What do waiting in line at Hersheypark and hitting a baseball have in common?

My brother tells the story of when he took his then 4 yr old brother-in-law, Jake, to Hersheypark and they found themselves in a really long line waiting to get on one of the water rides. It was hot. Kyle was hungry and thirsty. So, he asked Jake, “Do you really want to wait in this line?”. Jake said, “No”. Perfect, Kyle thought. They could get out of this heat and get something cold to drink. Kyle and Heather proceeded to walk away and Jake threw a fit. “I thought you didn’t want to wait in line?”, Kyle asked. “I don’t”, replied Jake. “But I still want to ride the ride!”

Think about that. Jake was 4. He understood the question. But didn’t understand the implications. Again. He understood the question. But not the implications.

So…Let’s talk hitting.

One of the 6 core principles of Green Light Hitting is Bat Speed. And, bat speed is a function of GROUND FORCES. You can’t create angular velocity without first having a significant “impulse” or push into the ground. You know. Newtons 3rd law. For every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction. If you push down into the ground hard, the ground actually pushes back. And that “push back” is where Angular Velocity lives. Sure. When you’re older and stronger (Again…the importance of GreenLightHitting leveling system), the need for the ground “push back” isn’t as important. You can create more ground forces on your own. But, until that time, you need to create ground forces.

For the young developing hitter, ground forces are king. They are a must. If you can’t create ground forces NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. But, time and time again, I hear coaches telling young hitters, “Get your foot down on time”. Actually, not bad advice. It is important to get your front foot down on time. But never, never, never at the expense of ground forces.

Young players may understand the statement, “get your foot down on time”. But do they understand the implications? Do they understand the implications of what you are saying? Based on my experience, the answer is a resounding NO! If you are continuously telling your developing hitters to “get your foot down on time” they will sacrifice ground forces in order to get their foot down on time. My astute readers are probably asking, “If getting your foot down on time is so important, why not just keep it down?” EXACTLY!!!!!

Here’s the link to our Green Light Hitting site if you’re interested in the other core principles besides Bat Speed.

http://www.greenlighthitting.com

Full Reps!

Bret Wagner

Luke Wagner creating ground forces

A Message from “Go”

Kyle and I often get asked, “Why the name GoWags?”

Most understand the “Wags” piece. It’s the “Go” that throws them off.  “Go” is Dr. Bob Gorinski. He is a Dr. of Physical Therapy at Cardin and Miller. Here’s a link to Bob’s information.

Link To Bob’s Info here

Simple text doesn’t do Bob justice. He’s the real McCoy folks. As smart as he is strong.

Bob invented the 5 minute bike sprint on our Schwinn Airdyne. Anyone who has ever attempted it knows how evil the test is. It literally brings you to tears. Bob is officially the only person who has ever broken the 400 average watts mark on the 5 minute bike sprint. FYI…my record is 396! Chris Heisey’s record is 392! Bob recorded a 458!

He can squat 450 lbs for 20 reps!

Bottom line…Bob knows how to get stronger and produce more force.

He wrote a great blog today, titled “The fastest way to get in shape”.  I highly recommend taking the time to read this blog and many others. Really good stuff.

Blog Here

Full Reps! (Bob coined this phrase too!)

Bret Wagner