Posted by: sportsdoc7 (sportsdoc7@msn.com) on Sat Jan 26 19:04:41 2008

Most postings on this site are concerned with mechanics and it seems to me that they are analyzed somewhat independently of what they accomplish--a still head so that the eyes are in an optimal position to see and track the ball. If you watch clips of any of the great hitters, they all have one thing in common--almost no head movement horizontally or vertically. Their bodies (upper and lower) rotate on an axis that runs the lenght of their body, through their center of gravity to their head. It appears as though their heads are nearly stationary as their bodies rotate. Any flaws in the swing which create head movement will reduce the visual tracking abilities and have a negative effect on the timing of the swing. While developing batspeed is vital to good hitting, being able to create batspeed without sacrificing good mechanics is even more important. In other words an athlete must be able to handle the batspeed he creates in a way to minimize head movement or he will not make consistent solid contact. Put your mouse pointer on the Bonds clip in the center of his head. You will see very little head movement either horizontally or laterally. The same is true of the Rose clip I have seen on this site. Try it on as many great hitters as you would like and they all share that commonality.

I enjoy the site and find it very informative. Thanks to all.

Sportsdoc7