Posted by: tom.guerry (tom.guerry@kp.org) on Tue Oct 30 07:42:57 2007

>>response<<

would you agree with my following statement? – “We all agree that rotating the hips is an important factor in the swing. However, I have always maintained that since the arms/wrists/hands/bat is linked at the shoulders rather than at the hips, the importance of hip rotation is its contribution to shoulder rotation." – Or, do you think that energy from hip rotation can be transferred to the bat without the shoulders moving (rotating or tilting)?

Jack Mankin

>>I think mechanically speaking, connection from firing of bathead once it gets out of arc of handpath to contact is via CHP/ball on string/double or multiple pendulum principles where the swing radius can not lengthen without disconnection/deceleration/loss of adequate timing.

Handle torque is importan in controlling the connection as can be handpath hook via unshrugging (most similar to "horizontal aDduction of front scap) front shoulder.

The other EXTREMELY improtant factor is what is the bat connected to ?

It is connected via a kinetic chain where the most important energy source is coil of torso between hips and shoulders. The timing of coil/reversal/uncoil and the direction of this coil/stretch is essential.

It is best controlled as distally as possible so adjustment can be late. So, for example, it will not work to control this primarily by how much you bend at waist. That type of adjustment has to happen too early and too slowly. Instead it is a a matter of upper body and shoulders working against ("resisting") lower body and hips by control of synched limb movements (upper limbs demand synch of lower limbs) and direction and tempo of weight shift (by where/when hands load/handle is torqued).

For this crucial body coil control/adjustment to occur as late and effectively as possible requires shoulders and arms slaved to feel of hands torquing handle. Stretch between hips and shoulderrs needs to be underway with at least SOME "prelaunch tht", then shoulders need to tilt to resist with "tht at launch" to get the last quick bit of coil/load adjusted for good timing and plane match.

The "prelaunch THT" or rubberbandwinding or rotation into toe touch requires the lead arm to twist so the point of the front elbow turns up into the developing swing plane while the front shoulder remains tilted down, then the front arm needs to stay twisted with the point of the elbow up (stay internally rotated) as some tilt of the shoulders synched with weight finishing its shift to the front foot as a way of controlling coil/load/cusp by resisting hip turn with hands/arms shoulders.
the handle torque firing the bathead has the feel of being synched with the turn of the hips with resistance and stretch and fire of the torso muscles, not the feel of turning everything together.