Help/Advice on front leg.

[new2thesport]

I have noticed that when my son swings, his front leg never locks out (straight). It looks like this:

http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2006/writers/tom_verducci/10/04/yankee.doodle.dandy/p1.derek.jeter.getty.jpg


We are striving for this:

http://img.slate.com/media/1/123125/123037/2133425/2142799/0600603_SN_PujolsEX.jpg

We have been working on it for the past month and we made progress, but yesterday at evals, he went right back to the no lock front leg. From the side, I swear he looked like he lunged toward the ball like he wanted to attack it and did not wait for it. He can make his front leg straight. I asked him why his front leg was bent and he told me "He forgot".

I have tried to bat at a batting cage and I have trouble trying to make a straight front leg. When I do keep it straight, it seems my weight is on my bent back leg. But I think that is wrong, since the back leg doesnt squish but rather floats to toe touch.

Is there any way to make a straight front leg feel more natural where as I dont have to think about it and it happens automatically? Maybe I can tell my son what to do to make it natural for him also.

I guess I am trying to say that it doesnt come natural for me and apparently it is not natural yet for my son. Any help would be appreciated.


The pictures is for the legs and how it looks, not the swing or where the swing is at.

[Mark H]

I have clips of McGwire not locking out completely so I wouldn't focus there. To me you are focusing on a result instead of focusing on a cause. Good rotation should be your focus. Accomplish that and the knee will do whatever it needs to to support that. You should post a clip.

[dominik]

I actually think that most guys do lock out and then rebend at the end of the follow through which could be to regain balance or start the sprint to first faster. Don't think there are many guys bend at POC.

Here's a reggie jackson analysis that illustrates this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op8EK5kT3DI

[Mark H]

Mostly that's true. Not always, but mostly. I do think it's absolutely true it's not a teach and it's not a focus. Good rotation will take care of it. So let's see a clip of the young hitter.

[Jake Patterson]

Clip sounds like Paul...

[dominik]

he has some more vids on youtube. Good and simple explaination I think.

Who's that guy?

[new2thesport]

he has some more vids on youtube. Good and simple explaination I think.

Who's that guy?

Mostly that's true. Not always, but mostly. I do think it's absolutely true it's not a teach and it's not a focus. Good rotation will take care of it. So let's see a clip of the young hitter.

I will try to take some video. Thanks for the words, it made me feel better thinking that we may be doing it correctly, but just not having a straight leg.

Thanks dominik for that video of Reggie Jackson! It looked exactly like that! (His legs bending)

[Coach Run Prevention]

I signed up on this forum to ask about the front leg!

But my question is why do 95% of great big-league hitters lock out the front leg at POC? I have to admit, when I played in college a few years ago I never locked out my front leg - it was bent even at the POC. I had alot of success as a hitter but never locked out, even though I tried at the end of my career it never felt right.

I was trained by a Jim Schwanke blast system disciple to in my stance "feel the tension in my legs" and "get some flexion in my knees", and to thrust my back knee as I attacked the ball, and through all of that, locking the front knee just never fit, never was needed or whatever. And I was not a real talented natural hitter, but I made all-conf in college through hard work and through the swing I learned from my hitting coach. But to this day the front leg thing has bothered me!

[Chris O'Leary]

But my question is why do 95% of great big-league hitters lock out the front leg at POC?

Because it helps to drive the rotation of the hips and by maximizing extension at the POC, you maximize the speed at which the hips are rotating at the POC (which helps to maximize the rate at which the bat head is moving).

[dominik]

Because a straight leg can brace the front hip stronger and thus set the axis of rotation in the front side.

The front hip stops which causes the back hip to whip through.

With a soft front leg there's a chance that the hips will just shift sideways instead of really rotating.

[Mark H]

The front knee should NOT be straight till late in pelvic rotation.

[kylebee]

The front knee should NOT be straight till late in pelvic rotation.

I agree. Yeager says the same thing. The front leg push phase is right before contact; very late in the swing.

[mudvnine]

Clip sounds like Paul...
he has some more vids on youtube. Good and simple explaination I think.

Who's that guy?

Sparky Parker, of Parker Training out of Seattle (uses Epstein foundation). . . here's a link to his website. (http://www.backbackback.com/about_us2.htm)

[kylebee]

Sparky Parker, of Parker Training out of Seattle (uses Epstein foundation). . . here's a link to his website. (http://www.backbackback.com/about_us2.htm)

Cool. Thanks for pointing this out.