Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.co) on Thu Feb 22 15:03:29 2001

Hi Larry

When discussing the mechanics of the arms and hands it is helpful to divide the swing into two segments. The first mechanic to consider is from initiation to the full extension of the arms. The second is from full extension through the follow through.

At the start of the swing, the lead arm will be fairly extended but the back elbow will be flexed (or broken down) and at the batters side. As the batter accelerates the bat-head the back arm will be extending and the arms will reach full extension sometime AFTER contact. During this time, the palm of the back hand will (or should) remain pointing up and the lead palm pointing down.

After full extension of the arms has been reached the role of the arms and hands will reverse. This is the follow-through segment of the swing. The lead elbow will now break down and in to the batters side and the back arm will be extended. At the same time the wrist will roll – back hand palm will roll down as the lead palm rolls up.

The important thing to remember is to not have the wrist to roll before contact. This is a power and contact killing flaw. The premature rolling of the wrist is mainly caused by not initiating the swing with enough shoulder rotation and allowing the lead elbow to point downward too soon.

Note: Actually, the follow-through starts just after contact and in most cases before the back arm becomes fully extended.

Jack Mankin