(*according to Baseball-Reference.com)
In this Part-1 video, we’ll:
For a different angle on this, CLICK HERE to watch the – 1 min, 58 second – PBS Circus Physics video about the Conservation of Linear Momentum (aka, the Un-Weighting Principal).
A few notable explosive rotational athletes who also use this human movement rule:
I get tired of hearing about instructors pushing the wider [non-athletic] stance. This makes it difficult to create any forward movement in the swing, and see it’s benefits (read below).
I ask my students…what position – with your feet – would you want to cover a fast wide receiver? How about guarding an agile soccer striker? Or jumping to slam dunk a basketball? Hitters need to start from an athletic stance – feet slightly wider than shoulder width.
“Sitting back” isn’t very effective when it comes to dynamic human movements.
As a famous Samurai swordsman Miyamoto Musashi once said:
“In all forms of strategy, it is necessary to maintain the combat stance in everyday life and to make your everyday stance your combat stance.” – Musashi, The Water Book
CLICK HERE to watch Part-2, Andrew McCutchen: Do This For Longer Drives. We’ll look at how effective Cutch’s Final Turn is…or isn’t.
JD, yes this is the tee configuration I use. It encourages the hitter to make an aggressive ‘move’ to the ball. And setting the tee behind the front ball marker keeps the hitter from continuing forward past front heel strike. When I teach the Un-Weighting Principal I don’t focus on the hands so much. I get the hitter to ‘think’ about their feet and hip movement. We worry about what the hands and arms are doing later in the progression.
JD
I’m always confused where the tee should be placed. Is it this far forward to encourage the forward body move? With it where you suggest is there a danger of the kid wanting to push his hands ahead to reach the pitch?
Is this the typical tee positioning that you use? I guess using the forward move, the ball ends up a little deeper?