Posted by: RQL () on Tue Oct 10 22:32:01 2000

Hi RQL
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> Just a couple of commits on your statements.
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> >>> why does most not all but most power hitters hit below 300 each year.<<<
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> Although I certainly have nothing against power hitters, I do not think that rotational mechanics and top-hand-torque is only of value in hitting home runs. The objective of good batting mechanics is to hit the ball hard and hit it consistently. --- Setting the power numbers aside, I have no doubt batting averages of hitters using top-hand-torque is higher than those who do not. I would guess that the average for all major league players to be around 265. I am quite sure t-h-t hitters are well above that.
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> >>>I think boggs,gwynn,rose,cobb,carew got so many singles because they had a shorter swing to a contact point often further back and got to wait longer to see it longer and fooled less so more consistency with short game.<<< (contact point often further back)
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> Is it your opinion that the back arm of these hitters has less extension (or more "L" position) than rotational batters. I had always heard it was the extension of their arms that kept the bat in the contact zone longer. -- By what do you judge the shortness of the swing - length of hand travel? Or what
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> Jack Mankin
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> Jack after thinking about it I think what makes it look short to me is the distance the bat head travels from stance to contact.not necessarily the hands or elbow extension,I figure your the expert with tape study and Im only beginning and Im going to see if Wade has any old tape of himself to study that could give me more insight into just what the true difference is in a circular hand path and one, more straight to the ball.It seems that if the knob is at the pitcher and bat head leaning back then the distance the barrel travels to contact is shortest it can be ,the longer hitter can wait to decide right hand path and deeper contact point means less room for error,and barrel never varies from plane of ball much.Circular hand path,the bat may point towards pitcher then travel up and back before getting to launch and you can call this the beginning of the swing if you want but it is bat movement and it has been going every direction but at the ball and it is picking up speed and strength is needed to control it and knowledge of how to control this energy is necessary within different muscles and you have a front shoulder pulling back away from the ball enhancing chance of pulling head.The hands have made a semi circle before getting to launch as opposed to other idea where they go in straight line to ball.with all that said 35 years ago the style, knock the pitcher down with the ball was preached, Idid it pretty well, Boggs and Gwynn perfected it ,hit it where they aint.Would we have been better hitters with chp t-h-t maybe more power maybe more avg. I dont know,Maybe with creatine and set pro training systems the fly balls would have reached the other side of the wall along with the t-h-t,but my whole issue has not been to take away from your system but to point out that when little kids are still trying to keep the helmet from falling in their face maybe we should tone down the dynamics of t-h-t and just get them to try to hit the ball out front a little maybe just open the hips a little more and getthe bat on the ball and build from there if it doesnt work maybe a shorter barrel to the ball approach can keep them interested a little longer. Im not saying that its not a good system for an aspiring big leaguer just more advanced stuff to control with greater benefits and unless they make the parks larger to handle the bigger stronger athletes of today then the numbers will just keep growing in hitting like you predicted.sincerely RQL.