- Pete Wilkinson

Here is the best way I have found to achieve the three goals (seeing the ball longer, reacting quickly, transferring strength) ...

1 No hitter will hit unless he gets to a strong,
balanced position at stride-foot-strike.

This position is unique for every hitter, as is his way of getting to that position. But, one thing is for sure:  it is nearly impossible for a hitter to get to a strong, balanced position if he isn't strong, balanced, and stable (head level and single-directional) with a constant center of gravity all the way through his stride. That is why the great hitters stride and load their hands against the stride for balance rather than load first and then stride. Actually, for most successful hitters, the hands stay pretty much where they start, though the upper body does counter the lower body action through foot-strike in creating torque. It's the body that moves and the weight that shifts forward.

The crucial point is that EVERY good hitter gets to a strong base, with his head moving only forward to get there (stable posture, if you will), his weight staying balanced between his feet, and his center of gravity staying in one place inside his body through the stride. Nothing else that he does matters if he doesn't get into position. The simplest teach:  during stride, the upper body works against (counter to) the lower body in maintaining balance and creating torque.

2The stride-foot heel-strike determines timing
and triggers brake and release.

The stride may be taken anytime (as long as the heel gets down soon enough to enable the hitter to get the bat-head to the ball), but the stride-foot heel-strike determines timing and triggers two things:  it stops the body's forward progress and releases the hips to begin rotational separation from the shoulders.

Hips should be allowed to turn at their whim, as long as the back knee and foot don't "help" by rotating early. Just as a pitcher should rotate late, a hitter's early rotation of the back knee-foot complex triggers front shoulder turn, which destroys separation and torque. The later the shoulders begin to turn (and they should be driven by the hands committing to the ball), the more torque and bat-speed. The keys, I believe, are that torque is best generated from a body that resists drifting as the swing starts and that torque is therefore manufactured best against a firm front side (I define that as a front foot with more than 50% of the hitter's weight against - not over - it). The less weight he has against the front foot, the stronger a hitter must be to keep his weight back and be successful. The better and more complete the weight shift toward the front foot during the stride, the easier it is for the hitter to create torque and use his strength and quickness. Note, however, that forward body movement after foot-strike is not productive. All weight-shift should happen during the stride.

3 The bottom hand initiates the swing; even though
hip rotation starts before the swing begins.

The swing itself is driven by the commitment of the bottom hand, through which the shoulders begin to turn. The bottom hand drives the hitter to extension, which is really only the extension of the lead arm. The back arm is bent at the elbow at a 90-degree angle (the strongest human position) and tucked into the lower torso at contact. There is no pushing from the back side, only release. The bottom hand pulls the bat through the hitting zone, and the top hand therefore stays underneath through contact, keeping the bat on plane. Only at the end of the trip through the ball does the top hand fully release, and it rolls over after the ball is outbound. The 90-degree angle of the bat-to-lead-forearm should be maintained as long as possible, simply by keeping the bottom hand pulling inside the path of the ball.

4These mechanics work best
when the hitter looks middle-away.

It works best since that approach tends to allow the hitter to be more patient in maintaining a closed upper front side for torque generation, and since it allows him to let the ball travel.