Rick Pauly.....Adjust Your Idea to "DECISION TO CONTACT"

[Teacherman]

Launch to contact is the right general idea. But.....most of the slop....the slack....in swings happens BEFORE launch. It happens between decision and launch. Once decision is made, amateur hitters have to 'make a move' before they can launch. They are not sudden. They have to 'take out slack' before they can launch.



Above.....very tight and sudden on the left...........loose sloppy arms on the right.

Watch....FEEL....the rear humerus action. It tells the story. Very sloppy....slack filled....on the right.

Cabrera's rear humerus moves a bit....but not independently. It 'is moved' by the action that fuses the torso into a unit. Colabello is independently 'working his arm'. Two totally different actions. One VERY high level. The other VERY amateurish.

This clip is a very good illustration of the existance of slack/slop, that has to be removed BEFORE one can launch, which means it must happen BETWEEN decision and launch. Therefore....the problem actually exists BEFORE launch....not between launch and contact.

Ever rung a church bell? The slack in the rope has to be removed first. If you haven't....there is a delay between your decision to ring the bell and the actual ringing.

ONLY....SnF mechanics....get a hitter into a position such that the time from decision to contact is instantaneous. And....to hit top level pitching....instantaneous is required.

The slack/slop in amateur hitters is almost always centered in their arms. They have not fused their torso into a unit....such that the torso pivoting over/around the ball of the rear femur....and the hand pivot....(not the arms moving the hands)....are the only moving parts.

[Teacherman]

You have to get somewhere....and you have to able to hold it....or better said....increase it....without diminishing returns....so that AT DECISION....it can launch suddenly and instantly and completely.

If, at decision, you are not quite there.....you have slop.

Cabrera is THERE....and remains THERE....for quite a while....and consistently gets there on time....holds it....increases it....and destroys the league he plays in.

Colabello 'works' to get THERE....incorrectly....but gets there....THIS TIME. But that .194 says he doesn't get there very often.

So....just WHERE is THERE? WHAT is THERE? HOW do you get THERE?

The first thing you have to do is ELIMINATE the arms from speed/power production. If they are involved in speed/power production they can not do what they are supposed to do....which is take the ALREADY SPEEDING BARREL to the ball. If they are generating speed also....you have a problem. Your ability to adjust is greatly reduced. When your speed generator is also your director....you have to know where to go before you can start to generate speed. THAT puts you behind the reaction curve. You have to REACT to pitch location AND generate speed AT THE SAME TIME.

High level hitters generate speed FIRST.....then move the speeding barrel to the ball.

To eliminate the arms you have to REPLACE them with something more efficient.

You MUST fuse the torso into a unit.

[Teacherman]

If that sounds like French to you....it's because you are a Frenchman....not a hitter who swings in the high level pattern.

When you swing in the pattern....you'll understand it.