Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Fri Jul 22 01:23:11 2005

>>> I would have to hear more about what makes a linear hitter-linear- and a rotational hitter-rotational.

I'm sure their is confusion going on of what the kids are actually being taught, and how they actually hit. <<<

Hi Shawn

I have discussed swing mechanics with many coaches who advocate taking the hands in the shortest path from launch to contact (A to B). They say that rotating the shoulders while keeping the lead-elbow barred, or at a fixed angle, results in casting (an A to B to C hand-path). To them, the lead-elbow should start well flexed (or ‘boxed) and extend to contact to allow the hands to take the most direct course to the zone.

There is a demonstration of these mechanics at http://webpages.charter.net/nickkio/HandstoBall/Linear05.mpg Since the object of these mechanics is the linear hand-path demonstrated, I refer to these mechanics as “Linear transfer mechanics.”

Keeping the lead-elbow barred or at a fixed angle during shoulder rotation does result in a more circular (A to B to C) hand-path. Pete Rose is not my model for rotational transfer mechanics. However, the overhead shot of him at http://www.youthbaseballcoaching.com/mpg/Rose.mpeg does show that keeping the lead-elbow at a fixed angle during rotation does generate a CHP.

Note that the first directional movement of the hand-path is almost perpendicular to the flight of the incoming ball – or toward the first base dugout. When doing a video analysis of a student’s swing (across the plate view), I check to see the first direction of the hand-path. If the hands are first directed more toward the camera, the resulting hand-path is more circular (or rotational). If it is directed more toward the second baseman, the hand-path will be more linear.

A CHP is important because it generates bat speed by taking advantage of the pendulum effect (like swinging a ball on a string) as demonstrated in clip http://webpages.charter.net/nickkio/HandPath/CHP.mpg .
In clip http://webpages.charter.net/nickkio/HandPath/SHP.mpg I demonstrate that with a linear hand-path similar to clip http://webpages.charter.net/nickkio/HandstoBall/Linear05.mpg there is little or no pendulum effect. Extending the top-hand past the bottom-hand is what brought around the bat head – torque supplied mainly by the arms. It requires both a CHP and torque to attain maximum bat speed.

Jack Mankin