Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Wed Jan 2 13:21:39 2008

>>> The problem I have with shoulder rotation is how and when. The hips do lead the way, but why? Obvious reason is to power the swing, but also to prepare for the barrel to be launched rearward, if the lead hip doesn't open when the barrel is launched rearward then the momentum of the bat going back would pull you off balance.

Now the shoulders. If I lead with my hips and then rotate my shoulders, I will have to use power in my shoulders to get them going or the hips will have to turn far enough to drag them around. You have discussed THT in order to turn the barrel rearward, if I'm turning the barrel rearward won't the momentum of the bat back cause me to keep my hands and shoulders closed? If this is the case then as I attempt to rotate my shoulders the hands will get left behind and I will be playing catch up the whole way (bat drag). So then I'm not really gaining an advantage to the early bat speed.

I do believe that the barrel is sent rearward but the sending of the barrel back is to help me resist hip rotation with the shoulders and to keep my hands back, also it generates early bat speed, Along with the jutting of the lead elbow will tilt my shoulders which will allow the power to be transfered to the hands that are not being left behind but rather staying in the armpit area, coupled with the arc of the bat rearward, now the barrel is sent forward.

I think the term rotating shoulders is sometimes misunderstood. What I am about to write I hope is understood, IMO the hips rotate horizontally and the shoulders are rotated vertically. As the hips are rotated on a flat plane the shoulders are "tilted" or rotated vertically, but they can only go so far, now they connect with the hip rotation and are redirected on a diagonal plane causing the hands and bat to be shot forward. <<<

Hi Graylon

I agree that a batter’s pre-launch movements (shoulder tilt and PHT) to sweep the bat-head from a cocked forward position back to the launch position occurs before shoulder rotation and the acceleration of the hands is initiated. But, once the bat has arrived at the launch position, it is the rotation of the shoulders that powers the acceleration of the arms and hands around the swing plane.

As I stated earlier, from the launch position to contact, the purpose of hip rotation is its aid in generating a more powerful shoulder rotation.

Jack Mankin