Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Wed Sep 28 16:21:37 2005

>>> I'm not trying to belittle what you are saying and asking, but in all of my years (15) of Pro Ball we never talked about hitting in such technical terms. I played several year with the best hitter of All-time and I never heard him talk in this form. Now I know you may say he is/was gifted.

Rule number one in hitting, don't make it more complicated than it is. I met Pete Rose and he told me to "See the Ball and hit the ball." That's it! His a question for you, when you first started teaching your son how to hit did you teach him this rotational and linear stuff? Probably not. Keep it simple, by having him develop a good balanced stance and taking a level swing, focusing on keeping his hands inside the ball.

I could be wrong but all this rotational and linear hitting stuff is just making it way to complicated. I played with Vlade Guerrero, Derek Jeter and I never heard them talk like this. I can name drop all day, but it's not necessary.

I can tell you this we use a tool in our school that helps all facets of hitting. Come check it out at our site at www.bmp18.com.

Keep it Fun!! <<<

Hi Jalal

Welcome to the site. I agree that we should try to explain swing mechanics in as simple terms as possible. I would also agree that this site gets in far more technical territory than one usually finds in the baseball world. However, many at this site feel that over simplifying the swing is not helpful to coaches and players either.

You state, “Keep it simple, by having him develop a good balanced stance and taking a level swing, focusing on keeping his hands inside the ball.” – The bat-head starts above the head and can make contact below the knees. So “level” where? What mechanics get it “level” where we want it level. – Players are constantly posting these types of questions and we find we must get in more technical territory to discuss the answers.

We all believe the hands should stay “inside the ball.” But what path should the hands take “inside the ball?” Should the batter’s mechanics take the hands inside the ball in a straight (A to B) line? Or, should the hands take a circular path inside the ball? This leads us into a “Linear vs Rotational” discussion.

So yes, during my study of swing mechanics, I developed terms for batting principles that are far more technical than “see the ball, hit the ball”. Jalal, we all hope you will continue to post here. Your experience at the plate can help all to appreciate what it takes to become a better hitter.

Jack Mankin