Posted by: tom.guerry (tom.guerry@kp.org) on Tue Dec 5 10:50:21 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 <<<
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> Hi grc
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> 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.
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> 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.
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> Jack Mankin
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I have not studied video to the extent Jack has,but what he observes and explains fits with my experience and with underlying physical/mechanical principles.What a finely tuned master swing like Big Mac's shows is complete plate coverage with power and most hits going to left center or left.The hypothesis that seems reasonable is that he does not adjust for the away pitch by delaying shoulder turn,rather he accentuates top hand torque.This gets the bat head out sooner creating more energy transfer from the torso turn which slows torso turn resulting in excellent batspeed and good plate coverage/contact by a combo of less shoulder turn/more "L" out of elbow,and hitting to the pull side with elevation.Delaying shoulder turn or widening the handpath are both suboptimal mechanics as compared to Mac's.This approach allows the hands to control the fine adjustment of the swing and a minimization of the variability of motor programs the brain needs to match a given pitch.A situation is created that improves batspeed and reaction time,swing timing and power.These optimal biomechanic solutions have a pattern of optimizing multiple facets together.

It also makes sense that, as Jack notes ,that the swing be initiated properly at launch,defined as when the torso turns forward(when the hands start forward IF there is good connection).While subsequent adjustments have limited impact,the timing of when the hands torque the bathead out can have a significant effect on the ultimate shape and timing of the swing-Tophand torque for the away pitch,bottomhand torque for the middle in pitch.