Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatSpeed@aol.com) on Mon Aug 9 16:24:05 2004

>>> Below is my original post from a few days ago for which I did not get a response. What I have noticed is numerous THT/BHT questions and confusion. I suppose these responses are my answer in that THT is just NOT that easy to identify after all.

Incidentally, you explain THT very well, I do basically grasp the concept BUT... I just don't know how you identify the "action" as being specifically THT and not something else?

I'll try again:
What identifiable trigger (lack of better word) do you "see" that specifically tells you it is THT?

Here is original post:

Great site you have here.

I have read numerous post on the THT topic here at your site but am most confused when you or other posters say how clearly you can "see" THT in player X's swing etc.

For example,I can see the bathead being taken back toward the catcher but how can I know this action is being caused by THT and not just a less
active result other than a "bow string pull" type of action? I mean, I can bring back my hands the same way without necessarily using such force to do so just by shrugging my back shoulder. So how do you determine/identify the movements as THT?

Thanks! <<<

Hi Jim

I would guess that most posters who say they can see THT being applied are referring to the pre-launch phase of applying THT. During pre-launch torque, the hands start a good distance from the back-shoulder (like Bonds or Sosa) and bat-head acceleration occurs before shoulder rotation. Even the most skeptic observer should be able to see that the pulling back of the forearm (and thus top-hand) applies torque that causes the bat-head to be accelerated back.

I agree with you that THT is hard to see once the hands are at the back-shoulder and the bat is in the swing plane. Even though the pulling back of the top-hand continues during initiation, shoulder rotation is accelerating the hands (as a unit) around toward the pitcher. Therefore if the hands (as a unit) is rotating in one direction, it is hard to see, or understood by many, how the top-hand is applying a force in the opposite direction (back toward the catcher).

Jim, regardless of what muscles or mechanics it feels like you are using, if it results in you pulling the top-hand back around a slower moving bottom-hand, you are applying torque that is accelerating the bat-head.

Jack Mankin