Posted by: Walt () on Sat Dec 11 17:51:43 2004

I know this topic is confusing for some. It took me almost a month to learn and master tht. I think the problem for some in understanding tht is not having an effective cue to hand your hat on.The thumb stuff mentioned by Jack is new to me, maybe I overlooked it, but I can share what worked for me.Maybe different cues will work for different hitters, but here is mine: as part of my stride, scap load, etc, I routinely, when taking my hands back pretend that I am going to jab the umpire with my top fist. Obviously there is a point long before striking the umpire when the fist will reverse direction, but again, it's just a mental cue that works for me! And by the way, someone said major league hitters do not have their thumb and knob close to their shoulder at launch position. I beg to differ. At least if you consider Sosa, Mcgwire, Bonds, Piazza, Beltran and Griffey to be bonefide sluggers, they have their fist close to their shoulder from beginning to end.By the way,Jack, although I'm busy playing college ball, I find the time to help my Dad coach my kid brother's team (Dale is 8 years old) and would you believe Dale learned tht quicker than I did!!! Great site here!