Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Sat Jun 25 13:17:37 2005

Hi All

In a thread below (Cage vs. Game), Ray brought up some points where he felt Coach Candrea and I differed on swing mechanics. I have not studied Coach Candrea’s positions well enough to comment how he interprets Ray’s points, but I think a discussion of them might be helpful in clarifying my positions.

Below is part of Ray’s post.

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“I should not speak for Jack Mankin, but I interpret him to be opposite of these Candrea mechanics.

no - linear weight transfer.
no - backside rotating against a firm front side -rather both sides rotating.
no - splitting duties of each side (front side direction/back side power) - again rather both sides equally rotating.
no - hands inside the ball.
no - hit the inside of the ball.
no - waiting for the ball to get in deeper on an outside pitch.”
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Let us discuss them one at a time. – “no - linear weight transfer.” – I have stated many times that during the stride there can be a “linear weight transfer.” However, with most of the best hitters, there is little or no linear forward movement of the axis (or mass) during rotation.

“no - backside rotating against a firm front side -rather both sides rotating.” – This point boils down to defining the axis of rotation. If the batter strides to a straight (or posted) front leg, the axis of rotation is basically the front hip-joint and there would be a linear component as the center of mass (the spine) and the back-side rotates forward (termed – “Back to Center”).

However, most of the best hitters take a soft stride to a well-flexed front leg (not straight or posted). The lead-leg then extends driving the front hip rearward at the same rate the back-hip is rotating forward. This means the body is rotating around the center of mass (the spine) and there is no “linear weight transfer” occurring during their rotation.

I could use any number of clips that exhibit what I just described above. I decided to use the first clip at youthbaseballcoaching.com that shows an across-the-plate view of the hitter. That was Bagwell at - http://www.youthbaseballcoaching.com/mpg/bagwell1.mpeg .

Anyone with an open mind should note in the Bagwell clip the following points.

1. If a “linear weight transfer” is necessary to generate power and bat speed, how much do you see his body moving forward while viewing this clip frame-by-frame? Note that during rotation, far from his spine (center of mass) moving forward “Back to Center,” it is actually fading rearward as he approaches contact. – This is also noted in Bonds’ mechanics.

2. By frame 14 or 15, Bagwell has completed his pre-launch movements and is ready to rotate. Just watch his lead-leg and hip the next 4 or 5 frames. It is clear that he is using the extension of his lead-leg to drive the lead-hip rearward approximately 8 to 10 inches as the back-hip rotates forward.

3. It is also clear that he is rotating around his spine and not the front-hip. Since the lead-side is rotating rearward at the same rate the back-side is forward, you be the judge of Ray's next point. – “no - splitting duties of each side (front side direction/back side power) - again rather both sides equally rotating.” --- I would also like a definition of “Spinning” as it relates to this clip. Note: There have been posts on this and other boards that maintain that if the hips rotate evenly, the batter is spinning. They contend that to be effective, the spine (center of mass) must move forward “Back to Center.”

Once everyone has had a chance to respond to this issue, I will address the “Fence Drill” and “Hands inside the ball” controversy.

Jack Mankin