Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Fri Apr 29 15:28:43 2005

>>> Get on top of ball? What advice is this for rotational mechanics? Getting on top of the ball loses major power due to the fact that your rear elbow will get away from the body, and the circular hand path will be lost. Plus, you now begin to roll the top hand and lose palm up/palm down with your top and bottom hands. Not to mention the barrel begins to lead the hands. Hitters should hit just below center of the ball. The lower the pitch is the more angle the bat must have and the more the rear shoulder will angle down. The higher the pitch is the less of an angle the shoulders and bat will be because the ball is already up for you to hit just below center. When looking at pictures (go to mlb.com photo gallery) notice when the lower the ball is the more bat and shoulder angle. The higher the ball the less angle and more leveling of the bat and shoulder. Also when looking at the pictures notice how the bat and shoulders are pretty much parallel to each other, how the rear elbow is in with the top hand palm up and bottom hand palm down, and the barrel is behind the hands. <<<

Hi Scott

You obviously have a mistaken view of rotational transfer mechanics, at least of what is taught on this site. Below are four of the main problems you attribute to rotational mechanics in hitting a ball up in the zone – as you see it.

(1) Getting on top of the ball loses major power due to the fact that your rear elbow will get away from the body, and

(2)) the circular hand path will be lost.

(3) Plus, you now begin to roll the top hand and lose palm up/palm down with your top and bottom hands.

(4) Not to mention the barrel begins to lead the hands.

Well, let us analyze your points while viewing frame-by-frame a clip (http://www.youthbaseballcoaching.com/mpg/soriano_alfonso.mpeg ) of a hitter exhibiting rotational transfer mechanics hitting a ball up in the zone.

Now to your comments:

(1) “Getting on top of the ball loses major power due to the fact that your rear elbow will get away from the body” --- At about frame 17 or 18, the elbow has lowered to his side. I can not see a loss of power due to the elbow getting away from the body.
(2) “the circular hand path will be lost.” --- I wish we had an overhead view of this swing to show just how wrong you are. However, we can see that from launch to contact, the angle of the lead-elbow remained constant – he initiated the swing by allowing shoulder rotation to accelerate the hands – these conditions will always generate a CHP.
(3) “Plus, you now begin to roll the top hand and lose palm up/palm down with your top and bottom hands “ --- Scott, I have no idea why, or how, you reached these conclusions. The readers can judge for themselves if the batter has a problem of the wrists prematurely rolling.
(4) “Not to mention the barrel begins to lead the hands “ --- At what point of the swing are you so concerned about the barrel getting ahead of the hands – and if so, what is the problem? If the hands are leading at contact, it just means he will hit the inside part of the ball and hit it to the opposite field. If the barrel is ahead of the hands at contact, it will strike the outside portion of the ball and it will be pulled (as in the clip we reviewed). In either case, what is the problem?

Note to readers: Linear coaches, like Scott, maintain that rotational mechanics causes the batter to “Hit around the ball.” However, the bat is only in contact with the ball for about 1/2000 second and moves about ¾ inch (in contact). Therefore, the bat can not actually “go around” or wrap around the ball. Linear coaches want their hitters to lead with the hands to hit the inside of the ball – or hit it to the opposite field.

This site teaches mechanics to hit the ball square (hit it straightaway). If your timing is a little late, the ball will be hit to the opposite field. If your time is a little early, the bat-head will be ahead of the hands at contact and the ball will be pulled.

Jack Mankin