Posted by: Coach C () on Sun Feb 22 18:21:49 2004

>>>This is the statement you made:
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> "While doing swing reviews I have noted that most of the young hitters rotate their hips just fine, but they fail to rotate the bat-head and it is left dragging through the zone."
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> If the bathead is dragging, then where would be the arms.....I'm supposing that they too are also dragging? Could you clarify what these swings reviews are telling you about the hitters? During these same reviews, what percentage of hitters have long loopy swings? <<<
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> Hi Coach C
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> For good rotational mechanics the hands (and arms) should remain back at the shoulder and allow body rotation to accelerate them. Most great hitters will bring the bat to contact, on pitches from the middle-in, with the lead-arm still back across much of their chest. I think this is far better described as a good contact position than “arms dragging.”
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> All good hitter’s mechanics will bring the bat to contact as the shoulders finish rotation. Average hitters complete shoulder rotation with the bat dragging 20 to 40 degrees from contact. Poor mechanics may leave the bat 70+ degrees behind. That is what I was referring to in the swing reviews. – With linear mechanics, the bat can still be dragging behind the hands with the arms at, or near, full extension.
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> Coach C, I have heard coaches say A-Rod and Big Mac have long loopy swings. Would you mind defining what you would call a “long loopy swing?” Also, could a batter who keeps their lead-arm across their chest as they rotate produce a long loopy swing?
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> Jack Mankin
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> Great Question Jack. I do not consider A-Rod or McGwire having long loopy swings, nor do I believe you think so. I think there is another dynamic going on that lends to that appearance. The best way for me to say it is, "They generate their power for the swing from the chest up (shoulders acting as a unit), while long droopy swings drag the bat, never getting the shoulders to participate as a unit, but normally pulling with the front side. This would have the arms dropping below the back shoulder and away from the body much to soon after launch. Not only does this poor fundamental create a longer swing, but also decreases the time a hitter has to make good decisions in the swing. I'd bet McGwire and A-Rod have far less batspeed than say, Jose Canseco or Vladmir Guerrero do, but they make up for it with pin-point accuracy of the bathead, due to their short swings at initiation. They opitimize short in the back and long in the front for the young hitter. This is where I think Tom has made some strong contributions with regard to "scapula loading". So to summurize a long swing that drags is really the arms pulling the bat, with an incorrect usage of the body. A good description of A-rod would be like hitting a back-hand cut shot in tennis, but in his case he is trying hit the ball hard, instead of taking something off. A-rod also takes the top hand off at post contact to feel his lead shoulder driving past the ball.....that's my take anyway.

Coach C
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