Swing Attractors

Swing Attractors are cleaner movement patterns developed through learning proper motor synergies.

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

Hank Aaron: So explosive b/c he was able 2let the ball get deeper b/f launching his barrel. Coaches tell hitters to “wait”-but it’s not that easy. How to create WAIT with movement/loading/stretching. It’s not simply wait;you r actively MOVING to create the timing buffer before GO

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

Non-sense that you SNAP the barrel rearward at pitcher’s release.

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

The best hitters wait the longest before they GO-launch their barrel.When they GO,they GO INCREDIBLY FAST. It’s not just bat speed. It’s not launch quickness either. It’s the rate @ which the hitter develops & transfers force. It can now be measured & quantified with IN GAME DATA

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

Look @ how deep that pitch is. Look how far the ball has traveled towards him from pitcher’s release. Look where his barrel is. His rate of force development-how long he keeps stretching the rubber band& how sudden &explosive he’s going to release it, is what separates the greats

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

Ted Williams: the ball is about half way from pitcher’s release -so about half way from home plate & you can see he hasn’t snapped his barrel rearward. In fact, quite the opposite-still loading and stretching as the barrel remains close to the back of his head.

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

Let’s take a look at Griffey & Aaron. Observe where the pitch/ball is in relationship to their barrel. Notice they are both “at or after” toe touch/foot strike. Figure out for yourself & feel your own sequence & self organize your own movement pattern.

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

To answer some of the questions asked about early elbow slotting/adduction - here is a catcher’s view of Hank Aaron. Photo 1: P’s release, photo 2 : first 1/3 of ball flight, photo 3: toe touch/foot strike, ball about 1/2 way. I grew up watching Hank Aaron hit: simply the BEST.

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

Two very different movement patterns. Bonds does not snap the barrel rearward at P’s release. After toe touch, his barrel is still winding. Bonds does not tilt his pelvis rearward resulting in his spine leaning backwards. Bonds rotates his pelvis around a stationary axis.

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

Big league hitters: 3 moments of rotation; specific planes of motion; properly sequenced in relationship 2the pitch; rate of force produced✔️. Low level pattern: Tilting the rear hip rearward 2get behind a max coiled rear leg compromises the axis & degrades quality rotation ❌

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

People who acclaim 2know hitting swear rotation is a cuss word.Not true of course. In fact the quality of a big leaguers best swing can be measured by 3 different “moments” of rotation throughout the swing &its force/rate being applied around a axis, in different planes of motion

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

Big league hitters doNOT focus on turning or think about rotation or do 100s of hip turn drills.ALL ROTATION IS NOT THE SAME. Rotation is a consequence of Planes of motion, movement patterns, sequencing, timing. It ALL MATTERS when accessing the QUALITY OF ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT(S)

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

Great hitters rotate b/c good rotation creates power &explosiveness.See Bonds below.If u want 2help young hitters then really differentiate what good rotation is of the pelvis &spine, &look at all 3 planes of motion. Superficially demeaning rotation as horizontal is disingenuous

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

No titling the pelvis REARWARD. No “horizontal” rotation of his pelvis either.
Acuna -MVP.
It’s not a binary choice- the pelvis is sophisticated & can make complex movements in ALL planes of motion.

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

Judge is TILTING the pelvis REARWARD from max posterior coil w/o differentiations of the segments of his spine.Christie is rotating her pelvis.The concave/right lateral bend of her thoracic spine isNOT created by TILTING REARWARD. In golf the ball is on the ground-not in baseball

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

Great hitters FEEL @game speed opposing forces acting SIMULTANEOUSLY/INSTANTANEOUSLY/SINGLE MOVE. Their GO MOVE. Kinetic chain isNOT the feel. HOW those forces r created &transferred separate the good from the great! @swingAttractors that feeling comes & goes w/o specific intent

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

Judge at P’s release looks like more frontal plane loading of his pelvis & sagittal movement of his spine rather than a posterior coil of his back hip & a fused counter rotation of his shoulders

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

If you posteriorly coil your hips & counter rotate your shoulders/spine/scap pinch or fused torso like in golf THEN tilt rearward to go/unload your swing - you got yourself some big problems when facing high velo pitchers

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

Posterior turn of the back hip towards the pitcher to load the pelvis like they do in golf is a DETRACTOR in hitting. If you posteriorly turn to load you are probably going to anteriorly turn to unload. Turning the pelvis back & forth is low level-referred to as squishing the bug

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

In offseason training remember NOT all rotation is THE SAME; differentiate b/w the quality of movement patterns.TIME CONSTRAINTS in hitting is different so the rate @ which a hitter has 2create & transfer force matters.The end goal isNOT just higher bat speed-it’s better movement

[Michael Lotief @CoachMikeLotief]

Great hitters Integrate the PELVIS & SPINE. @swingAttractors versus moving their hips and shoulders. Ted figured it out first. Simple moves that segmented his spine (lumbar, thoracic & cervical) to create power with rate of force development that dominated during his playing days