Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Fri Feb 4 11:20:47 2005

>>> Sammy Sosa lift his front shoulder way up high before he takes his swing, thus, raising his elbow in the process (at one point very near his head).

Is this a major part of his swing, or is that just "style"? <<<

Hi Hitter

Where the lead-elbow is in the stance or pre-launch is a matter of the batter’s style. Where the lead-elbow is from initiation to contact is an absolute – it is always in the plane of the swing.

All the clips of Sosa I have studied show his elbow below the plane during pre-launch and rising to the plane at initiation. I have not found his elbow above the plane at any point. There are some Sosa clips at http://www.youthbaseballcoaching.com/swings.html . Do any of those clips show what you described?

Jack Mankin