[quote=“SP1B”]
so maybe elongating my stride should lead to me landing “lighter” on my foot and less on the heel? Would that help with the problems the others above found (for example: early rotation)?
Thanks for the help guys! :)[/quote]
Yes, a longer stride should delay your hip rotation. Try to keep your front hip pointing to home as long as possible and only turn your foot to home as your foot is about to strike dirt. Keep in mind, changing something like your stride or changing the duration and timing of hip/shoulder rotation will mess up the timing of your entire motion. A longer stride won’t necessarily benefit anything without a conscious effort to delay the shoulder rotation until your hips are in several degrees of rotation already. Again, this can really screw up your timing, so get a coach you trust to work with you or you could be riding pine while you work out the kinks (in self-taught lessons, the student is only as good as the teacher 8) )
I always hesitate to give too much advice this close to the season because this time should be used to perfect those things you already do well, to polish up your act so to speak so that you have the best chance of success. The time to be making big changes in your mechanics is in the winter off-season, so proceed with caution and don’t try to change too much too soon.
Good luck, and have fun. It’s a GAME! 
The Hose