Posted by: tom.guerry (tom.guerry@kp.org) on Sun May 30 14:05:04 2004

JJA-

Thanks for the reply.Looking at lots of video of great hitters leads me to generalize that
the hitter typically cocks the bat somewhat vertically,then uncocks the bat by sweeping the
bat around toward the catchers as it turns in a more horizontal plane in preparation for
continuing into the developing swing plane which will be roughly perpendicular to the
momentum plane of the torso.This action has the potential benefit of assisting the torso in
stretching/coiling/loading with respect to the hips that begin circling open about the
same time that the bat starts circling backward.The torso then can be aided in turning/
staying back as a link in betwen thesmore proximal and distal links.This also has the
advantage of getting the bat turn underway while still keeping the bathead inside the arc
of the handpath prior to the hip turn decelerating to transfer momentum and more fully
energize the torso.Much of this conjecture fits with motion analysis which can chart joint
position,motion and angles as the swing unfolds.For example,the quicktime motion
analysis files of Griffey posted at the peaveynet.com site show the hinge angle (angle
between lead arm and bat) to gradually increase and stabilize rather than decrease as the
torso starts turning.the hinge angle then widens substantially only after the back foot
begins to reactivley drag as a sign that hips have decelerated and transferred momtnum to
torso.In this manner theoretically(or as Nyman would say-totally unsubstantiated
guessing) you can account for how the torque action might asssist in degree of coiling of
the body as well as in efficiency of uncoiling being transformed into batspeed/quickness.

This can have application in the development of teaching instruction and swing amalysis
by including useful descriptions of the grip and hand action/feel as detailed by Jack,for
example with THT.

BHT on the other hand seems to me to be more a factor related to the shapng of the
handpath so that the axis that the bathead turns around shrinks as it comes onto and up
the handle of the bat.