Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Tue Oct 4 12:49:56 2005

>>> I'm having trouble developing a good launch position. Naturally, my handsgo back slightly to just in front of my shoulder, but my front arm is too bent and I can't get a good CHP since my front arm stays bent during the swing., and it causes them to go linear in order to get to a good contact position. If my have my hands behind the shoulders and back, my front arm is barred almost, and my back shoulder gets 'locked' and the hands stay too far back, and the swing is too long. Inbetween where my hands are not quite in front nor quite behind the shoulder, i'm able to get the best CHP and batspeed, but my top-hand thumb can't quite reach the shoulder, nor does it feel natural. Where should my hands be? <<<

Hi Dougdinger

I am confused by your statement, “but my front arm is too bent and I can't get a good CHP since my front arm stays bent during the swing., and it causes them to go linear in order to get to a good contact position.” – Many great hitters have their lead-arm bent in the launch position and their hands do not go linear. A good CHP occurs if the batter - (1) Maintains the bend in the elbow during rotation to contact, or (2) Straightens the arm early during initiation.

The Rose clip ( http://www.youthbaseballcoaching.com/mpg/Rose.mpeg ) and a Sosa clip (
http://www.youthbaseballcoaching.com/mpg/sosa_sammy2.mpeg ) show a batter producing a CHP while keeping the lead-arm bent. – A more linear hand-path occurs when batters further flex the arm by driving the elbow toward the ball and then extend (or straighten) the arm at contact (see clip http://webpages.charter.net/nickkio/HandstoBall/Linear05.mpg ).

Let us analyze a Griffey Jr. clip ( http://www.youthbaseballcoaching.com/mpg/griffey_ken.mpeg ) as an example of a batter rotating with a fairly straight (or “barred”) lead-arm during rotation. Note that when a batter keeps a straight lead-arm across the chest, full shoulder rotation will swing the hands into a fairly tight CHP for pitches middle-in. Also note that less lead-shoulder rotation would allow the lead-arm to cast the hands out into a wider path for outside pitches.

Most linear coaches would say that a batter is guilty of “casting” anytime the hands are taken in a circular path. --- Based on analyzing video of the great hitters, maybe it is time for these coaches to re-define or reevaluate their condemnation of both “casting” and “barring the lead-arm.”

Jack Mankin