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Q.  What is the aiki principle "Keep Weight Underside?"

A.  Let's check SSI's old article on Mike Napoli, who has been the best at it since Thor, Hulk and Nelson Cruz.  Click this link if you want a quick primer on weight sink as you transfer the idea from aikido to baseball.

Thor and Hulk make cracks in the cement when they hit the standing grapple pose, right?  Like Boomstick would if the batter's box were made of cement.  Lowering your weight is the way you move the washin' machine.

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But here is Kate Preusser's article again so you can open the 2nd window if it isn't already for those sweet sweet gifs.  How do yer like THAT weight sink.... whoop!  Weight sink?  Legolas had a different idea when he was walking in snow.  This is the way Ichiro hit, like he was walking on rice paper trying to make off with the jewelry.

Care to explain how you move a washing machine without tearing the rice paper under your feet?  :- )

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Q.  :: impatiently ::  Go on.

A.  There is so little muscle involved.

Well, not the large "high school BMOC" muscles:  not the quads, the pecs, triceps that Americans are so desperate to use in everything.  Ohtani has a Tiger Woods body, very long legs, slim hips, V torso, long arms with the bulk of the forearm sitting high.  From cleat to button on baseball cap, Ohtani is engineered for leverage rather than brute power.

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Q.  What was Ichiro's advantage, being light on his feet?

A.  What's the advantage, using a feather touch on a pool cue?

Mike Napoli's and Nelson Cruz's swings, if they're going to be accurate, have to be accurate a few inches earlier in the swing, for example.  Late adjustments are tougher.  Ichiro and Ohtani have swings better geared to cover a pitch at the last possible nanosecond.

Such an elf-like approach, that also speaks to INTENT.

The fact is that Ichiro and Ohtani are seeing the ball (and in fact the world) with "softer" vision, a vision that isn't laser-focused while you're grinding your teeth.  Bruce Lee wasn't screaming BEFORE you swung, wasn't all tensed up at the key perception moment.  Was Ichiro?  He used to talk about this, how he would use an object in the third deck to ensure his soft focus, which captures both eyes and mind.  Boomstick compresses his lips when he swings, probably, as opposed to Ichiro probably having his lips slightly parted.

Well, maybe that last part is right and maybe it's not.  You get the point about the unbearable lightness of being ... Ohtani, that is.

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Q.  What's the disadvantage to being light on your feet in the box?

A.  You can't hit a ball as far; you don't get any real power. ...

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Q.  So Ohtani is a cheat code in terms of his swing.  He's got Run Power, Juking and Speed all at the top.

A.  Eeeeeyep.  Other athletes like this:  LeBron James, Randy Johnson, James Brown, Tiger Woods, and especially Wilt Chamberlain.  Youngsters if you've never read up on Wilt, you're in for a treat.  The only athlete I can think of at the moment I'd obviously take over Ohtani.  Wilt was three standard deviations better an athlete than LeBron James; take an afternoon sometime and YouTube him, google some strength stories, including from Arnold Schwarzenegger.

But other than Wilt, this guy's right up there :- )

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Q.  Postscript.  Any complaints?

A.  He may have to cut down his swing just a skosh, that being against 97 MPH.  So did Ichiro have to dial it back; he used a leg kick in Japan.  Then again is Ohtani's swing any longer than Griffey's?  Of course Junior used a slightly quicker swing his first 4 years because he was relatively confused.  Ohtani will be a confused hitter, compared to 5 years from now, and the max swing may be reserved for 2-0 and 3-1 counts.

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