Candidly speaking, Japanese position players have not succeeded in MLB expect for few particular cases like Ichiro, who has a characteristic batting style and superfine fielding skills, or Hideki Matsui, who has outstanding power for a Japanese. When seeing from just technical perspective purely, the best Asian hitter is probably Shin-Soo Choo, a Korean player, in todays MLB. Unfortunately, Japanese hitting instruction system has not served very well so far. So I can disclose Japanese hitting instructions without hesitation, and I will write about it with a focus on frequently argued matters as objectively as possible without my own opinion.
Until about fifty years ago, the leg-elevation type mechanics had been thought as a form of incorrect mechanics also in Japan. After that, Sadaharu Oh turned over that conventional wisdom with his own mechanics and success accompanying a plethora of awards and honors. Yet despite of his success, in his era, that kind of mechanics had been regarded as a particular, customized skill limitedly allowed for a few of superbly talented players, especially for long hitters.
Sadaharu Oh
From left: Sadaharu Oh, Koichi Tabuchi and Hiromitsu Kadota, later two players are followers of Sadaharu Oh. They built their mechanics in reference to Sdaharu Oh's it.
Subsequently, in the 1980s, an innovation of leg-elevation mechanics was provided by several players including Makoto Sasaki and Kazunori Yamamoto, who both were teammate.
Makoto Sasaki's home run from 4.53
Kazunori Yamamoto's home run
Those innovators got aware of another effect of leg-elevation, that is, by elevating the front leg, whole weight can easily be loaded into the rear leg. As it turns out, the rear leg can get stability by loading weight, and it enables the rear leg to serve a function as a basement for swing.
Originally, leg-elevation mechanics were thought as it was instability and inability to keep staying back, and therefore, it had been regarded as an incorrect skill. However, the 'innovators' found out that opposite is also true, and their successes have brought so many followers to this day, e.g. Shinnosuke Abe, a captain of national team.
While old type high-knee hitters lift their legs up as a counter movement, those of innovated new type lift their legs up for getting stability by loading the weight into their rear legs. For that reason, old type doesn't bend the knee, and new type, on the other hand, bends the knee as shown in below figure.
Left; New type high knee mechanics : Right; Old type high knee mechanics
Following is a Japanese textbookish explanation of load in hitting mechanics; Lifting up the front leg, load weight into the rear leg.
So let me give some examples related this issue below and add commentaries on those.
1）Isao Harimoto In about this era of the 1970s, slide-stip mechanics had still remained as a basic style.
2）Hiromits Kadota As mentioned above, he leaned the high-knee mechanics by referring to Sdaharu Oh. So his mechanics was typical old type high-knee mechanics, and as to power production, old is superior than new.
3）Darryl Strawberry Also he was follower of Sadaharu Oh because he learned the high-knee mechanics from Dave Johnson, then manager of New York Mets and former team mate of Sadaharu Oh in Yomiuri Giants.
4）Tadahito Icuchi This is the typical new type high-knee mechanics placing importance on sureness.
5）Noritchika Aoki This is the new type too, and although this is a home run, he frequently hit grounder with feeble swing, and it means this type mechanics is not for increasing power but for raising an ability of adjustment. Actually, he recorded 209 hits in single season, which is just behind of Ichro's record 210 hits.
6）Alex Rodriguez He probably is a pioneer of high-knee mechanics in MLB, really, since his success, quite a few players has com to adopt it.
7）Tomoya Mori The new type high-knee mechanics is rampant rather in high school, college and little league baseball.
END
1）Load or weight shift
When other countries' baseball fans watch Japanese batting order, they will notice that most hitters lift up their front-leg higher than other countries' hitters. The reason why they lift the front-leg highly is because of the need to load their weight into the back-leg. In Japanese hitting instruction, loading the weight into back leg before stride is thought as a crucial basic for power production and adjustment against slow breaking ball. So basically, they do probably not have intention to increase a carry by using a counter motion due to the leg-elevation. Simply stated, they elevate the front-leg not for gaining a momentum but for loading into the back leg.
Until about fifty years ago, the leg-elevation type mechanics had been thought as a form of incorrect mechanics also in Japan. After that, Sadaharu Oh turned over that conventional wisdom with his own mechanics and success accompanying a plethora of awards and honors. Yet despite of his success, in his era, that kind of mechanics had been regarded as a particular, customized skill limitedly allowed for a few of superbly talented players, especially for long hitters.
Sadaharu Oh
From left: Sadaharu Oh, Koichi Tabuchi and Hiromitsu Kadota, later two players are followers of Sadaharu Oh. They built their mechanics in reference to Sdaharu Oh's it.
Kazunori Yamamoto's home run
Those innovators got aware of another effect of leg-elevation, that is, by elevating the front leg, whole weight can easily be loaded into the rear leg. As it turns out, the rear leg can get stability by loading weight, and it enables the rear leg to serve a function as a basement for swing.
Originally, leg-elevation mechanics were thought as it was instability and inability to keep staying back, and therefore, it had been regarded as an incorrect skill. However, the 'innovators' found out that opposite is also true, and their successes have brought so many followers to this day, e.g. Shinnosuke Abe, a captain of national team.
While old type high-knee hitters lift their legs up as a counter movement, those of innovated new type lift their legs up for getting stability by loading the weight into their rear legs. For that reason, old type doesn't bend the knee, and new type, on the other hand, bends the knee as shown in below figure.
Left; New type high knee mechanics : Right; Old type high knee mechanics
This innovation should be revolutionary not only for players but also rather for coaches, because coaches generally value sureness.
Despite they criticized the high-knee mechanics, they turned over to begin teaching it their players since finding it out as it can provide a sureness by staying back and stability.
Most Japanese coaches are now instructing the high-knee mechanics as if it is a textbook answer, and it actually is appearing on textbook often. As strange as it seems, hitters who adopt slide-step mechanics like Vernon Wells, Alex Rios and Justin Morneau often receive butting in from coaches. No-stride mechanics can not be acceptable still more.
Shin-Soo Choo; A hitter having this kind of mechanics can hardly be brought up from Japan, especially as for left handed hitters.
Following is a Japanese textbookish explanation of load in hitting mechanics; Lifting up the front leg, load weight into the rear leg.
So let me give some examples related this issue below and add commentaries on those.
1）Isao Harimoto In about this era of the 1970s, slide-stip mechanics had still remained as a basic style.
2）Hiromits Kadota As mentioned above, he leaned the high-knee mechanics by referring to Sdaharu Oh. So his mechanics was typical old type high-knee mechanics, and as to power production, old is superior than new.
3）Darryl Strawberry Also he was follower of Sadaharu Oh because he learned the high-knee mechanics from Dave Johnson, then manager of New York Mets and former team mate of Sadaharu Oh in Yomiuri Giants.
4）Tadahito Icuchi This is the typical new type high-knee mechanics placing importance on sureness.
5）Noritchika Aoki This is the new type too, and although this is a home run, he frequently hit grounder with feeble swing, and it means this type mechanics is not for increasing power but for raising an ability of adjustment. Actually, he recorded 209 hits in single season, which is just behind of Ichro's record 210 hits.
6）Alex Rodriguez He probably is a pioneer of high-knee mechanics in MLB, really, since his success, quite a few players has com to adopt it.
7）Tomoya Mori The new type high-knee mechanics is rampant rather in high school, college and little league baseball.
END
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