Posted by: Jack Mankin (mrbatspeed@aol.com) on Mon Jun 28 10:53:05 2004

>>> Over the last month I somehow have lost between 10-15mph in bat speed. About the same time I have notice that my left wrist (I bat left handed) seems to crackle more than normal and if I keep my hand straight and rotate my forearm the is another new crackle in my left forearm/elbow area. I noticed that all of the sudden I was behind almost everything when playing modified and then went out and hit off my tee with my stroke maxxer and sure enough I was slower by 10-15mph. And the balls I was hitting were consitantly 30-40 feet shorter. WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON WITH ME????????
The only thing I can think of is that I had been lifting pretty heavy (50-90lbs) akward boxes at work and maybe I did something there but yet nothing hurts (except my swing and pride ) so I am at a loss here. I also had only been playing 1 game a week (season is over now ) so fatigue couldn't be it. I hit the chute trainer hard on Mon. hit off the tee on Tue. and then chute trainer hard again yesterday and might give mself today to rest and hit off the tee tomorrow to see what happens there. Any helpful hints or insights would be well appreciated. <<<

Hi briney11

I would be more inclined to believe the crackle and pain you are experiencing with the wrist of your top-hand is caused by a problem with your swing mechanics than from weight lifting. Briney, it might be good idea to have your Doctor look at and give an opinion on your forearm/elbow area. However, what you describe is common with hitters who accelerate the bat-head back toward the catcher (THT) in a too vertical direction. Accelerating the bat-head straight back instead of sweeping it behind the head into the swing plane places a great deal of pressure on the wrist of the top-hand. I have referred to this as “wrist binds.”

Briney, if you hold your bat more vertical in your stance, wrist binds may be your problem. In addition to discomfort, it also results in a loss of bat speed and waves in the swing plane as the top-hand is forced to suddenly flip from vertical to a palm-up position. Below are a couple of posts from the archives that may help.

Jack Mankin
##
Re: Torque causing a loop?
Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com on Sun Aug 12 10:51:57 2001

>>> Jack, I have read and fully understand your concepts.

But (I think) the application of torque has caused a problem in my swing. I feel like I am breaking down as a hitter.

My teammates are telling me I am uppercutting terribly and that my back shoulder is dropping. I am popping everything up or just striking out.

This has all happened after I have tried to use torque and rotation in my swing and have better rotational mechanics.

Is there a possible reason and solution to this problem? What's wrong? Please help me! <<<

Hi Person

One of the defining characteristics of a great hitter is the early development of bat-head speed in their swing. This is generated from a mechanic I termed, “top-hand-torque” where the batter keeps their bottom-hand fairly stationary near the armpit to serve mainly as a pivot point. The bat-head is then accelerated in an arc back toward the catcher as the batter pulls back with the top-hand.

In my instructional video, I demonstrate how effective the mechanic can be in generating great bat speed. I also show the perils a batter can get into if done incorrectly. When done correctly, (1) the bottom-hand stays back as (2) the top-hand applies a pulling force that accelerates the bat-head into the intended plane of the swing.

Real problems occur when the batter does not adhere to those two main points.
(1). Most hitters have a natural tendency to extend the hands forward at initiation. This will cause many problems with rotational mechanics and is even a graver problem when applying top-hand-torque. For reasons I have explained in the video (and on the discussion board), serious bio-mechanical wrist binds occur that results in a loss of bat speed and forces the bat out of its true contact plane when the wrist is not allowed to rotate within the normal range of movement.

(2). As I mentioned above, the bat-head must be accelerated into the plane of the swing when applying top-hand-torque. Serious bio-mechanical wrist binds also occur when the batter accelerates the bat-head back in a more vertical plane that cuts down through the swing plane. And it should be obvious that if the batter accelerates the bat-head back toward the catcher on a more vertical plane at the start of his swing, he will have a “looping uppercut” in the contact zone.

One of the main reasons I request a frontal view of the batter (from the pitcher’s mound) for Swing Review Analysis is to check the batter’s swing plane at initiation. Regardless of what position or angle the batter holds the bat in his ready position, the bat must be brought inline with the lead-arm at initiation. The lead-arm should always be the plane of the swing from initiation to contact. The batter has a real problem if the bat starts above and then falls below the line (or plane) of the lead-arm.

Person, if you are serious about your swing, you would be ahead of the game by ordering my Instructional Video and a Swing Review.

Jack Mankin
##

Re: stretching for chp
Posted by: Jack Mankin (BrBatspeed@aol.com on Fri Oct 12 22:14:43 2001

>>> I have experimented with both linear and rotationl hitting and have found myself at 42 y.o. to be seldom sore the next day after hitting linear but usually sore sometimes very sore after rotational.Neck, shoulders, between the scapulas,lower back and groin areas are the big areas of concern.So I would like to recommend that young hitters though you are more resilent than I am now need to stretch alot more than normal to help prevent injury.I could see how big men like Canseco and McGwire can injure lower backs as well as other parts with the energy they apply to their body in rotation.Just be aware your using more muscles and more energy to the body and of course this coincides with it creating more batspeed. <<<

Hi RQL

Whether you are throwing a baseball, pushing a shot or swinging a bat, having flaws in the ballistic mechanics can lead to serious consequences. I wrote in a earlier post that I felt that flaws in the swing mechanics of Canseco, McGwire , Strawberry (and others) had contributed to their back and limb problems.

At different times during their careers, they all exhibited serious wrist binds and irregular movements of the bat and body. Those flaws resulted from two main sources. (1) They did not keep their hands back near the back shoulder and allow rotation to accelerate the hand-path as they initiated the swing and applied tht. As they pulled the top-hand back, the hands, as a unit, moved linearly away from the body. (2) The bat-head was not accelerated cleanly into the swing plain where the wrist can freely operate. Their bat-head was accelerated to vertically down through the plain of the lead-arm.

These flaws resulted in a great amount of stress being placed on the wrist, arms, body joints and muscles. The bat appeared to stall and then jerked forward as the wrist flipped over. They all had serious batting slumps during these periods. In 92 or 93, McGwire barely hit .200 with only 20 HR’s.

RQL, I would be very careful switching back and forth between linear and rotational principles. As I stated earlier – the two transfer mechanics are not compatible.

Jack Mankin