Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Sat Feb 17 22:14:55 2001

>> Ray,I think we must get them all speaking the same language. I have questioned Jack, saying I think his rotating on a stationary axis is the same as the kinetic chain just not broken down into parts. I also believe that power is applied by the rotating on a stationary axis and yes using the lower body to transfer that energy to the upper body and out to the hands that ultimately bring the bat around. Your agreeing with Jack's statement that angular hand path and torque create batspeed, if so then sit down in a chair that does not swivel and use all the torque and angular handpath you want and try to generate the same batspeed as rotating on a stationary axis. When I asked Jack this he said he would get back to me. The whole body must be used to generate the best batspeed so why not use it all just use it correctly as has been described by Jack. -- rql <<<

Hi rql

Rql, you have misstated my position. I did not say “that angular hand path and torque create batspeed” as you implied. What I said was; “the rotational model I envision develops bat speed by transferring the body’s rotational energy from the angular displacement of the hand-path (circular hand-path) and from torque.” There is a great difference between ‘creating” and “transferring.” Torque and an angular hand-path are the “transfer mechanics” not “creators of.”

Lower body mechanics – kinetic chain – hip torque – lower, upper body separation --or whatever terms are used to describe generating body rotation -- that is the energy for the swing. So now we have the shoulders rotating around a fixed axis. The question then becomes, how is that energy converted into bat speed. Rql, that is what I was addressing. --- So of course, setting in a non-swivel chair would limit shoulder rotation and therefore bat speed would suffer.

NOTE: “Lower body mechanics – kinetic chain – hip torque – lower, upper body separation” can NOT effect bat speed directly. They have no direct link to the bat. They effect the rate of shoulder rotation. Only the shoulders, through the arms, have a direct link to the bat. So, regardless of how the hips rotate, it will only have an impact on bat speed by how it effected shoulder rotation.

Jack Mankin