lau...

[Go Cardinals]

What do you guys think of lau?

http://lauhitting.com/

[FiveFrameSwing]

What do you guys think of lau?

http://lauhitting.com/

Lau Jr. has a book titled "Lau's Laws On Hitting" that you may find of value.

Lau urges hitters to adopt a top hand release, lead-arm extension, and hitting through the contact zone with flat hands.

The focus appears to be on minimizing top hand dominance and in increasing the effective ball/bat hitting zone.

The assertion is that this will minimize top hand rollover & the resultant cutting off of the swing in front.

Lau does teach separation and refers to it as the "first trigger".

If you are used to swinging with a top dominant hand, then Lau's material will give you a different perspective, as his focus is more on the lead-arm.

I like his material.

I find Preston Peavy's material very similar. Their main drills are amazing similar, if not identical. For example, what Peavy refers to as the Karate Chop Drill, Lau refers to as the Open Top Hand Drill. Charley's Dry Swing Drill is also virtually identical to another one of Peavy's drills. The drills are so similar that it almost appears that one copied the other. In any event, to you as the user it doesn't matter. Both offer similar work. If you are interested in learning this material, then my advice is to start with Charley's book and if you like what you read, then follow-up and purchase Peavy's video on drills.

[JJA]

Fiveframe,

I know Lau personally, have seen him teach numerous young players (5 and up), and several college level players. As I have said previously, he doesn't teach separation until the player becomes advanced. Here's what he has to say about it in his book, p. 63:

'These moves are the natural ways these players (referring to Ramirez, Martinez, Brett, etc - JJA add) tap into the power of their individual bodies. I don't feel you can teach these types of moves to younger players in Little League because these are extremely difficult moves that only the most highly coordinated and developed baseball sluggers can perform on a consistent basis.'

So I'm afraid he doesn't teach separation as a core part of his work. Indeed, if you understand the drills he uses, none have anything to do with separation. He does have drills that he uses on the advanced players, but that will cost you $300/hour to find out. I know as a fact that he doesn't teach separation for anyone below the high school level.

-JJA

[FiveFrameSwing]

Anyone paying $300/hr should be advanced enough to achieve separation routinely in their swing. Many kids age 14 and older are able to achieve separation in their swing. Lau is not ignorant of the importance of separation. But your point about kids under 12 finding this difficult may be valid.

[Chris O'Leary]

What do you guys think of lau?

http://lauhitting.com/

Some of the stuff in his book is good. For example, he understands that good hitters do not squish the bug.

However, his knowledge is incomplete.

He is overly focused on extension and doesn't understand that it is the effect of a good swing, not the cause. Also, many of the photos in the book do not show the major league pattern. In too many cases, his weight is too far forward. Over his front foot rather than between his feet.

It's like he's a linear guy who is trying to transition to rotational, or is teaching a hybrid swing, but he's not all the way there yet.

[Go Cardinals]

Some of the stuff in his book is good. For example, he understands that good hitters do not squish the bug.

However, his knowledge is incomplete.

He is overly focused on extension and doesn't understand that it is the effect of a good swing, not the cause. Also, many of the photos in the book do not show the major league pattern. In too many cases, his weight is too far forward. Over his front foot rather than between his feet.

It's like he's a linear guy who is trying to transition to rotational, or is teaching a hybrid swing, but he's not all the way there yet.

Chris, when are you going to write a book, I'd buy it...

[JJA]

Lau Jr does not teach weight onto the front side. Here is what he says from his book, p. 43:

"If you take the same position and draw an imaginary line from the top of your head to your belly button, it would depict your center of gravity. So, a large part of being balanced is maintaining the center of gravity equidistant to the feet. A hitter needs to establish this balance to have an axis on which to rotate during the rotational part of his swing."

This is exactly what he teaches with his students. Now, there are certainly some of his drills that promote a weight shift feeling, getting the weight off the back side, especially for the young player. This is because he views back foot hitting as one of the worst evils in the baseball swing. But he tempers this position by ensuring that guys rotate about an axis centered between their feet, like he states above. That's what he teaches and is consistent with what he writes.

Extension is another interesting point. One way of looking at it is indeed, as above. It's the result of a good swing, not the cause of the good swing. His view is different. He thinks of it like backward chaining. Making a guy finish correctly forces him to swing correctly. Like I've said on other sites, try to do these 3 things simultaneously: a) get off your back side b) finish high and c) finish with Lau's extension. It's not as easy as it seems. To finish high encourages weight on the back side. Finishing high and extension requires a very different swing than most people are used to. If you can do these things simultaenously, that's the start of a high level swing according to Lau.

Incomplete knowledge? Once again, everyone is entitled to their opinion. If you want to see Lau's finished product, it's A-Rod who was a Lau student for most of his early career, with the two titanic egos parting in 1999, though they still have worked together periodically when Alex gets in a slump. But for those of you who have A-Rod clips from his Mariner days, that's a finished Lau swing. If people don't like that finished product, well, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Suffice it to say I would be thrilled if any of my students ever look as good as A-Rod (and I would like to think they're getting close).

One thing I agree with is indeed A-Rod has a hybrid swing, a swing very different from Bonds say. This has been pointed out for a long time. Peavy has a video on his web site explaining this. I think even Nyman may have had a post on the subject a long time ago. But it's obvious that Alex has more of a linear component in his swing that Bonds, say. (This is left as an exercise for the reader. If you can see the difference in the two swings, you're a long way towards understanding the baseball swing.) So if A-Rod is a linear hitter and he's going to break the all time home run record, who cares about linear?

-JJA

[Chris O'Leary]

Lau Jr does not teach weight onto the front side. Here is what he says from his book, p. 43:

"If you take the same position and draw an imaginary line from the top of your head to your belly button, it would depict your center of gravity. So, a large part of being balanced is maintaining the center of gravity equidistant to the feet. A hitter needs to establish this balance to have an axis on which to rotate during the rotational part of his swing."

Maybe not, but if you look at pretty much all of the pictures of him demonstrating things in the book, his weight is pretty much on top of his front foot.

It's VERY confusing if you say one thing but show something else. Visual learners (which I think includes most baseball players) will tend to copy what they see, not what they read.

At a minimum, he needs to re-do his book.



Extension is another interesting point. One way of looking at it is indeed, as above. It's the result of a good swing, not the cause of the good swing. His view is different. He thinks of it like backward chaining. Making a guy finish correctly forces him to swing correctly.

The problem is that just because a guy is extended after the point of contact doesn't mean he got there the right way.

[FiveFrameSwing]

JJA -

Appreciate your input on this topic.

Thank you.

[Go Cardinals]

I just ordered his book, tonight, and it should be here by thursday. What should I know or look out for?

[Chris O'Leary]

I just ordered his book, tonight, and it should be here by thursday. What should I know or look out for?

Do as he says, not as he does.

And even then, be cautious.

[FiveFrameSwing]

I just ordered his book, tonight, and it should be here by thursday. What should I know or look out for?

If prior to this you were a top-hand dominant hitter, then this material may awaken you to the benefits of being a bottom-hand dominant hitter.

He's big on lead-arm extension.

Pay attention to his "dry swing" drill, which is virtually identical to Peavy's bottom-hand assisted drill in which he has his students hit off of a tee, etc.. Also pay attention to his "open top hand" drill, which is a virtual duplicate of Peavy's Karate drill. Pay attention to his bottom-hand release. See if you don't find that this approach better matches a shift in the center of pressure to the front side.

If after reading his material you find yourself still interested, then you might consider forking over $35 to get Peavy's video on drills.

The lead-arm extension concept, with early top-hand release, is working well for me.

I began teaching this to one student a week ago and the progress has been impressive (after three lessons). Instead of trying to muscle the ball, the ball is now being overcome with speed. The result is nothing short of stunning. Even the sound of contact is much different. Every contact sounds like a whip cracking.

I introduced this to four other students today ... one got it and hit very well, one was able to get it 50% of the time and was getting familiar with hitting more with the bottom-hand, another was starting to get it but kept falling back to a top-hand dominant swing, and the other struggled with the concept of lead-arm extension. They have another lesson later in the week. I'll be interested to see what they look like after their third lesson.