September, 2003 Vol. 1 Nbr.7     

Originally, hitting instructors began teaching back foot hitting in order to prevent lunging at the ball, the theory being if you left your weight on your back foot you would prevent lunging and that might be true……but….and this is a BIG but….back foot hitting effectively prevents you from physically taking the knob of the bat to the ball….and this is a crucial component in a modern swing! 

When you place too much weight on the back foot (again, by "squishing the bug") you create several problems:

1. You create a rotation around the back leg and hip, thus shortening the swing
2. "Leaving it on the backside" actually prevents full hip rotation, preventing power and energy from the backside to be released or utilized
3. The act of "squishing the bug" requires the athlete to perform an early front side firm up of the front leg, forcing the hips to prematurely turn, resultantly upsetting hip turn timing
4. You leave substantial available energy you have stored stationary on the back side, wasting it and losing power
5. You cannot cover the entire strike zone because the front leg MUST firm up too soon, which forces you to carry the bat away from the body in an early back side rotational swing, creating in the process a consistently long swing
6. The long swing in effect is in effect a prematurely rotational and top hand dominant swing, PREVENTING you from hitting the outside pitch because the swing arc can not cover the entire hitting zone
7. This early rotational swing component prevents the most efficient initial linear acceleration of the bat (pulling the knob) thus slowing the swing or bat speed
8. Back foot hitters become notorious pull hitters, because they must loop their swing around the ball, hooking the ball to the pull side or preventing utilization of the whole field in modern hitting
   

Understand the importance. The TRANSFER of ENERGY in the FULL TRANSFER SWING is what ALLOWS you cover the entire strike zone as well as rotate the hips fully and at the right time.

As it lengthens your total swing by forcing the bat away from the body, staying on the backside shortens your swing arc and effective hit zone by restricting bottom hand extension, thus PREVENTING the ability to compensate and hit the changeup, breaking pitches and outside pitches…..This is clearly the exact OPPOSITE of what the "squish the bug" hitting theorists intended.

Slow motion video motion analysis of the best in baseball confirms the above as true. More information and free video downloads of slow motion analysis of top hitters swings can be found at: www.peavynet.com 

"Well…how DO I time the off speed pitch?", you might ask…….The actual timing mechanism to allow maximum flexibility and adjustment in swing timing is the FRONT SIDE FIRMUP……NOT leaving energy on the backside….Front Side Firmup will also be the subject of a future newsletter article.

Back Foot Hitting belongs in the list of old baseball hitting poisons along with wrist rolling and top hand dominance…..both will also be subjects of future articles…. 

Hitting Information & Free Video Downloads can be found at www.peavynet.com 

"Keep Your Pitches Down and Your Spirits Up"
Coach Preston Peavy can be reached at: smarty1@mindspring.com 

Please consult your physician prior to beginning any exercise(s) discussed in this newsletter. The comments and topics on this newsletter never take the place of what your physician can recommend. This information is presented for informational purposes and should be used with caution and professional medical advice. 

Please consult your physician prior to beginning any exercise(s) discussed in this newsletter. The comments and topics on this newsletter never take the place of what your physician can recommend. This information is presented for informational purposes and should be used with caution and professional medical advice. 

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