Posted by: Jack Mankin (mrbatspeed@aol.com) on Sat Dec 20 14:04:21 2003

Hi All

We ran out of room on the “Attn Jack” thread below. It will continue here.

(Dave A)
>>> Lamber he has the same form at contact as every great hitter accept his arms are a few inches farther out in front tops on a few pitches. This means to generate the bat speed needed to hit the ball as far as he does by hitter a tad bit farther out in front he could not just rely on a rotational lower half. He must use both forms of torque to create the batspeed he does. I remember a video clip i saw of him hitting a HR off steve sparks I believe, it was to right center and it cleared about 10 rows. You cant hit a 68 mph pitch that far without creating a ton of batspeed. He has a rotational swing that has a few different things in it than most players, but nonetheless it is rotational. <<<

(Lamber)
Dave A

In case you don't know it, a players maximum batspeed is at extension. I'm sure that's enough to hit a 68 mph fastball out of the park.

And, I have not made the claim that there is no top hand or bottom hand torque in his swing.

He clearly has a linear upper half. To deny it is like telling your wife you didn't cheat on her when she caught you in the act.

Watch the video. He is very different than 95% of all other mlb players. Doesn't mean rotational is wrong. I'm a big believer in rotational hitting. But, Arod is a combination of linear and rotational.

And, could you explain how his arms get a few inches further out in front than everyother hitter? I can. It's because he takes his hands to the ball which is a linear move.

(Nick)
Lamber,

Are Mac, Palmeiro, and Griffey also linear upper body since they too generally hit the ball out in front with a lot of extension? How does this reconcile with Jack's position that it is upper body mechanics that separate the men from the boys? Nick

(Jack Mankin)
Hi Dave A

In order to attain maximum leverage for Bottom-Hand-Torque, the top-arm needs to stay back in the “L” position. This is a stronger position for the pull from lead-shoulder rotation on the bottom-hand to accelerate the bat-head to contact. Therefore, hitters like Bonds and Sosa who exhibit a more 50/50 balance of BHT & THT normally have little extension of the back-arm at contact.

Hitters like Mac and A-Rod who are predominately THT hitters rely less on the BHT (say 60/40) will generate a wider hand-path and their back-arm, therefore, would be more extended at contact. These hitters usually stand a little farther from the plate and treat most pitches as pitches away.

Dave, you are so correct. Regardless of the ratio of Bottom-Hand-Torque to Top-Hand-Torque, they all exhibit a Circular-Hand-Path and the “Absolutes” required for a good rotational swing. The Main test: --Did their mechanics first accelerate the bat-head in an arc back toward the catcher – or – did the bat-head just slide over and trail more linearly behind the extending hands at initiation?

Note: In a recent discussion, my son commented that most of the hitters used in my analyses are from an older era. Back when I was conducting my study. Wouldn’t my readers be better served if I spent time studying the swings of the current players. – I replied that of course it would be helpful when discussing the swing of a particular hitter. But, I have found over the decades, that although the faces and styles of the players have changed, the core mechanics (Absolutes) of the best hitters remain constant.

Jack Mankin