Posted by: Jack Mankin (mrbatspeed@aol.com) on Wed May 12 21:08:45 2004

Jack, please tell me what you think of the following excerpt:


Another one of the most debatable areas of hitting is the topic of hand path. If you’ve been around baseball then you have probably heard phrases like, “Hands to the ball,” or “Knob to the ball.” Both of these phrases have come to be accepted as accurate descriptions of a hitter’s hand path. But are they really accurate statements? Here is where we run into a conflict between new and old philosophies. The main focus in any discussion of hitting should be how to effectively maximize bat speed. Without bat speed, “good” mechanics are virtually useless. Consequently, we want our hands to follow the path which is going to result in maximum bat speed. This is where the old theory of “hands to the ball” becomes questionable. Let’s assume that we are attempting to hit an outside pitch with the mindset of “hands to the ball,” or “knob to the ball.” In this scenario, your hands get separated from your body in order to go out to the pitch with the knob of the bat. This causes depletion in bat speed and power. Why? Because the further your hands get from your body the longer it takes for the bat head to accelerate. Therefore, in order to maximize bat speed your hands must rotate together on the same path with your hips. This allows the bat head to accelerate as quickly as possible through the zone.

Hi Mike

I can see nothing in the above excerpt I would disagree with. I assume he means that by the path of the hips the hand-path must also stay circular. I also agree that it is nonproductive to extend the hands toward the ball on outside pitches. In order to generate bat speed on outside pitches, the hand-path must remain circular – just in a wider path. Of course, hitters who do not understand how to efficiently apply THT will not have a clue what I am talking about.

Jack Mankin