Posted by: BHL (Knight1285@aol.com) on Tue Mar 9 23:13:09 2004

Hi all,

I believe that the Mankin / Epstein / Nyman debate can fuel intense hostility if we allow theoretical zeitgeist to ignite us. On the other hand, creating schisms between the three hitting schools is not my intention. Therefore, I believe that the only way to avoid hostile posts is to compromise whenever you discuss another individual's ideas on this site.

A month ago, I received criticism for promoting Epstein's theories on this site. Yet, there was one individual who understood that I was not promoting methodology; rather, I was offering another individual's rotational "cues" on this site that I felt were more effective than Mankin's. Using these "cues," I hoped individual could visualize another "way" of achieving the biomechanical stances that Mankin deems necessary to make the swing successful.

Specifically, I instructed individuals on this site to open the front foot 90 degrees, then drop the front heel, while lifting and turning the back heel, turning the back knee down and in, and turning the back hip around the axis. In a later post, I added: let the bat arc around with the hips (i.e., hips ahead). I used this "cue" instead of "rotate the heel, rotate the bat head." But, when individuals really think about it, both "cues" have the same desired result: a rotation around a stationary axis that yields an arcing handpath. Or, as Mankin would say: "No matter how a batter uses his legs, he will rotate around a stationary axis." Seen in this light, I fail to understand why I was attacked a month ago when all I really was trying to do was to give advice from a fresh perspective.

Let's face it: there is only one way to swing a bat, and that is, in Mankin's words, to allow it to accelerate in a series arc, with the final arc, the arc at the end of the bathead, being the most potent. Contrariwise, there are many "cues"--some compiled by the competing gurus--the can help an individual attain the same output. From this point on, let's accuse posts of promotion only if they elaborate on another person's theory, instead of attempting to eliminate "cues" from other gurus that show a different way of thinking, but are concomitant with Mankin's idea of rotational mechanics.

Sincerely,
BHL
Knight1285@aol.com

P.S. I have always admired this site for its openness, but the instant that people start enforcing a "my way or the highway" delineation to relevant "cues," I'm gone!