He was really good before he had no neck. He was great afterwards.

 

[TDS]

WW, I think what you're referring to is more of an approach (hitting plan) and not so much movement pattern. I believe the 2 clips of your daughter it appears she moves out for the middle/out zone and adjusts for the inside fb if necessary.

With this plan it makes adjusting to the off-speed much easier as well.

 

[Work=wins]

WW, I think what you're referring to is more of an approach (hitting plan) and not so much movement pattern. I believe the 2 clips of your daughter it appears she moves out for the middle/out zone and adjusts for the inside fb if necessary.

With this plan it makes adjusting to the off-speed much easier as well.

It could be called that. The approach shapes the movements. It will also shape the swing. Can’t have a long swing w a short approach, right?

 

[Work=wins]

For clarity.

 

[Work=wins]

WW, I think what you're referring to is more of an approach (hitting plan) and not so much movement pattern. I believe the 2 clips of your daughter it appears she moves out for the middle/out zone and adjusts for the inside fb if necessary.

With this plan it makes adjusting to the off-speed much easier as well.

I personally think this is why the mlbers practice the down swing or oppo cues that are misunderstood and is having folks filleting everything and or chopping balls into the ground etc. especially when the load early cue came along. And get your foot down early was scoffed at. As well as Josh D and his leg kick etc etc. all in my opinion of course. I think if you can Control it, great. But he has said he sits pitches, he doesn’t care if he’s adjustable to an extent. Worked out for him. kids really don’t have advanced scouting reports on pitch percentages etc. I think they should learn how to shorten up. It’s fundamental. And go from there. Anyways..