Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Thu Feb 20 02:38:34 2003

>>> Great discussions lately. My question is regarding the circular hand path. You state the first movement of the hands is perpendicular to ball flight. Is this movement of the hands independent or "on their own" or is this movement actually a result of shoulder turn? Do you push your hands away from the body perpendicular to ball flight or does the rotating torso take "stationery" hands their. <<<

Hi Teacherman

The first movement of the hands should be a result of shoulder turn. In a good swing the top-hand is still pulling back (THT) as shoulder rotation begins. So the hands (as a unit) stay back at the shoulder and allow rotation to swing them into a circular path. From a good inward-turn position, rotation will propel the hands first movement more parallel with the catcher’s shoulders. --- I first noted this in the early 1990s while studying swings that were shot directly over the batter’s head in the Astro Dome. I have seen batters filmed from high vantage points, but the Astro Dome shots are the only ones I found that looked directly down the batter’s rotational axis.

Jack Mankin