Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Mon Dec 4 21:38:12 2000

>>>yet i was under the impression that per the t.h.t. theory the swing should NOT be initiated UNTIL the front shoulder has rotated from inward-turn position to facing-the-pitcher position......i guess what i'm asking is: should the hitter WAIT until front shoulder is facing the pitcher before initiating the swing?...grc <<<

Hi grc

If I inadvertently conveyed the idea that the shoulders should rotate a few degrees before the swing is initiated, it was purely unintentional. I believe it is very important that during the inward-turn the lead arm should be fairly straight and brought close to the body (good linkage) so that any rotation of the shoulders produces a corresponding angular acceleration of the hands.

Some of the better hitters (Barry Bonds) use pre-launch torque in their swings. This means they start accelerating the bat-head back toward the catcher before full initiation of the swing (shoulder rotation) begins. Personally, I do not think this is necessary for most hitters. Applying a good amount of top-hand-torque during the regular initiation (Big Mac) generates a great deal of bat speed. --- There are some that believe that on outside pitches shoulder rotation should be delayed at initiation. This they contend will allow top-hand-torque to cast the hand-path into a wider arc. Although this is true, I think there is a more efficient mechanic to handle the outside pitch.

Jack Mankin