Posted by: Coach C () on Tue Feb 10 12:29:52 2004

>>> All with power too I might add. Nick, I've mentioned this to Jack before and at the time he could not say for sure that bat cock equated to power, certainly some have more than others, but as you eluded to, there are many more that do not have it....Garret Anderson comes to mind. I think Jack has termed this move THT. I have always said....many times, it's a non-teach and many people appear to be getting bogged down with it (creating unnecessary wrist bind). Now let me be clear, the wrists and hands play a key role in getting into the swing plane correctly or better said, "play a key role in not screwing it up".
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> If you look at any of those great clips you posted (good job), each hitter gets the bat on plane with the shoulders very early into rotation (it's outstanding). The fact that they get on plane and how they do it is the key. Their shoulders/bat/lead arm are all working as a unit. I feel batspeed is the wrong motivation in trying to achieving these key movements at first. To an untrained hitter getting on plane and hitting with batspeed don't equate (Trust me!). After one learns the feel of getting on plane, he will sense that feeling batspeed is really not what he/she imagined all along. It just happens and the bat is doing much more of the work. Untrained hitters have no understanding of this, so they search for batspeed (continuing down the path of v-shaping the swing plane or bisecting it) and continue to miss the key issue.......getting on plane. For clarity, there is far more batspeed once we get on plane. I've seen the demonstrations portrayed on this sight to get on plane and create batspeed, but none of that made any sense to me and I worked it hard.....they're was something missing. After the Bonds CD you sent me and something Mark Pryor said about pitching, it opened my eyes to what the shoulders ought to be doing. I will tell you, as I've said many times, "the legs support the action" and looking for answers down there will drive a person batty and only frustrate them. The key is in learning how to deliver the blow from the shoulders (CORRECTLY!). In all of the swings you displayed the legs are responding to what the shoulders are planning to do and what they will do. If the shoulders plan on going to the ball, then the legs will to, if the shoulders plan to turn the legs will to, if the shoulders have no plan to be used the legs stay there. Try it just stand there and don't move your shoulders what do the legs do? (Trying to be funny, but it's true). Come see me Nick...time for an update!! <<<
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> Hi Coach C
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> I would agree that swinging with the bat in the plane of the lead-arm is essential. In fact, it is one of the Absolutes. However, while doing video swing reviews I have found many young hitters who keep the bat in the plane of the swing from launch to contact but have their bats dragging through the contact zone. The same is true for hitters with good shoulder rotation.
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> The key to hitting the ball hard is to have the angular acceleration of the bat-head stay in sync with good shoulder rotation. It can be called developing bat speed, or what ever term you choose, but there is much more to having good transfer mechanics than just rotating the hips, shoulders (with separation) and keeping the bat in the plane.
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> The clips Nick posted (I wish George Brett was there also) shows that pre-launch torque is not an Absolute for generating great bat speed. But, a CHP, THT, and BHT are. I think one of the main benefits to using pre-launch torque is that it causes the top-hand (and bat-head) to be moving in the correct direction to apply top-hand-torque.
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> Jack Mankin


I may have my terms wrong and that's my fault.....I would say "pre launch torque" is not an absolute....I used the term THT (Sorry) Too many terms for me to understand..I guess. I suppose THT is the another way of saying, "the art of getting the hands into the plane", which as you know is what this is all about. In fact, one could make the argument that if they get that transfer down (THT) everything else will work. BHT and CHP are as a result of THT......would that be true? This bat lag you speak of, in my mind would be as a result of poor THT execution, not poor shoulder/hip rotation. The shoulders can not do their function without the missing key (You call it THT). Get that right and everyhting else works, which is why I would not focus on the legs at all, until they learn that skill........and it is a skill.


Coach C
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