Posted by: Graylon (g_dunc@hotmail.com) on Fri Mar 14 22:41:03 2008

> >>> Teacherman states, ”with the lead arm up in the swing plane, providing the link to rotating shoulders, from the beginning to the end of the swing, SHOULD be his defintion of bat drag. “
>
> He then presents the clip below and states, “To not use your hands in this fashion at "go" means you love bat drag.” – “The most noticeable are bat drag and pull off. Both of those occur if you swing with a plane like his animation shows. You HAVE to have one or both of those if you swing like that. There are no other options.”
> <<<
>
> Hi All
>
> You have probably read Teacherman’s post and watched his <a href="http://www.teachersbilliards.com/Forearmrotation.gif">clip</a> on how the best hitters must use their hands to eliminate drag and pulling off the ball. Well, let us study clips of a couple great hitters and see if they use their hands as his clip demonstrates.
>
> <a href="http://www.batspeed.com/media/Giambi_No_Rollng.wmv">Jason Giambi</a>
>
>
> <a href="http://www.batspeed.com/media/Mark_Teixeira_No_Rolling.wmv">Mark Teixeira</a>
>
>
> Jack Mankin


Jack,

When you say that Giambi pulls on the knob, I don't see it. If you are not using your hands to turn the bat to the ball, how does the barrel ever get squared to the ball? Is it that the shoulders rotation makes the barrel fly off the "merry go round"? If this was so, wouldn't the hands always trail the rear shoulder? and wouldn't the barrel trail the hands until either you rotate so far that the barrel gets there or the shoulders stop and the barrel finely catches up?

How does the bat ever get flat? If the barrel goes rearward at first, which I believe we both agree upon, could it not happen by turning it the way Teacherman describes? If the top of the top hand is going back and the top of the bottom hand is going back, aren't they working in the same direction? IMO if there was pulling of the knob the realationship of the hands and the rear armpit would change, but they do not. Therefore the only conclusion that I can come up with is that the hands are "swiveling" the bat in a rearward arc(ratcheting at the armpit) and continuing that arc through contact.

When I hit and when I watch the clips you posted, I feel the "swivel". I feel the bat being turned all the way through the swing. I do not feel any pulling or pushing.

I'm here to learn, not to just agree with or disagree with someone. So, I look forward to your response.

Graylon