2012年3月24日土曜日

Key of Success for Puncher Type 2

Theme2 Timing


Timing is important theme for automatic step. But it has a little different meaning from the other types of  hitting mechanics. That is, automatic step requires "pre-release-start" as mentioned in chapter8. So now at first, let me explain again the pre-release-start simply.

In the scene of "start of hitting mechanics", lower body's muscles contract unconsciously. In other words, lower body's muscle contraction is occurred at the "moment of start".
And legs push the ground by the lower body's muscle contraction. As a result, weight transfer occurs by ground reaction force.
In addition elevation of front leg occurs as a result of weight transfer like following movie and figure.



As a result of above mechanism, elevation of front leg stars from the moment-of-start. And as mentioned in chapter2, moment-of-start means the moment when you decide to start your swing. 
From the above words, following fact can be said that "elevation of front leg starts from the moment when you decide to start your swing". In other words, elevation of front leg starts from the moment when you decide to accelerate your bat. 

So moment-of-start can be distinguished by watching the elevation of front leg. And it makes clear that "when did that hitter try to start his swing in his consciousness".  (It is more previous stage than swing starts actually like following figure.)



So now, let me write about main subject from here.

In ordinary level baseball, (in the case of automatic step) moment-of-start is set before the pitcher's release. And as a result of my research against MLB hitters, in the case of automatic step, moment-of-start is distributed among following figure's area. (blue line means that area)

moment-of-start scale
Next movie expresses the pre-release-start. Batter's front leg starts lifting up before the pitcher's release. Of course, he is an automatic step hitter and he learned my hitting theory.



So then, let me show some cases of timing of moment-of-start. For that matter, automatic-step and two-step require the pre-release-start. On the other hand, leg-lift-step can do the post-release-start. And post-release-start is an advantage of leg-lift-step. But from the mechanical point of view, automatic step is the ideal hitting style.

Albert Pujols (automatic step or no step)     This movie is automatic step.


Michael Young (two step)


Miguel Cabrera (leg lift step)   As far as I know, He has the latest timing among famous sluggers.


Tod Helton (leg lift step)


Magglio Ordonez (automatic step or two step)     This movie is automatic step.


Matt Holliday (leg lift step)

By the way, above results of research tells me that timing of start (pre-release-start or post-release-start) does not concern directly in batting average. Of course it is needless to say that "late timing start" makes it easy to have a high batting average. Because it means can see a ball while long time. Miguel Cabrera is a proof of it. So to put it bluntly, pre-release-star is a weak point of automatic step. However, that week point is brought by characteristic of baseball game. That is to say, a situation that a ball comes at 90miles/hour from 60.6 feet ahead is a cause of pre-release-start. In short, pre-release-start is a result of limitation of time of baseball. For example, in the case of slow pitch soft ball, pre-release-start will not be necessary for automatic step. In other words, this weak point (pre-release-start) is not due to swing mechanics itself.

Automatic step is the ideal swing mechanics. But that ideal swing mechanics is forced to have an weak point in the baseball game. Therefore, it is difficult to say that what types of hitting styles can have the best batting result. In a sense, this is a interest of baseball because we can see various hitting styles in the baseball game.

However, there is one thing I can say that  keeping a good hitting mechanics means keeping a good muscle memory. And it enables you to keep a good swing while long standing. So, of course, if you can have a high batting average with automatic step, it will be said as the ideal batting style. Jason Giambi's heyday can be said as it.

So now, what should we do to solve the problem of pre-release-start?  I will write about three drills for it in this article.

1) virtual swing drill
~get used to pre-release-start~


Interestingly, automatic step hitters have not been recognizing that they are doing the pre-release-start. This fact was become clear by my hearing research in my baseball gym. Probably, MLB players also have not been recognizing it. May be, it became a kind of unconscious habit by experience.

In the case of "natural (wild)" automatic step hitters, there is no uneasiness about this problem (pre-release-start). Because they have gotten a feeling of pre-release-start unconsciously. May be, Jeff Bagwell, Mike Piazza, and Ken Griffey Jr must have gotten that sort of feeling.

On the other hand, in the case of "manufactured (by my theory)" automatic step hitters, sometimes they have a trouble with timing. In many cases, they are late for fastball because they try to start after judging  strike or ball. Of course, it means post-release-start.

To sum up, automatic step hitter needs to take a following approach, that is to say, start a hitting mechanics against all pitches and if ball (not strike) comes, stop the motion at the middle of mechanics (take a pitch or check swing).

Be that as it may, as a first step, you need to get used to pre-release-start. And for this theme, movie also can be used as a tool of swing drill. Of course, that movie should be taken from back stop. Following kind of movie can be used for this drill.

Pineda's first MLB victory (0.48~)
Felix's scoreless start (1.04~)

Pre-release-start should become a kind of conditioned reflex (classical conditioning). Or rather, it can also be said as a kind of unconscious habit due to a custom.


2) short range drill


A fast ball thrown with velocity of 93miles/hour takes 0.41sec for traveling 60.6feet. And in this situation, automatic step is forced to do the pre-release-start. Namely, this problem is due to a limitation of time. So that, a situation of short range and slow ball also can express the same situation of 93miles/hour fastball in the actual baseball.


short range drill

※) In this movie, towel ball and rubber ball are used for safety.

By the way, as mentioned above, automatic step needs to take a following approach that is to say, start a hitting mechanics against all pitches and if ball (not strike) comes, stop the motion at the middle of mechanics (take a pitch or check swing).


Therefore, for automatic step hitters, ability of "stop after the start" becomes very important. And that ability can be trained by the short range drill. So in the short range drill, strike/ball judgement must be judged exactly. Check swing skills is an important theme of this drill.

There are only few people who can throw a 90miles/hour fast ball. But as for only "time situation", a same situation can be expressed by using short range and slow ball. This is a meaning of the short range drill.



※) theme of short range drill

1) Improving an ability of strike/ball judgement under the situation of pre-release-start. And improving an ability of muscle reaction based on that judgement. In other words, improving a check swing skills under the situation of pre-release-start.

2) Having many experiences of hitting a ball actually under the situation of pre-release-start and getting used to it.

3) towel or rubber ball drill 


In the case of pre-release-start, you must to start your hitting mechanics while you don't know what kind of pitch is thrown. So that, basically, you have no choice but waiting for a fastball, expect a case of waiting for a breaking ball as a gamble.

In this situation, adjustment to slow breaking ball after the start with fastball timing is very important. This is one of the most important theme for automatic step hitter. But in generally, it is difficult to have a chance of taking a that kind of BP. So, simulation of it in a short range BP becomes important. Towel-or-rubber-ball-drill is a simulation of adjustment to slow and fast ball after the pre-release-start.

towel or rubber ball drill






~ detail of towel or rubber ball drill ~



Firstly, this drill needs to be done without telling to a batter about which ball will come . Because this drill is operated for improving an ability of  "reaction" to slow and fast ball. As mentioned above, that ability is one of the most important theme for the automatic step hitter. Because pre-release-start means that to start before knowing about what type pitches will come. Of course, batter must not forecast the next pitch. So that, ball cage should be hidden by something like a board.

Secondly, towel balls must be made like above figure. That towel is tied with making a flap. As a result, towel ball becomes easy to go into a stall like a change up by parachute effect. In addition, rubber ball should be used for safety because this drill is operated in a short distance for making a situation of pre-release-start.

※) additional notes

I implemented a hearing research in above movie's drill (experiment). I asked them about feeling of the pre-release-start on alternative question form like below.

Which attitude makes you easy to hit a ball?

A) Adjusting a timing against pitcher's motion like "when pitching arm comes there, I start my hitting mechanics".

B) Trusting own intuition and trying to swing with adjusting a fast ball. (not trying to adjust against pitcher's motion)

As a result of above question, all of them chose B is better than A. As mentioned above, as for problem of the pre-release-start, it should become a kind of unconscious habit like a conditioned reflex by experience.

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