Posted by: bart () on Sat May 22 10:08:08 2004

jack...i recently wrote "in your diagram you define torque ok but you misinterpret what the hitter id doing.....you are showing the top hand heading toward the catcher and the bottom hand heading toward the pitcher....since these are two "opposing" directions you therefore call it torque...maybe it would be torque if in fact these were two forces (the top and bottom hands) acting in opposition to each other....however, even though the top hand may be headed toward the catcher, i don't see how that the top hand is acting in opposition to the bottom hand....

you responded by saying "Hi grc

When the top-hand is pulling back on the handle, the bottom is exerting a force on the handle in the opposite direction, even when the bottom-hand is stationary. --- If you push your hand against a wall, the wall must push back with the same force or be accelerated away. --- However, during initiation of the swing, shoulder rotation is accelerating the bottom-hand in an arc around toward the pitcher.

Therefore, at initiation, the top-hand is being pulled back toward the catcher while at the same time shoulder rotation is driving the bottom-hand around toward the pitcher. The hands are therefore applying force to the handle from opposing directions – just as the drawing shows. And just as I have described it countless times.

Jack Mankin "

your comment "If you push your hand against a wall, the wall must push back with the same force or be accelerated away." was especially illuminating and fully addresses my question....i now clearly see the "torque" element of swing iniation and at a later date i will have some additional comments...perhaps i will even rewrite my questions/comments that i recently directed to you (i think you was unable to respond due to being out of town).....