Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Mon Aug 29 16:19:57 2005

>>> I think only lately have I really begun to understand the purpose of Top Hand Torque (or whatever term you may use). I see it in Brett, I see it in Bonds, and I see it in other great hitters. But take a look at the clip on this site: http://www.youthbaseballcoaching.com/swings.html that has this picture on it: http://www.youthbaseballcoaching.com/images/Baseball_Clips_2-t0003.jpg

Third column, sixth row.

Where is the Top Hand Torque? It looks like the Diamondbacks are facing the Yankees, which leads me to believe that the clip is from 2001. Luis Gonzalez hit 50+ homeruns that year.

Can someone show me where the Top Hand Torque happens here? <<<

Hi Hitter

You say that lately you begun to understand the purpose of Top Hand Torque. I would guess that most posters who say they can see THT being applied are actually referring to the pre-launch phase of applying THT. During pre-launch torque, the hands start a good distance from the back-shoulder (like Bonds or Sosa) and rearward acceleration of the bat-head is occuring before shoulder rotation. Even the most skeptic observer should be able to see that the pulling back of the forearm (and thus top-hand) applies torque that causes the bat-head to be accelerated rearward to, and through, the normal launch position.

I agree that THT is much harder to see with batters (like Gonzalez) who start with the bat in the normal launch. Even though the pulling back of the top-hand is occurring during initiation, shoulder rotation is accelerating the hands (as a unit) around toward the pitcher. Therefore if the hands (as a unit) is rotating in one direction, it is hard to see, or understood by many, how the top-hand is applying a force at the handle in the opposite direction (rearward toward the catcher).

Regardless of what muscles or mechanics it feels like you are using, if it results in the forearm pulling the top-hand back around a slower moving bottom-hand, you are applying torque (THT) that is accelerating the bat-head.

Jack Mankin