Posted by: BHL (Knight1285@aol.com) on Fri Apr 30 23:06:38 2004

>>> If you could Jack, please reference for me for my own research those batters you have witnessed who keep their head still throughout their swings and in so doing appear to not have their heads down (chins in) at POC <<<
> >
> > Hi TC2
> >
> > I just went to, http://www.youthbaseballcoaching.com/swings.html and the first hitter was Bagwell. I would say his head position represents a fairly good number of batters I have charted. His chin does not lower as much as some I have seen. But then not all good hitters do either.
> >
> > As I discussed in “You’re pulling your head off the ball,” when looking at Bagwell’s swing at full speed, many coaches might say he is pulling his head off the ball. As you can see in slow motion or frame-by-frame, his head is forced out long after the ball is gone.
> >
> > Let me know your observations.
> >
> > Jack Mankin
>
> Jack,
>
> I have visited the site you referenced numerous times and there are some great clips. As far as Bagwell- I see at POC "chin is in", which is a better term for my contention than head down on POC. Yes, he and many look as though they have pulled their heads off the ball on their follow throughs or in milliseconds after contact which, as you have verified, is a result of the finished swing and shoulder rotation.
>
> I can see from many post at your site, where my "head down" at POC reference could be vastly misinterpreted by some of your well meaning posters. Let me clarify that "chin is in" at POC better describes my point. The head, as the top of the axis, should stay relatively still as the shoulders rotate around. The chin in is just an easier visual of that process. Though it is basically the same concept as "head down" any way I describe it does not change my "opinion" that Mr. Epstein is inadvertantly leading thousands of coaches across the country to believe that chin is up/head is looking out at the pitcher "at POC" and...that this is what we should be teaching although it is NOT what I/we see?
>
> Any chance BHL is going to respond to the brilliant front heel drop absolute (NOT) he referenced? Or has he been rendered "writeless" since checking out the clip from his mentors own site with his own student contradicitng his claim?
>
> To that end- Jack, your educated, substantiated and well researched responses have been appreciated.
>
> TC2
>
> Hi TC2,

I went on a trip, and apologize for being tardy with my response. If you have ready my post carefully, you will notice how it recommends combining Epstein's lower body mechanics with Jack's upper body mechanics. When synchronized carefully, the batter will find that once the front heel touches the ground, the hips rotate, assisting shoulder rotation, which in turn, cause the hands to rotate around each other. In the end, the bat-head arcs in a manner that will allow it to strike the ball with great velocity at collision.

Sincerely,
BHL
Knight1285@aol.com

P.S. Mankin, in his absolutes, argues that "no matter how a hitter uses his legs, he will rotate around a stationary axis."

As far as Epstein is concerned, his lower body "cues" great for attaining the best lower body mechanics, just as Mankin's "cues" are great for attaining the best upper body mechanics.

I am not trying to compare the two gurus.

It is important that people understand what I am trying to do: combining the teaching of two rotational instructors that will provide the best results.
>
>
>