Garko - Epstein hitter

[Encinitas]

Here are a few clips of Ryan Garko, who had a decent rookie campaign with the Tribe. Not outstanding, but 2nd highest BA on the team. Seems to hinge the knee somewhat but doesn't have the extreme lean back the kids seem to have.

http://coachdm.hittingillustrated.com/clips/Garko_07_14_3.gifhttp://coachdm.hittingillustrated.com/clips/Garko_07_14_2.gifhttp://coachdm.hittingillustrated.com/clips/Garko_07_15_1.gif

http://coachdm.hittingillustrated.com/clips/Garko_09_11_3.gifhttp://coachdm.hittingillustrated.com/clips/Garko_09_07_1.gifhttp://coachdm.hittingillustrated.com/clips/Garko_09_07_2.gif

[StraightGrain11]

Here are a few clips of Ryan Garko, who had a decent rookie campaign with the Tribe. Not outstanding, but 2nd highest BA on the team. Seems to hinge the knee somewhat but doesn't have the extreme lean back the kids seem to have.

http://coachdm.hittingillustrated.com/clips/Garko_07_14_3.gifhttp://coachdm.hittingillustrated.com/clips/Garko_07_14_2.gifhttp://coachdm.hittingillustrated.com/clips/Garko_07_15_1.gif

http://coachdm.hittingillustrated.com/clips/Garko_09_11_3.gifhttp://coachdm.hittingillustrated.com/clips/Garko_09_07_1.gifhttp://coachdm.hittingillustrated.com/clips/Garko_09_07_2.gif

If you look at that first video, where he has a large amount of "lean," you will notice the result of the hit appears to be a deep pop-out (I say "appears" carefully, however, because the clip next to it appears to be of the same swing - by the catcher's glove and Garko's head movements - and in that clip, the result appears to be a HR....). But in the video below it, where he exhibits far less rearward lean, his body is balanced better, with a much more "fluid" swing, and the result is a deep linedrive.
Obviously pitch location is a factor in how his body reacts. But, pitch selection can often be associated with sound mechanics; hitters with sounder mechanics tend to chase far few pitches out of the strike zone because their mechanics put them in a better position to see and react to the pitch, and in order to hit these pitches, they must darstically alter their "normal" swing(s).

[Encinitas]

By the way, for those wondering what the term Lateral Tilt meant it's pretty clear in a couple of these shots. The term is meant to indicate the portion of the swing where the shoulders tilt away from the pitcher. Done correctly this can aid in delaying the shoulder rotation to help find the plane of the ball, and of course the hips are separating during the lateral tilt.

Watch carefully the stripe going up the leg. Notice how in about the 3rd frame the hips are opening and in 4-5-6 you see the front shoulder lifting. Then it takes several more frames before the jersey number disappears, so the shoulders are clearly delayed before rotating. Get the stretch....

http://coachdm.hittingillustrated.com/clips/Garko_07_14_2.gif

Now the side clip below:

http://coachdm.hittingillustrated.com/clips/Garko_07_14_3.gif

Honestly this back arm setup isn't one that I prefer but I think he makes it work. I don't really care for the back arm to angle upward, this early in the swing (hand higher than elbow) however Jeff Kent manages it just fine. I like the back hand to be at the same level or slightly lower than the elbow which means if anything the back forearm would be level or angle slightly downward. Again just because I prefer this doesn't mean it's universal. Frames 17-18-19 seem to show a little independent hand torque (coking the barrel at least) just before the elbow stars down and in. You see the barrel beginning to move independent of the back elbow, just before the obvious starting of the elbow down. Maybe this is the teeny tiny priming of the forearms before they rotate.

[Encinitas]

Just an FYI these are all Home run clips.

[StraightGrain11]

Just an FYI these are all Home run clips.

Yea...figured they might be after looking over them again...thanks for confirming.
1 & 2 are the same then, I take it?

Looks kinda like Andruw Jones' swing...:crazy

[Encinitas]

Yes a couple of these are the same homer from two different views.

[FiveFrameSwing]

If you look at that first video, where he has a large amount of "lean," you will notice the result of the hit appears to be a deep pop-out (I say "appears" carefully, however, because the clip next to it appears to be of the same swing - by the catcher's glove and Garko's head movements - and in that clip, the result appears to be a HR....). But in the video below it, where he exhibits far less rearward lean, his body is balanced better, with a much more "fluid" swing, and the result is a deep linedrive.
Obviously pitch location is a factor in how his body reacts. But, pitch selection can often be associated with sound mechanics; hitters with sounder mechanics tend to chase far few pitches out of the strike zone because their mechanics put them in a better position to see and react to the pitch, and in order to hit these pitches, they must darstically alter their "normal" swing(s).

Pitch location is most definitely a factor

In the top/left video there is a significant amount of lean. This pitch is in the high zone. Epstein teaches more lean for the lower pitch and less lean for the higher pitch. The top/left video would not be what Epstein teaches.

[FiveFrameSwing]

By the way, for those wondering what the term Lateral Tilt meant it's pretty clear in a couple of these shots. The term is meant to indicate the portion of the swing where the shoulders tilt away from the pitcher. Done correctly this can aid in delaying the shoulder rotation to help find the plane of the ball, and of course the hips are separating during the lateral tilt.


Thank you very much for including this pointer.

Lateral tilt is very important in terms of putting the barrel of the bat in the plane of the pitch.

Can you please explain what you meant by the last comment "of course the hips are separating during the lateral tilt".

This isn't obvious to me. What is meant by having the hips separate?

[tom.guerry]

5 frame -

The lower body/weight shift/hip action most resembles the old fashioned 2 plane golf swing as a point of reference.

In both, you get the feel of creating "a firm front side" which allows you to avoid "flying open" and pulling off the ball.

To do this in hitting,you use a different upper body action becasue you need to adjust the swing plane on the fly and make the swing as quick as possible so this adjustment can be as late aspossible.

You have to start "winding the rubberband" first which is when the handle of the bat is torqued while the front leg and hips start to open with the shoulders stayiong back/resisting opening with the hips, so this is when coil/separation starts.

What is required here in golf to resist and get the right kind of weight shift/stretch is inertai from swinging the club back which keeops the shoulders back AND joint motion wise, the internal rotation of the back arm as back arm takes over loading as you rotate into toe touch.

The combination of front leg then hips opening and trorquing the bat by internally rotating the lead arm stretches the front side of the body from bottom to top whiole keeping the top back.

In hitting you have the combo on internal rotation and the torquing of a heavy bat to keep the upper body back and start the right firm front side loading,

then as a result og the "GO" decision, you tilt the shouders as the weight shifts to the front foot which lets the upper body form a last quick stretch whose direction and timing can be controlled by the distal smaller parts of the body where you have feel.

This quick stretch reverses better for a quicker swing and it is a load-unload that is well timed and directed.

Hips turning from bottom up in fairly horizontal plane and shoulders "laterally tilting" in a very different plane is what accentuates the rubberbandwinding/coiling that you started when you rotated into toe touch.

[Encinitas]

Thank you very much for including this pointer.

Lateral tilt is very important in terms of putting the barrel of the bat in the plane of the pitch.

Can you please explain what you meant by the last comment "of course the hips are separating during the lateral tilt".

This isn't obvious to me. What is meant by having the hips separate?

Tom had a more functional description, but I was merely tired and indicating that the hips are turning but the shoulders are not (yet). If you look at the stripe on his pants you'll see the the hips opening, and if you look at the shoulder it initially rises.

[tom.guerry]

I would just add that this is why the term "tilt" of the shoulders makes some senes to suggest that the shoulders are NOT turning with the hips, but creating resistance and additional coil/separation.

But some separation also occurs even when "only" turning by inertia and by turning ina different plane.

The more different the plane the hips and shoulders turn in, the more separation is created.

This becomes a porblem the more you bend over. When you are very bent over, the shoulders are in a very different plane and when you turn, you get graudal/more/early separation which is why. if you want later/quicker separation, you want to be more uprioght and adjust by tilt of shoulders to resist rather than by trying to adjust by changing how the shoulders turn.

trying to actively turn shoulders makes controlling degree of coil very difficult becasue the more you try to turn them the more you can interrupt/dampen the coiling "cusp".

You want a sharp "cusp" which means a last quick stretch to finish coiling which lets you connect with better timing and direction as the uncoiling drives the bat aceleration.

use shoulders to adjust late by tilt not turn.

[FiveFrameSwing]

Tom had a more functional description, but I was merely tired and indicating that the hips are turning but the shoulders are not (yet). If you look at the stripe on his pants you'll see the the hips opening, and if you look at the shoulder it initially rises.

Thank you Tom and Encinitas. I now understand what you meant by "separation". My confusion is that Don Slaught refers to separation as the creation of the distance of the rear elbow from the back hip during launch. Hence my confusion on the discussion.

[tom.guerry]

5 frame -

I am not familiar enough with the exact Slaught landmark descriptions, but he IS describing the high level pattern.

I especially like his emphasis on the smilarity of loading well between the throw and slotting in hitting.

The distance of the elbow from the hip is,however, mostly due to swing radius.

the more outsdie the location, the more the elbow will be away from the side.