Posted by: THG () on Sun Jan 20 15:22:23 2008

> >>> Hands and Hips. Nothing else. <<<
>
> Hi All
>
> You have read Teacherman’s and my analysis of high level mechanics. The clip shown is obviously a high level swing. You can decide for yourself if the batter is using “Hands and Hips. Nothing else.” Or, whether the rotation of his shoulders is the major source for transferring the body’s rotational momentum through the arms/wrists/hands to the bat.
>
> Jack Mankin


Jack and Teacherman. I thought I would throw in my two cents. With regard to the debate, I believe the shoulder rotation is a major source for transferring the body's rotation (along with the hips) in transrerring the rotational momentum.

I also believe that the movement is enhanced by how much energy is initiated in the coil from the initial backward twist (of the upper body). (See the Ted Willims clip I posted (earlier). The coil/transfer is responsible for why Ted ends up in a corkscrew after his swing. The corkscrew is the result of how much energy is created from the lower body through the shoulder turn.

But in the case of Williams and Bonds and some other great hitters who stood relatively close to the plate, the axis tilt also plays a significant role. Why? Because without the axis tilt the batter would have to slow down his swing (drag his bat) through the zone in order to keep the ball fair. Also the tilt contributes to the upswing which helps lift the ball and or create backspin. As such both principles are necessary in a high level swing.

Thus perhaps the two of you have more in common than you think, but merely explain it differently? Just my thoughts.