front foot turning?

[Arnie#6]

yea im wondering if during a swing, my front foot(left) is okay to twist , like my ankle perpendicular to the mound to toes pointing to the mound?

[jbooth]

yea im wondering if during a swing, my front foot(left) is okay to twist , like my ankle perpendicular to the mound to toes pointing to the mound?

No, not DURING the swing. It's OK after you hit the ball.

Up until you hit the ball your foot should be at a 45 degree angle, or some people even think it should be more.

Here's how most MLB hitters have it;

http://firstpickclub.com/images/bonds_approach.jpg

http://firstpickclub.com/images/griffey_approach_499.jpg

The foot is pointing at the camera, which is up the third baseline about 45 degrees. You cannot release the foot and take the pressure off of the push into the front hip. It takes away from the transfer of energy up through the hip and through the torso.

[JackB1]

yea im wondering if during a swing, my front foot(left) is okay to twist , like my ankle perpendicular to the mound to toes pointing to the mound?

I giess after contact its OK, but i never heard that a twisting of the front foot during the swing as a good thing.
I would just plant it at about 45 deg and keep it firm while the front leg firms up.

[jamesh23]

how do you fix it? I have this problem too

[jbooth]

how do you fix it? I have this problem too

Don't let pressure go to your heel, and let your ankle bend like theirs is, instead of shifting to the heel and letting your foot turn.

Keep weight off of your front heel. The pressure moves from the inside of the ball of the foot, to the little toe. There shouldn't ever be much weight on the front heel. The heel does drop but the force gets absorbed through the front of the foot.

[jamesh23]

thanks does that give you more power?

[jbooth]

thanks does that give you more power?

Absolutely! When you unlock the foot and let the leg spin, you drain off some of the energy flowing through the trunk. I thought I said that already, under the photo of Bonds and Griffey.

[BoardMember]

Absolutely! When you unlock the foot and let the leg spin, you drain off some of the energy flowing through the trunk. I thought I said that already, under the photo of Bonds and Griffey.

Of course, for every "doesn't" there is a "does", even with Bonds.

I would not go so far as to say it bleeds off power. If it's working for you, you will find many do exactly that:

http://photos.imageevent.com/siggy/hitting/pro/BondsBarry1.gifhttp://i13.tinypic.com/4yslrtw.gifhttp://lclifton.hittingillustrated.com/renteria1.gifhttp://lclifton.hittingillustrated.com/Yaz.gif

And even the Girls!:

http://lclifton.hittingillustrated.com/ull-gomez-side-sacfly-lf-ab2.gifhttp://lclifton.hittingillustrated.com/crystalbustos1.gif

[jbooth]

Of course, for every "doesn't" there is a "does", even with Bonds.

I would not go so far as to say it bleeds off power. If it's working for you, you will find many do exactly that:

http://photos.imageevent.com/siggy/hitting/pro/BondsBarry1.gifhttp://i13.tinypic.com/4yslrtw.gifhttp://lclifton.hittingillustrated.com/renteria1.gifhttp://lclifton.hittingillustrated.com/Yaz.gif

And even the Girls!:

http://lclifton.hittingillustrated.com/ull-gomez-side-sacfly-lf-ab2.gifhttp://lclifton.hittingillustrated.com/crystalbustos1.gif

They aren't turning it out early. It's getting pushed out, from huge force put on it. My understanding of the original question was that he turned his foot out either before pressure got on it, or he was spinning the leg with the foot. In all the clips, the foot doesn't turn out until right at, or just after contact. I thought he was saying he turned the foot with the hips, before contact.

[BoardMember]

They aren't turning it out early. It's getting pushed out, from huge force put on it. My understanding of the original question was that he turned his foot out either before pressure got on it, or he was spinning the leg with the foot. In all the clips, the foot doesn't turn out until right at, or just after contact. I thought he was saying he turned the foot with the hips, before contact.

I can agree with this statement Jim if it is prior to lead leg extension, although some choose to open into foot plant to release pressure on the front hip from EXTREME rotation.

Telling someone to "hold the lead foot in" can inhibit full rotation. I don't want him confused.

I don't agree with this at all:
Don't let pressure go to your heel, and let your ankle bend like theirs is, instead of shifting to the heel and letting your foot turn.

Keep weight off of your front heel. The pressure moves from the inside of the ball of the foot, to the little toe. There shouldn't ever be much weight on the front heel. The heel does drop but the force gets absorbed through the front of the foot.

As you can see, the pressure is absolutely transfered back towards the heal during extension, and not absorbed by the front of the foot.

Allowing the foot to flair into and though contact can release "rotational completion" not seen with the front foot "held" closed.

Here is Bond Record swing. Watch his front foot release MAX rotation through contact.

http://i12.tinypic.com/4mv6hxl.gif

[jbooth]

As you can see, the pressure is absolutely transfered back towards the heel during extension, and not absorbed by the front of the foot.

I don't see that. The force is going from inside, to outside, and then eventually to the heel.

Allowing the foot to flair into and though contact can release "rotational completion" not seen with the front foot "held" closed.

Here is Bond Record swing. Watch his front foot release MAX rotation through contact.

http://i12.tinypic.com/4mv6hxl.gif

His foot barely moves until right at contact, and then his ankle bends and then after the ball has been hit, and the follow-through begins, the weight moves back, and his foot slides open.

Were getting into BS again. One needs to think of hitting on a solid front foot, landing on the ball of the foot first. I don't much give a sh** what happens after that. That's all the pros think about. They want to land on the ball, or toe with the foot closed to their individual preference, and turn on a firm front leg.

The guy asked if he should turn his foot out DURING the swing. What does DURING mean to him? I don't know. I took it to mean, well before contact. And if that's what he meant, then NO, you don't turn it out early. And you don't LAND heel first. If he meant at ANY time DURING the swing then YOU are right, it sometimes moves at contact and/or after, as a result of forces moving it. It doesn't turn out as a planned movement.

[XV84]

Pitch location can play a role. All the pitches in the clips above look to be inside and pulled. Look at how much the shoulders and head rotate on follow through. Generally on an inside pitch, you have to get on the heel in order to get more hip rotation. Although one MLB player who is notorious for hitting off the heel is Derek Jeter.