Posted by: Major Dan (markj89@charter.net) on Fri Mar 9 06:42:26 2001

Rotational Hitting (Jack Mankin from earlier in this thread)
“It's easy to identify hitters that use rotational mechanics because most of them do. I'm still waiting to hear about one that doesn't.” --- I would agree with you that there are many similarities of how linear and rotational hitters develop energy for the swing. Either may or may not take a stride, or shift weight, and both rotate around some axis.

But there is a vast difference in the mechanics they use to transfer that energy into bat speed. The batter using linear mechanics initiates the swing with forces that will have the back-hand driving past the lead-hand at contact. So, how he strides, rotates and the forces he applies to the bat at initiation is timed and geared to achieve back-arm extension through contact.

A good rotational hitter has no thought of extending the back-arm through contact. The mindset for his mechanics is to initiate the swing with forces that will cause the lead-hand to arc around a more stationary back-hand coming into contact. So the forces he applies to the bat at initiation will be far different than those of the linear hitter. He will have expended all rotational an torque energies by contact. The power for the follow-through will come from the bat’s momentum – not his arms.

So, to sum it up: The linear hitter sets up to drive (or extend) the back-hand past the lead-hand. --- The rotational hitter sets up to have the lead shoulder and arm pull the lead-hand around a more stationary back-hand. --- The mechanics may look similar, but there is a vast difference in what they produce.

Charlie Lau Jr. response:
Jack, Don't make linear and rotational hitting so confusing.
The vast majority of good hitters display the same axis to produce not only hip rotation but also weight transfer that depends on the location of the pitch. Mark McGwire, Jeff Bagwell,Dante Bichette and a few others are bigger and stronger than the vast majority of todays' sluggers and can get away without displaying full hip rotation and weight transfer. Instead of perpetuating the problem, why dont you simplify it by saying your front leg should firm up at contact which keeps you from being to linear and too rotational? My father said that 20 yrs ago.
> Respectfully,
> Charley Lau Jr.

1- Jack, your description above is brilliant, concise and to the point. I have given it to all my AAU players. It is a very clear statement of what we are trying to teach them and in many cases fixing in their swings.

2- Charley Lau Jr. poster/im-poster?? takes issue with Jack's statement. "Don't make linear and rotational hitting so confusing." I for one am not in the least confused by Jack's statement. Jr. what is confusing about it?
Wat does Jr. offer? "your front leg should firm up at contact which keeps you from being too linear and too rotational". Now that does confuse me. Is the goal to be partly linear and partly rotational? Why? Which part of linear is the part to keep, which part of rotational is the part to keep? Please answer these questions so they can be discussed. The statement is at best too ambibuous as stated to be discussed.
3- "your front leg should firm up at contact which keeps you from being too linear and too rotational". I have challenged this hitting tip before but with no material response.
If the front leg firms up at contact, that implies to me that hip rotation, caused by the front leg pushing the front hip back and the back leg pushing the back hip forward, is occurring as the bat approaches contact.
If this were true, how can hip rotation be linked to shoulder rotation through the torso in a kinetic chain, then turned into batspeed with the hands turning with the shoulders in a circular hand path?
The legs power hip rotation. That energy must be transferred to shoulder rotation through the torso. As the hips turn open and transfer energy, they slow down (equal and opposite reaction) and form a base against which the torso can turn in order to turn the shoulders (another equal and opposite reaction). This implies a delay between hips open (front leg firm) and bat coming into contact with the ball. Without the delay, there is no kinetic chain. So how can you firm up the front leg AT contact? Isn't it BEFORE contact?
or
Jr. - are you saying that the proper swing is to shift the weight, then turn the body as a unit - hips, torso, shoulders, arms - into the ball? If so, then you can firm up the front leg at contact. Do you advocate a unit turn swing? If not, how do you reconcile these conflicts?
Major Dan