Posted by: tom.guerry (tom.guerry@kp.org) on Sun Oct 29 17:20:09 2000

Re: Re: answer for grc
> Posted by: RQL (mailto: on Sat Oct 28 21:25:46 2000) -- for
rest of post
>
> >>>I differ from J ack I think on bottom hand torque is in stead of
an oarlock on the top hand mine is going forward as the bottom hand is
pulling back from tight shoulder turn and strong wrist action.this
seems to me to be what I see happening when I see this tight 90L in
back elbow then right before impact you see that 90 headed more like
the power V and I think its driving forward making the difference not
oarlocking ,But dont unload it to early or the torque is gone<<<
>
> Hi All
>
> RQL made some interesting points in his post. I think a further
discussion on the topic would benefit all.
>
> For pitches from the middle-in, I recommend mechanics that bring the
bat to contact before the back elbow extends and thus the back arm
still forms an "L" position. This conclusion is not drawn from my
opinion on batting or impressions based on my swing. It is based on
data from my research of how energy is transferred in the baseball
swing.
>
> When I set up the parameters for the research, I determined that for
the findings to be valid it would require the collection of a large
amount of unbiased data. So I made a sign and hung it over my desk. It
read "Have no preconceived theory, report only what you observe." The
data gained from charting over 3000 swings was then correlated with
players' "slugging percentage" statistics. The results clearly showed
that for pitches from the middle-in, the more the back arm was
extended past the "L" position, the lower the performance.
>
> The reason I refer to "bottom-hand torque" as the most efficient
mechanic for middle-in pitches is because as the bat approaches
contact the hands will have slowed down to about 5 mph. So it is not
hand quickness that will determine bat speed. It is the amount of
torque forces delivered to the hands that will cause the bat-head to
accelerate. The lead hand is now in a stronger position to deliver
torque force to the bat than the top hand. The lead arm is straight so
the pull on the lead hand does not rely on the muscles of the arm but
instead from the pulling back of the lead shoulder. The pulling back
of the lead shoulder is powered by the large muscle groups of the legs
and torso. --- The progression of the back arm and hand ("L" position)
as a unit is powered by shoulder rotation. But the extension of the
back arm (or elbow) relies on the smaller muscle groups of the arm and
thus less powerful. Therefore the back hand serves more as a pivot
point for the lead hand to pull the bat around.
>
> Note: When a boxer delivers a power punch, the arm maintains an "L"
position while the thrust is delivered mainly by the rotation of the
shoulders. When the punch is delivered from the extension of the arm -
it becomes more of a jab.
>
> Jack Mankin
>
>

Jack-

Rotational batters such as Piazza seem to tighten the arc of the
handpath as the swing progresses by leaning the front shoulder back
more and/or shortening the lead arm on the very inside pitch.How does
this tightening of the arc of the circular handp