Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Thu Jan 24 12:41:13 2008

Hi Jude

I learned quite some time ago that how many good hitters describe and demonstrate their mechanics is very different from the mechanics they exhibit in their game swings. Recently we posted a clip of A-Rod demonstrating how he extends his hands across his body to keep his hands inside the ball. However, a clip of his actual swing showed something very different from what he demonstrated.

The same is true for Bonds in the new thread on this topic. His game swing exhibits all the rotational principles, but he uses all the old linear cues to describe his mechanics. The reason I bring this up is because I noted that Ted’s game swing plane was different than the plane obtained during his demonstrations. His bat tended to drop lower at lower demonstration speeds than when he applied full power.

Ted emphasized in his demonstrations that his top hand should start to roll over at contact. He felt that this added a great deal of power and snap in his swing. I noted that when I practiced concentrating on rolling the top hand at contact, it resulted in my bat also having a lower trajectory at the lag position.

My analysis of Ted’s game mechanics found that on most of his swings, his bat remains in the plane of the lead arm through the lag position. This is consistent with what I find with all great hitters. However, I would concede that with some of his swings, his bat does follow a lower trajectory through the lag position than I normally find in the best hitters.

Jack Mankin