Posted by: Dave () on Wed Oct 12 10:47:09 2005

> >>> When you swing, should you always be focusing on keeping your hands close to your body? If you do this, and also watch the ball hit the bat, will your hands automatically extend to an outside pitch? <<<
>
> Hi Mike
>
> Concentrating on keeping the hands close to the body produces similar results attained from the “keep your hands inside the ball” cue. Although both linear and rotational transfer mechanics may keep the hands close and inside the ball, they use very different concepts to accomplish it.
>
> Linear mechanics keep the hands inside the ball by the batter allowing the lead-elbow to bend while extending the hands toward the pitcher. (see clip http://webpages.charter.net/nickkio/HandstoBall/Linear05.mpg )
> To reach the outside pitch, the batter extends the hands more in the direction of first base. In either case, the resulting path of the hands is much straighter than the hand-path of a batter using rotational transfer mechanics.
>
> With rotational mechanics, the batter keeps the lead-arm fairly straight from initiation to contact. How wide a path the hands take is governed by how far the lead-shoulder has rotated by contact. Note in this Griffey Jr clip - http://www.youthbaseballcoaching.com/mpg/griffey_ken.mpeg -, that although he keeps his lead-arm fairly straight, full rotation of his lead-shoulder swung his hands around a tight circular path. – Less shoulder rotation would allow his lead-arm to cast away from the chest into a wider path for outside pitches.
>
> Average hitters can keep the hands in close and inside the ball. However, the best hitters' mechanics gain added bat speed from the pendulum effect generated by a circular hand-path.
>
> Jack Mankin

You have to factor in pitch location when asking people to watch a video of a player. If the pitch is middle to middle in both arms are bent at contact. On an outside pitch you can still keep you hands inside the ball by letting the ball get deep and rotating on it later. A liner hitter will throw their hands at an outside pitch and extend both arms and a rotational hitter let the ball travel knowing that their mechanics will allow them to still keep their hands inside the ball. However, if the rotational hitter is early you will see their lead arm bar but the ream elbow is still tucked in the slot.

I think Griffey is more on an exception than a rule because he seems to bar his lead arm on most swings. Bonds is a better example of hand path because it is rare for him to chase a ball out of the zone.

The best thing about big league hitters is the adjustments they make to the ball so when evaluating a swing you have to watch several swings at different pitch locations.