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Hitting
Tools: Front Side Firmup
by Coach Preston Peavy of VSI Baseball
& Hitting Coach for North Cobb Christian School
In
"Swing
Poisons: Back Foot Hitting" we talked about Back Foot
Hitting or “squishing the bug”, as an outdated teaching
of old school baseball philosophers & a leading poison to a modern
baseball swing & how staying on the back side lengthens your total
swing by forcing the bat away from the body & shortens your swing
arc & effective hit zone by restricting bottom hand extension &
forcing an early top hand swing, thus PREVENTING the ability to
compensate & hit the changeup, breaking pitches & outside
pitches.
“Well…how
the heck DO I time the off speed pitch?”, you might ask……The best
timing mechanism to allow maximum flexibility & adjustment in
swing timing is the FRONT SIDE FIRMUP……NOT leaving energy on
the backside or "squishing the bug"..….
Try
this yourself, so you will understand......let's do it the wrong
way first to make a point........get in a hitting stance & begin
a practice swing, while "squishing the bug" with your back
foot & putting a considerable amount of weight on the back foot
while rotating during the swing (REMEMBER, I DO NOT teach
"squishing the bug" or back side hitting). Notice what
happens with your front knee or "front side".....it is
forced to "firm up" or straighten & the hips must turn....
This should make you realize major points:
-
The
FRONT SIDE FIRMUP is the TRIGGER for your hip turn
-
"Squishing the bug" forces a PREMATURE hip turn
-
If
you "back foot hit", the "front side firmup"
occurs at the same time, preventing adjustments in rotation timing
Think
about this........if you were driving along in your car &
decided to slam on just ONE of the front brakes hard, wouldn't
your car want to pivot or spin around that wheel?
Put
very simply, in order to hit the inside pitch, you adjust the hip
rotation timing by firming up the front side leg early to rotate
& clear the hips & allow lead arm extension to hit the ball
earlier & more in front of the plate......To hit the outside
pitch or changeup, you simply firm up the front side later to
rotate the hips later, pulling the knob of the bat to hit the outside
pitch at an impact point closer to or on the plate or to hit a changeup
later....It's the ultimate timing mechanism!
Think
about it!......You control the hip timing, thus controlling the
torso....which allows for the most efficient & proper way of
"staying back" or keeping the stored energy from being spent
prematurely....making it easier to keep the hands back until the right
moment because you more effectively control the stored power, also allowing
you to release all of the hip & torso power COMPLETELY at the time
of YOUR choosing, because you are not "leaving it on the
backside". (See Previous Article Back
Foot Hitting at www.peavynet.com
)
Check
swings are made easier, as all you have to learn to do is not firm
up the front side at all...since the rotational part of the swing is not
accelerated, check swings are much less difficult!
Slow
motion video motion analysis of the best in baseball confirms the above
as true. Front Side Firmup is the timing tool the best in
baseball use!
Free
video downloads of slow motion analysis of top hitters swings can be
found at: www.peavynet.com
Look
for future articles
by Coach Preston Peavy to find out more about the Full Transfer
Hitting System.
"Keep
Your Pitches Down & Your Spirits Up"
Coach Preston Peavy does personal hitting instruction in the Cobb County
and greater Atlanta areas. He can be reached at: smarty1@mindspring.com or
by calling 770-642-2338
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