Posted by: george stanley (saint_george13@yahoo.com) on Thu Nov 22 02:08:41 2007

> Hi All
>
> Before my analysis of Teixeira’s inside/outside mechanics, there is one more piece of “overload” information I would like to bring to your attention.
>
> We normally think that during shoulder rotation, both the lead and back shoulder are rotating at the same rate – about 90 degrees of rotation each. However this is not the case. The way each of the shoulders are hinged (close to the spine) allows each to rotate about 75 degrees (60 inward – 15 rearward) independent of the other shoulder or torso rotation. I have referred to this inward rotation as the inward “shrugging” of the lead-shoulder to set up the launch position.
>
> During rotation, the added inward “shrugging and un-shrugging” of the lead-shoulder, means that while the back-shoulder rotates about 90 degrees, the lead-shoulder is rotating about 150 degrees. This added rotation of the lead-shoulder is an important factor in both power for the swing and adjusting for pitch location.
>
> Depending on pitch location, the degree of “un-shrugging” of the lead-shoulder can pull the lead-hand (and knob) an added 10 to 12 inches inward – or away from the plate. As I stated, this is a very important factor in altering the hand-path for inside and outside pitches. On inside pitches, the shoulder fully un-shruggs pulling the hands inward away from the plate. On outside pitches, less un-shrugging leaves the hand-path wider.
>
> Below is a mark-up of the Rose clip showing the difference in lead and back shoulder rotation.
>
> <a href=" http://www.batspeed.com/media/Rose_Comparison_Lead_Rear_Shoulder.wmv">Rose shoulder rotation comparison</a>
>
> Jack Mankin
pete rose was a VERY sound hitter & did it longer & better than almost any of the many thousands of players who put on an MLB uniform. HOWEVER, watching the clip, i believe this is a training or batting practice clip... simply because i recall seeing his 1975
(vs red sox) world series 7th game winning frozen rope single to center field... in that clip, the camera eye's view was from center field, & you could easily see BOTH his numbers prior to the pitch being released.. that means he had a much more closed stance than the one you see in the clip on this site...he was torqued around with his hands WAY farther back behind his shoulder than the demo clip..i say this because in THAT clip, i recall i could not see his hands AT ALL prior to the swing.. also, notice once he begins his swing,he goes from starting out flatfooted prior to the swing,to HAVING ABSOLUTELY NO PUSHOFF FROM HIS BACK FOOT.. IN FACT, HE ENDS UP WITH HIS BACK FOOT RAISING UP WITH ONLY HIS TOE MAKING CONTACT WITH THE GROUND.... FOR THAT REASON THIS DEMO CLIP IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH HIS ACTUAL GAME
STANCE OR SWING, & therefore has little merit...sorry.
the point being made about the shoulder angle makes some sense... unfortunately i do not totally endorse a theory which concentrates on the upper body torque without consideration for the LOWER BODY TORQUE, which generates far more force, hence far more power, hence far more batspeed than merely concentrating on rotating the arms & shoulders... look at your leg.. compare its size to your arm...by most medical estimates, THE LEG IS AT LEAST 4 TIMES STRONGER THAN THE ARM!!! in my world, a perfect swing starts from your back foot.hitting is just like throwing.. you start from your back leg...
you bend your knee, you push off your back leg, you plant your front foot, & torque your lower body,which torques your hips which open up, which torques your upper body around, which in turn will bring your hands around, thus bringing your bat around.. in my perfect swing, your swing energy originates in your back foot, goes to the legs, then to the hips, then to the arms & shoulders, then to the hands, & FINALLY to the bat.. to generate torque with ALL your body parts rather than merely stepping off & swinging the bat with just your arms & shoulders... my theory definitely generates more bat speed than your "rotational" theory.. a swing theory which recognizes & incorporate the value of the stronger half of your body HAS to generate MORE bat speed than one which IGNORES the stronger half.. another example of the laws of PHYSICS, which a lot of hitters think do not apply to them.. but alas, they do.
your fixation about shoulder angles is not really all THAT important to a good swing...it is way way down the list of important factors.. when you get to the point where you are concentrating on the shoulder angle because you think it is of very critical importance, that is wasting your time. the swing is probably 75% executed at that point in time... the homework is already in.. what you have done up to that point will tell me whether or not you will hit the ball on the button or fail.. i believe concentrating on more important aspects PRIOR to that point in the swing,such as the stance, will make or break you.. also i don't read anything about what i consider a very important lynchpin in the swing, which most hitters are in total ignorance of: rather than having a loosey-goosey grip on the bat, you must EXERT EXTREME PRESSURE ON THE BAT WITH YOUR HANDS, & CONCENTRATE ON TRYING TO ACCELERATE YOUR ENERGY & POWERING THE BAT THROUGH THE CONTACT ZONE & BEYOND... AS YOU START YOUR SWING, YOU MUST EXPLODE & ACCELERATE, & CONTINUE TO EXPEND MORE & MORE POWER AS YOU SWING... not just swing the bat at the ball.. it is very similar to the discipline taught in karate, where you go from perfectly still to exploding with all the force you can muster in the shortest period of time, which will result in superior acceleration, which makes more power.. it is similar to chopping a tree with an axe.. you must maximize the force prior to contact, & continue to exert maximum force WITH YOUR HANDS & WRISTS through the contact; otherwise you will get nowhere. you are chopping your worst enemy's head off.. this mindset will serve you well to mazimize your bat speed.

there are many aspects of the stance & swing of virtually ALL MLB hitters which openly defy the laws of LOGIC & PHYSICS..unfortunately the hitters do not realize that these things they do or do not do are the very reason they fail as often as they do...evidenced by the fact they make the same mistake & fail to hit a certain pitch in a certain spot again & again & again.. THEY ARE UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM, THEREFORE THEY ARE UNABLE TO CONCEIVE A SOLUTION TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. like the saying "the insane are destined to make the same mistake over & over & over"... simply because of poor coaching which is unable to identify the fatal error, convey this error to the hitter,& make him understand what it is he doing that results in failure, so that he can understand what actions he must implement in order to change the outcome from consistent faliure to consistent success.. that's the difference between the winners & the losers.
your theory is not all that bad, but does not encompass many of the much more important variables which will determine whether you succeed or fail.
wishing you & everyone who reads this rant a happy holiday & many more.
peace and love to you and yours
drive careful