Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Tue Jan 22 00:58:52 2008

Hi Tom

What I find most telling in you post is that even in your opening comment, you referred to the subject as, "shoulder tilt" vs "shoulde turn" instead of �shoulder tilt� vs �shoulder rotation.� It occurred to me that I could not recall you using the term �shoulder rotation� in any of your post I have read.

In this post, even though you wrote the subject was to be "shoulder tilt" vs "shoulde turn", you never once mentioned �shoulder turn.� For the balance of your post, you discuss the importance of "spine angle", "spine tilt" and �shoulder tilt.� I agree those are important adjustments to set up the correct launch position and axis for the rotational plane of the shoulders.

I would also agree that while adjusting "spine angle", "spine tilt" and �shoulder tilt,� this may aid in accelerating a cocked forward bat rearward to the launch position. However, from the launch position to contact, "spine angle", "spine tilt" and �shoulder tilt� remain constant and are not a factor in generating bat speed. It is the rotation of the shoulders about that tilted axis that powers the arms/wrists/hands/bat around the swing plane.

With the ground as a reference, rotation around a tilted axis causes the lead-shoulder to rotate to a higher position while the back-shoulder rotates to a lower position. It could be that by �shoulder tilting,� you are saying the same thing. I am not sure. In any case, I find it hard to understand why the term �shoulder rotation� is not mentioned in your analysis of swing mechanics.

Jack Mankin