Posted by: John in FL () on Fri May 9 07:32:46 2008

I just read this post for the first time. This topic actually dates back many years ago. The last instance that I can recall of this was during 1990 when the debate was fueled by Walt Hriniak's teachings while he was with the White Sox. I was part of the controversy at the high school level here in Florida. The debate centered around Lau's weight transfer v. rotational hitting taught mostly in the Ted Williams school of thought. At the national coached convention in New Orleans that year, it was such a hot topic that there was a closed door 'teaching' session one evening to discuss it. It turned more into a debate and then a heated argument. There are many schools of thought on weight shift v. rotation. I am a traditionalist in Lau fundamentals. His teachings were adopted by many at the collegiate level including Howard McCann (Georgia, 1990-national champions). Long before I entered the debate, it was the hitting style taught at Sandalwood here in Florida throughout the 1980's where they often ran the table on power hitting. Rather than get into a detailed debate on the topic, I will state that weight shift allows hitters with less strength to compensate for that loss of physical power. It also leaves the bat head in the hitting zone longer than a true rotational swing (look at it from above). Additionally, rotational hitters tend to have an upward swing if their back leg collapses prior to the bat entering the hitting zone. One issue is that we cannot mold every hitter the same. Not all styles will work for everyone. In my coaching, we've simply had more success with teaching Lau mechanics. That doesn't mean it will work for everyone. I think that the disservice is done when we think one way is truly the only way.