Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Sun Nov 11 11:20:18 2007

Hi Teacherman

That is quite a statement coming from someone who for years wrote numerous posts on this site denying torque applied at the handle was a factor in generating high level bat speed. You (and Nyman) often referred to my work in this field as “pseudo- science.”

I have always maintained that in order to attain maximum bat speed by contact, the batter’s mechanics must constantly apply torque at the handle from initiation (THT) all the way to contact (BHT). And, as you point out, I was among the first (1988) to point out the fallacy of the “drive through the ball” cue.

The bat is in contact with the ball for about 1/2000 second and moves forward less than ¾ inch before the ball is gone. Any force applied after contact has no bearing on how hard the ball is hit. Therefore, BHT is my term for the mechanic that applies torque from the lag position ‘to’ contact. Continuing to drive the bat after contact is a waste of energy that should have been expended earlier in the swing.

Jack Mankin