Posted by: grc () on Sun Dec 21 07:02:56 2003

>>> How do you hook the handpath and at the same time unfold the elbows? <<<
>
> Hi Lamber
>
> I am assuming the “unfold the elbows” relates to the extension of the arms. --- The un-flexing (arm straightened) of the lead-elbow should occur early in the swing or the flex should remain through contact. Un-flexing the elbow to extend the hands toward contact only produces negative results (straightens the hand-path and reduces the hook effect and BHT with no pluses).
>
> Extending the back-elbow also reduces the amount of bat speed that can be obtained from the hook and BHT. But, by applying THT, that reduction is offset by the bat speed gained from a wider hand-path and THT applied over a greater portion of the swing. --- Early bat-head acceleration gained from applying THT allows the batter to maintain a high rate of angular displacement even with the wider hand-path.
>
> So Arod’s (and others) mechanics makes a tradeoff. Lower BHT but higher THT. – Less hook effect but more bat speed from the wider hand-path. The same would be true for Bonds and Sosa on outside pitches.
>
> Jack Mankin



jack..."Un-flexing the elbow to extend the hands toward contact only produces negative results (straightens the hand-path and reduces the hook effect and BHT with no pluses)".....on the outside pitch there is one thing you are neglecting in your analysis and that is ELEVATION....

on the outside pitch, your swing has a flatter bat path arc, whereas the "linear" swing has more of an arc in the vertical axisresult is more "upswing in the bathead path just propr to contact...that is the "plus" that i see....

also, with the "linear" swing" on an outside pitch i see a trade-off between MAYBE somewhat less batspeed early in the swing (if there is less, it has never been quantified by anyone), but on the other hand, with the fuller x-t of the top arm there is more batspeed near the end of the swing (also never having been quantified).....