Posted by: Tom Waz (sluggoking@msn.com) on Mon Jul 19 09:18:11 2004

>>> Can you describe how you see the grip relating to droopy bottom wrist at contact (interfereing with palms up/down)? <<<
> >
> > Hi Tom
> >
> > A number of years ago while charting the swings of professional players, I noted a very interesting flaw occurring with some of the hitters. Just before and during contact, the lead-wrist would suddenly turn downward. I referred to this flaw as the “Wrist Droop.” Reflecting, I probably should have termed the flaw ‘knuckle droop’ because the lead-wrist is actually being forced upward.
> >
> > For some time I could not figure out what caused the lead-wrist to turn downward just before contact with some batters. However, I did notice that batting performance dropped considerably for hitters who exhibited the “Wrist Droop.” The Dodger’s Mike Marshall stands out most in my mind. He was having a good year (late 1980’s), but when the flaw appeared, his production really declined. I’m not sure he even finished the season.
> >
> > One day as I studied a hitter with the flaw, it suddenly dawned on me what was causing the wrist to droop. It was the hitter’s grip. – Almost all batters who exhibit the flaw have the back-elbow elevated as they prepare to initiate the swing. When the wrists remain fairly straight, a high back-elbow produces an angle of 130 to 160 degrees between the top and bottom wrist. However, as the hands approach the palm-up/palm-down position at contact, the angle between the wrists should be around 20 or 30 degrees.
> >
> > Whenever a batter has a wide angle between the wrists at launch, he must allow one of the hands to rotate around the bat to attain a narrow angle (20 to 30) by contact. However, if the batter starts with 100+degrees and grips the bat tight enough so neither hand can slip, something has to give. The “Wrist Droop” occurs as the lead-wrist is forced to rotate up-ward giving it a droopy appearance.
> >
> > Jack Mankin
>
>
> ****************************************
>
> Jack,
>
> >>>Just before and during contact, the lead-wrist would suddenly turn downward. I referred to this flaw as the “Wrist Droop.” Reflecting, I probably should have termed the flaw ‘knuckle droop’ because the lead-wrist is actually being forced upward.
>
> For some time I could not figure out what caused the lead-wrist to turn downward just before contact with some batters. <<<
>
>
> In these three sentences you describe the lead wrist as either turning downward or being force upward. Which is it?
>
>
> ray porco

Ray,

I believe what Jack is saying is that the lead hand is forced in a clockwise direction (for a RH batter) when viewed from the top of the bat down towards the knob.

Jack, Please let me know if I got it wrong. - Tom Waz