Posted by: Melvin () on Fri May 14 18:47:54 2004

After about five years, I think I am beginning to understand how to use tht to initiate the swing. My study was delayed by one of my coaches(imagine that). When I first started to study tht, I was taking "pull back toward the catcher" literally. This led to me dipping the back shoulder. I was pulling back, but I wasn't getting into the proper swing plane. My chp was more like a golfers I guess. I would occasionally pull one down the line, but more often then not I would pop up weakly to the opposite feild. Last night while experimenting, it hit me like a ton of bricks. The night started off normal, watch the Cardinals blow another game, look at the mechanics page to get a visual, then grab my duct taped wood bat and start to experiment.
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> The stance I was using was similar to Griffey. I hit the heavy bag and then started to take some dry swings. I decided to try something I saw in the mechanics page. It appears from the frontal view Jack uses that the batters front elbow goes up and toward the plate while the back elbow goes down and away from the plate arcing the bathead pointing the barrel toward where the on-deck circle roughly would be behing me. Problem solved, my bat was now in the perfect swing plane as it swung around in an arc like a flat disc. It felt smooth and natural. It then dawned on me that the top hand doesn't pull directly toward the catcher, it is more toward the area where the on deck circle behind me would be. I talked a freind into throwing some bp and the results were thrilling to say the least. I now understand that pulling strait back toward the catcher was causing me to dip the rear shoulder possibly causing wrist binds(I never understood that term till now). I guess I got in trouble when I thought of cues like strait or directly back toward the catcher. I hope this info will help anyone else trying to understand tht. I would enjoy hearing thoughts or debates from Jack or anyone else on the board. MeatHead

Meathead

I have spent about the same amount of time as you on THT and I have about given up on it. I mean, I am all for it, and it in good TV hitters, but I have never been able to coordinate it.

My success in changing my swing in my thirties at the open amateur baseball and Class C fastpitch softball levels has been what Jack calls BHT. As a righty, I concentrate on pulling the bat back a little in the general direction of the third base dugout during the stride.

That's the easy part. The hard part is keeping it there once a swing decision has been made and allowing rotation to accelerate the hands and drop the arms into the plane, getting that early wrist and elbow flip. Decades of hand slinging still bite me sometimes on outside pitches.

As for the Tejada and Sheffield-like early bat head movement that generates lots of bat speed before a swing decision has been made? In games, forget. It's like trying to juggle or pat your head and rub your stomach for me. I can do a fair impression in batting practice and used to get excited about that, but learned long hard lessons that it's impractical for me in games.

I think Jack has written the same many times. Getting rotation to accelerate the hands and bat head is the first lesson. Only when it has been mastered can you move onto THT. For me, the years are too long now and the road ahead too hard, so I have basically given up on it.

Good thing is, better BHT on outside pitches at least allows me to hit those pitches hard up the middle or to RF gap. Only THT will give you great opposite field power. Never had it, never will, but it has improved dramatically from better BHT.

Always been pretty good on inside pitches. I figure I for some reason I always automatically used BHT on inside pitches, and for some reason, let the hands thrust and straighten on outside pitches. Unlearning that habit has paid tremendous dividends.

As for the THT? Would love to have it. Probably will never get it.

Melvin