Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Thu Jul 10 11:11:09 2003

I still cant see the logic of how you can develop 85mph bat speed and hitting an immovable object like a heavy bag without strain on the joints, namely the wrists and elbows upon initial contact. Especially a bag filled with sand. I had this problem while using the bag with my speed meter and filling the bag with foam helped a great deal. Its about like a car traveling 85mph and hitting a brick wall unless you apply the brakes before contact. The force is absorbed in the joints.
I love the bag drill in helping to solve lunging problems but jack have you ever trained in the bag using the speedmeter taking 100 swings a day while working on developing your ultimate batspeed?
Maybe im working it wrong but my batspeed is higher while driving into the bag instead of depleting engery before contact.. I would love comments from others that use the bag for developing batspeed as a training aid.. By the way im over 40yrs old and use it to train for baseball as well as the girls I coach.

Hi Blitzfastpitch

When hitting an immovable object like a heavy bag, there would be strain to the wrists and elbows if the limbs are still driving the hands forward at contact. A batter using linear mechanics would still be driving forward at contact, but with good rotational transfer mechanics all forward movement of the hands has ceased by contact. Rotational mechanics produces a “hook” in the hand-path where the lead-hand is being pulled back toward the catcher at contact. This is one of the differences that occurs when a batter ‘extends the top-hand’ at contact (no “L” position of back-arm) as opposed to a batter that ‘pulls the lead-shoulder back’ at contact (“L” position).

You will note that when a lumberjack’s axe strikes the tree, his hands are no longer moving forward. He has expended his energy and his hands are motionless at contact. --- Driving forward at contact only gives the illusion of power (Bat Speed Research – “The Illusion of Power”).

Jack Mankin