Posted by: tom.guerry (tom.guerry@kp.org) on Sat Sep 13 08:50:21 2003

Are there any correlations between a proper baseball swing and
a proper golf swing? Or do the differ entirely?
> >
> > For golf, I try to have a soft grip and a relaxed upper body. I
turn away and turn back trying to keep the club on plane.
> >
> > However, I also try to "release" my right hand (I'm right
handed) through impact so that the toe of the club passes the
heel. Further, I try to create "lag" in my golf swing ((where I keep
the "L" shape of the relatively straight left arm and the club
shaft)), so that I can create power and release the club late in my
downswing to create the most clubhead speed. This might be
referred to as a "whip-like" motion.
> >
> > Do these thoughts work for a baseball swing? My first
thought is no. But I'd like to hear a compare/contrast discussion
from the expert.
> >
> > Jon
>
> I think Edgar Martinez is a great example of someone with a
golf stroke in baseball. A great delayed release which allows
him to hit the ball hard to all fields (especially right field).

I am no expert.Beware!,Spent a lot of money on golf,though..

Lots of similarities in how body develops and transfers energy
via rotation,but very different "optimal transfer mechanics" (arm
action that gets energy from torso to club,and arm action is what
plays a primary role in how muscles are organized for automatic
execution of movements that are too fast for 'conscious' control).

Golf is a "still ball" game with infinite reaction time.As coach
mentioned,it's a target game,so timing is less important than in
hitting.

Golf "transfer mechanics" are very different from those that Jack
details to make a rotational swing as quick and fast as possible
to minimize timing error.In golf you want a dependable control of
swing radius and resultant clubhead speed.You do this with
straight lead arm and pick your club length/how much you choke
up plus angle of clubface to further control spin and trajectory-not
a lot of swing radius and plane adjustment on the fly as in
hitting.Arm/hand action in golf is most similar to that in the "Iron
Byron" machine which is a "double pendulum" action where it is
desirable to increase wrist angle on the down swing and keep
the wrist cocked as late as possible with some wrist roll,then
stabilization of clubface by wrist extension through the contact
zone.
This is very different fromt the "torque' mechanics that jack
recommends for hitting.One way to feel the difference well is
jack's "golf club drill".With THT,the club gets to max batspeed
much earlier(in the downswing)-not great for golf.Great for hitting
where you minimize "backswing".Also with THT,you get a steady
complex hinging action of the wrists with no roll before
contact,very different from golf.

Swinging over the top is analagous to 'top hand dominance'/
pushing the swing and getting out of sequence with arms
disconnecting instead of waiting to be powered by body then
torso rotation.

The "golden moment" occurs with some lateral bowing(back to
front between fairly stable "nodes" at the head and feet) of the
body in both hitting and golf as maximum separation is created
by hips turning at maximum angular velocity,then followed by
centered(non-lunging) rotation..You can see the similarity in
some loose body type hitters- see guerrero from the opposite
batter's box for example.

If you are not conscious of how to adjust between sports/
mechanics,you can get pretty messed up.For hitters,it will
encourage a somewhat longer(less quick to ball,higher timing
error) make everything a middle out.Lau/Lau Jr. type swing after
the golf outing.

Trying to keep the wrists cocked,or making compensations to
keep the wrists cocked by grip change or "ulnar deviation" at the
top in hitting do not fit with the desired belly-up/make it a middle
in pitch that Jack prefers.